The Pigeon Detectives - Live
[Manchester Academy]

Having just witnessed that the sound in this expanding hall holds up as well as it used to (from support act One Night Only), the excitement builds and a bit of weary anticipation does too? Will the proud Yorkshire lads of The Pigeon Detectives proudly sport the shirts of their beloved Leeds, as they are now infamous for so doing? Surely not here on enemy flooring?

However, as the Matt Bowman led troupe strut into view the only sign of allegiance is a The Holloways t-shirt, good choice though. ‘I Found Out’, mingles the raw thrust of The Holloways with the rising catchiness of The Kaiser Chiefs. It pleases fervid fans towards the front, no end. Infectious indie never ceases to please and ‘Romantic Type’ (review), tests the acoustics to the limit with help from eager crowd cries.

Naturally, they hug debut album material like it’s their true love that they haven’t seen for months, but still they build up a tempo and keep the interest going with quirky comments between songs and a confident tightness during them. Their live sound tends to give extra force to the jangling guitars creating a hypnotic melody swirl that excites onlookers.

The tag of the new Kaiser Chief’s, whilst seeming a little lazy, due to the fact that tonight’s headliners are more of a unit with each member contributing to the between song entertainment and in the support they give to each other. The main reason for the comparison lies in the rising and catchy finale ‘I’m Not Sorry’, featuring a chorus that you could hang your parka on, it is sends an appreciative crowd home humming and singing all the way to Droylsden and beyond.