The Lodge at Manchester’s Deaf Institute is the perfect size for a band like she’s green. Small enough to feel intimate, but with just enough room for five musicians to deliver something that feels bigger than the space itself. By the time Minneapolis five-piece she’s green took to the stage last night, the room was sold out and expectant. By the end, no-one was going home disappointed.
Led by the ethereal vocals of Zofia Smith, the band – Liam Armstrong and Raines Lucas on guitars, Teddy Nordvold on bass and Kevin Seebeck on drums – have a sound that sits somewhere between shoegaze, dream-pop and with the occasional slightly heavier vibe. Their Minneapolis roots are important: this is a band born from a DIY scene, initially developing their music through local shows and homemade recordings before gradually making their way onto bigger stages.
Opening with Locket, the guitars immediately fill the room, Smith’s voice floating delicately above them, contrasting beautifully with the weight underneath. Keeper, Purple and River follow, with the latter’s familiar melodic pull drawing an increasingly enthusiastic response from the crowd. The basslines pulsate, Teddy Nordvold providing a muscular foundation that draws a physical reaction from the crowd, sitting beneath Armstrong and Lucas’s layers of shimmering, hazy guitar.
Paper Thin and Smile Again bring a more tender edge, while Graze and Willow help create the atmosphere.
There’s plenty of personality, too. At one point Smith asks the Manchester crowd to “tell me something cool about your city”. Silence. Clearly no-one came prepared for a quiz. Eventually someone offers “Music”. Nordvold follows up by asking for a good local band. “Oasis,” comes the witty initial answer. After a little deliberation, we settle on Westside Cowboy, a suggestion that lands with plenty of agreement.
The final stretch – Bleed, Mettle, Mandy and Close Your Eyes – is brilliant. Mandy is prefaced with a reminder to check in on your friends leading into a poignant piece of work, while the closing track leave us with the dream-like quality of the story in the lyrics.
The crowd loved it. she’s green seemed to love it even more! That connection continued long after the final note. Rather than disappearing backstage, the band stayed for at least half an hour, chatting with fans, posing for photographs and signing things.
For a band with this kind of expansive sounds, she’s green remain completely grounded. Last night was an excellent, intimate show from a band that feels ready for the next step into bigger rooms, even if, for now, the Lodge suited them perfectly.
