Nottingham has blessed us with Divorce, in their words “3 big boys and 1 little rascal.” Manchester served as the penultimate stop on their tour, before returning to their hometown for one final show.
With support from Gold Baby, the sold-out basement of YES was saturated with delightful commotions of authenticity right from the beginning. The venue was instantly overwhelmed with vibrant blue lights per Divorce’s arrival, as the first strum of ‘Sex & The Millenium Bridge’ bewitched the audience into a melancholic state of deliberation.
Immediately, we were introduced to the excellence of their new EP Heady Metal. Hypnotic vocals intertwined with the sincerity of the lyrics, pleasing a multitude of dynamics within their cross-generational audience – from young listeners who appreciated the relatability of their struggle, to the older folks who took simple pleasure in absorbing the atmospheric twang of old-school grunge.
Credit: Parisa Kimiaei @ The Mancunion
Music was interjected with a brief acknowledgement of the crowd, followed by ‘Pretty’ from their first EP Get Mean, which astonished the entire room with its vigorous expression. Co-vocalist Felix Mackenzie-Barrow’s baritone intonation provided the perfect descent into youthful angst delivered by Tiger’s vocals. Sympathetic chants of “I met the love of my life” roared throughout the chorus, as the continuity of beaming red lights bled passion.
A trilogy of singles enriched the central fragment of the setlist – swinging between the bittersweet-coming-of-age turmoil of their debut ‘Services’ to the majestic instrumental of ‘Scratch Your Metal’ which curated a momentary bliss of sentimentality. The last of this trilogy, ‘That Hill’, was a mellow interruption to the prior sharp tracks. Divorce captured their variety immaculately in this curation, placing the audience in their narrative through the personality of their stage presence and inviting them to dance along.
At this point in the set, I thought to myself that I might be at a Wolf Alice gig – shocked at how accurately they encapsulated contemporary alternative music before their one-hour fiesta had even ended. Unreleased tracks were interspersed throughout the performance, keeping the audience on their toes. ‘Gears’ was written when they had “shit jobs” and struggled to repair damage to their cars on tour, it appeared to entrance the room due to its earnest angle of financial hardship and recency.
Mackenzie-Barrow and Tiger Cohen-Towell’s synchronisation was irrefutable, from their soothing voices and flicker of strings to the conversations which they indulged in between songs – they emitted a platonic harmony which surged through the entirety of the room. It was like seeing the sunrise, or making the perfect cup of tea on a cold morning.
Between their last two songs ‘Eat My Words’ and ‘Checking Out’, Tiger dominated the stage to thank everyone, from their drummer Kasper Sandstrom (supplementing guitar duties with Do Nothing) who enticed us with his comedic drumroll after each acknowledgement, to the photographer, Rosie, who depicted their melodic chemistry innovatively in singular flashes of a camera. These last two, along with their unreleased track ‘Lord’, were Mackenzie-Barrow’s favourite to perform on tour – and rightly so!
Credit: Parisa Kimiaei @ The Mancunion
‘Eat My Words’ was an ironic expression of the vulnerability of silence, providing a slight twist on biting your tongue and burying your emotions within. This was followed by ‘Checking Out’, which served as the perfect climactic song, prompting the return of the red lights to awaken the room. It is their most listened-to track on Spotify, meaning that the crowd was able to sing along and divert themselves from the unfortunate fact that this outstanding set was coming to an end.
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