NORMANDIE - MANCHESTER, UK.
Normandie at the O2 Ritz, Manchester, UK (13/03/2024).
with support from As December Falls and Self Deception!
Images by: Dylan Maggs.
NORMANDIE
AS DECEMBER FALLS
SELF DECEPTION
The Dopamine Clinic opened in Manchester as Swedish heavy rock band Normandie took the stage on their UK headline tour. The smiles were infectious, serotonin flowed in abundance as strangers became community, fans became friends and the room was filled with a choir shaking the rafters.
Manchester rain poured as I meandered down the bustling Oxford Road and the cold wind only pushed rain through my hoodless jacket, dampening my mood. I was tired and burnt out and frankly, the weather matched my foul mood. However, all of it was left outside the doors of the O2 Ritz as the excitement settled to see one of my all-time favourite bands on their debut album release tour for ‘Dopamine’. It’s been three years since their previous success, ‘Dark & Beautiful Secrets’ and my craving had only grown over time as the last opportunity I’d had to see them was at 2021 Slamdunk.
Needless to say, I was not disappointed.
Kicking things off were the Swedish band, Self Deception, a very creative hybrid of Bring Me The Horizon and Electric Callboy, mostly with chugging heavy chords and occasional opportunities to dance to the synth backing track. I wanted to enjoy Self Deception as their stage presence was nigh on incomparable. Having a unique blend of RGB glowing teeth and yellow dungarees on the bassist whilst the guitarist wore all-black denim and the lead singer engaged the audience whenever possible, they stood out.
However, the live mix was littered with technical faults that led to an overwhelming amount of distortion from the guitar, drowning out the vocals almost entirely. I spoke to guitarist Ronny Westphal later on in the night who confirmed my suspicions; there had been major audio issues during the soundcheck. The show had even run the threat of being cancelled outright. Therefore, I can only commend the band on their performance.
To the untrained ear or eye, you would’ve thought the band were performing at 100. It takes real grit to put on a show that still engages the audience to the point where fans are singing the lyrics back, despite knowing things weren’t quite as they should be. And they did it all with a smile. This was the start of a well-needed trend. I’m happy to say that by the end of their set, audio had managed to get in check and they were as good as I imagined they’d sound, their most standout song being ‘Psycho’, introduced by their charismatic bassist.
Swiftly following was the main support, As December Falls. I’d heard of the band a few years ago, even receiving a free signed EP through a promotional campaign the band ran. I caught them briefly live at a festival for the first time last year and finally had a chance to see them at an intimate gig.
Since their most recent album release ‘Join The Club’, the pop-punk trio have been making waves in the UK scene, including winning awards at the Heavy Music Awards. The success is largely due, in my opinion, to the band’s commitment to having fun on stage. This is an educated guess because there wasn’t one point in which they didn’t seem to lower energy. Instead, between Ande, Bethany, Timmy and their live drummer, they bounced their reserves and swapped roles. Even when Bethany’s lungs were empty from holding an impressively long high note, Ande would take over with a guitar solo or swap with Tim.
The Nottingham-based band have been playing together since 2014 and the chemistry through that much time touring together is very visible. Though the set was free of sound issues, I took note of lighting and found it a shame that the band were rarely ever front-lit. It added to the edge but it is nice to be able to see the glowing faces of a band. Regardless, even their silhouettes were bold and I couldn’t help but draw comparisons to Against The Current, a similar band from the US who played the same stage a few months ago. This is meant as a compliment, of course, I’m only enticed to see and listen to the band even more now.
Finally, after a hefty serving of smiles, I couldn’t contain myself as I watched confetti cannons being laid out for the Clinic. I beamed as my peers and I watched Normandie burst onto the stage, confetti launched shortly into the first song, appropriately being ‘Serotonin’. Even as I worked, I couldn’t help but sing along to the line “Fill me up with Serotonin”. It’s a visceral cry that many alongside me chorused under a shower of white and yellow confetti, drawing parallels to the rain outside.
Maybe it’s because it was their first time back in Manchester for a while, maybe it was the limited run of UK shows the band were playing, maybe it was the fact that they were all ill, but there was something special about the way they played that night. They couldn’t have known everyone in the room but the connection between the band and who they sang to was magnetic and each song hit harder and harder, including the ones voted for on their Instagram stories. It was easy to spot someone waving the yellow smiley balloon from the band’s marketing campaign at the barrier and later in the set, it was flying about freely. I don’t think it ever popped, on recollection, it just kept smiling.
Despite Philip explaining the band’s difficulties with sickness over the past few tour dates, he managed to deliver a vocal performance that made me envious, hitting and holding notes that I would’ve left to the lower octave on a rough voice. I was concerned it could’ve been to his detriment but instead, when appropriate, he let the audience take on the lyrics. This didn’t happen often but it's always a euphoric feeling knowing that your fans can support you as much as you support them, a symbiotic relationship.
I even recall that Philip saying he was going to give up on a falsetto note, thinking he wouldn’t hit it, then making guitarist Håkan laugh when he did it anyway. The night will forever remain in my memory as a celebration not only of the album but the band’s persistence. There aren’t many that can leave an impression that makes me smile long into the future, but Normandie is one of those bands. And if you don’t know them by now, you should get to.
You May Also Like:
