Live review: grentperez delights devoted fans with a theatrical set

One of the many beauties of living in Manchester is just how expansive our culture is. Perhaps, you could say that our city is the poster child of a cultural melting pot. In that on any given night, you have the opportunity to throw yourself into any form of culture, seek out an escape at the grace of both local artists and those from across the globe, visiting our city in hope of making a connection with a crowd.

23-year-old Filipino-Australian singer Grant Perez, known by stage as grentperez, had a recent visit to Manchester Academy which provided one of those moments in support of his debut album Backflips in a Restaurant. He rose to fame in recent years thanks to his presence on social media platforms such as TikTok, and, after mastering the fabrication of an online world, he is finally bringing his music to life on stage.

Credit: Frankie Austick @ The Mancunion

There is much to be said about social media’s impact on the operation of the music industry, but it's difficult to deny the unity and opportunity it allows to blossom. This was evident, immediately, by the eager crowd that had been queuing as early as ten o'clock in the morning for Perez’s show. Fans huddled together like cattle in desperation to inch further to the barrier and, after a sweet acoustic support set from Liang Lawrence, anticipation oozed into the air, entrancing the keen faces amongst the crowd.

Credit: Frankie Austick @ The Mancunion

A sea of at-the-ready phones lit up the room as grentperez's set began. Immediately, he set the tone for a show with a theatrical entrance by beginning his performance off-stage. He basked in the neon glow of the restaurant sign fittingly placed as a backdrop, appearing as a larger-than-life figure as he took the reins of the stage.

Heading into this concert, it was difficult to know what to expect: often, artists who rise to fame online struggle to transfer that level of hype across to the stage. Thankfully for grentperez, he seemed to be able to take control of his perception just as well to a live crowd as he does to a digital one. Crowd interactions were sprinkled into the opening of the set, with joyous band introductions and goofy anecdotes being well-received by the audience.

Credit: Frankie Austick @ The Mancunion

The three-man band performed a piece that bridged the middle line between Glee and The 1975: the audience were taken into a confident, vulnerable yet giddy set. Perez's vocal range established his stance as the most important man in the room; he was able to move the set from up-tempo pop to slow and acoustic while maintaining the same level of energy and without any sense of emotional whiplash.

This is a man who knows exactly he’s doing, giving the audience everything they’d come to expect from as an eccentric a man as himself. Part of me wonders if the man on stage was the real him, or him playing into his online persona. grentperez is a combination of both, and walking that line between theatre and reality is an impressive feat.

Credit: Frankie Austick @ The Mancunion

Just for those few hours, Perez was able to fully engross the audience in his performance: a sure-fire test of a good, escapist gig. If the opportunity to catch a grentperez show arises, however high of low your level of familiarity, everyone should jump at the chance take it. His performance and chemistry with the crowd will stay with attendees for a long time.