Scouse band KEYSIDE took fans to ‘heaven’ on Sunday night as they performed to a sold-out crowd in one of Manchester’s most popular venues: The Deaf Institute.
The tour started at the beginning of March, with hits from the beginning of their career alongside their newly released songs from their most recent EP ‘Michael (What’s Your Call?)’. The EP includes fan favourites such as ‘Runaway’ and ‘Rhiannah, Please Don’t Cry’, performed later in the evening, shining more of Keyside’s beat-centric and danceable tunes across the stage. It wasn’t hard to miss the excitement that captivated the venue, with fans who had travelled nationwide to experience the captivating sounds of KEYSIDE .
Opening for the band was Dylan Roberts, who helped ignite the crowd with unforgettable, original indie tunes preparing the crowd for the excitement they were about to endure. Although the venue was typically ‘small’, it was extremely hard to tell as the sounds that erupted after every song made the ground shake.
KEYSIDE took to the stage a little before 9:00 pm with their 2024 hit ‘Nikita’, with cheers taking over the venue that never seemed to stop. It was clear how devoted their fans were to their music and how proud the boys were of their work. The crowd were instantly captivated by the melody and music as dancing instantly took over the venue as they enjoyed singing back to the lead vocalist Dan Parker. To continue with the slower and more intimate songs, the band followed the song with ‘High To High’, with Ben Cassidy on lead guitar creating a perfect fusion between vocals and guitar.
Crowd interaction was continuous throughout the gig, as the band played a special tribute to the fans who had supported them in person and online by playing two unreleased tracks; one of which had been performed many times on their Instagram livestreams. During the tune ‘Heaven’ it was clear who the diehard fans were as people throughout the venue slowly realised what was being played and people started joining in with the lyrics.
Alongside ‘Heaven’ was ‘Lemon & Lime’, a song the band had only started playing on this tour, it was a great look into their future projects creating excitement all around as fans eagerly tuned into the ballad, with an energetic mix of vocals, bass, guitar and drums creating the perfect mix of melodies that echoed throughout the venue.
In the second part of the evening, KEYSIDE took the crowd on a “trip to France” with ‘Paris To Marseille’, one of their most popular songs, just before the encore. Tricking the fans into thinking this was their final song, creating an uproar of energy across the room once again before running off stage.
As “Manchester is one of their favourite cities to play” the boys treated the fans with three more songs as part of their encore, original songs ‘Runaway’ and to close the show ‘Angeline’ with an extra treat of ‘Sally Cinnamon’ by The Stone Roses which helped the night end perfectly. The crowd were left ecstatic after hearing banger after banger from their favourite artist.
Without a shadow of a doubt, KEYSIDE are only going to excel in the music industry and they’re a band to keep an eye out for across the upcoming years.
Photo Credits:
Seren Thomas – Liverpool, Arts Club
Georgia Cottrill – Manchester, Deaf Institute
Taped Magazine 