Photo + Words: Lauren Pine
After the release of their critically acclaimed debut album ‘Cannonball’ sent a wave of new life into the alternative rock music scene, Man/Woman/Chainsaw were back in Portsmouth for their headline UK and Ireland tour on Thursday 1st October.
Hailing from Hampshire, support came from the noise rock trio Uncle Junior who got the crowd energised with their captivating performance including their debut single ‘Melt Me’ and unreleased tracks like ‘I love you, Kenneth Copeland’.
Before Man/Woman/Chainsaw took to the stage to perform, they were onstage to set up their own equipment, test their own mics and make adjustments themselves. And yet, when they came back to officially begin their set, you’d forgotten that you’d just seen them gaffer taping their instruments just moments prior, as they walked on with a whole new energy. Maybe this is their natural stage presence, or maybe it was helped by their choice of walk-out song being 50 Cent’s ‘In Da Club’.
Making music since they were teens, Man/Woman/Chainsaw have a small but mighty catalogue of diverse songs. With only one studio album so far, their set focused on these latest songs and subsequently veered on the shorter side. This isn’t a bad thing at all. Instead, it allowed them to have a tight and cohesive set. Any minor technical difficulties that did arise during their set were handled with a laugh and swiftly forgotten about when they launched into the next enthralling track.
They ran through dynamic album tracks like ‘Only Girl’, ‘The Thing’ and ‘Get Up and Dance’, weaving in slower and more stripped back ones like ‘Still Angry’ and ‘Lighter’. Made up of six members, each of them plays their unique part within their sound, and onstage the synergy is undeniable. They moved effortlessly from track to track with Clio Starwood’s violin coming in and out whilst Billy Ward, Emmie-Mae Avery and Vera Leppänen took turns on lead vocals.
Closing the set with their hugely successful single, ‘Nosedive’, the band pulled all their strengths together, even including an addition of a cowbell played by Ward, closing out the show with a riveting performance. Still somewhat early on in their journey, Man/Woman/Chainsaw’s live show should secure them a long-lasting and exciting future as a band that should not be overlooked.
