Snapped Ankles were formed in 2011 out of one of east London’s warehouse communities and have continued their unimagined rise ever since. They defy convention at every turn from wearing pieces of forest to making their own instruments and with the success of their latest LP Forest of your Problems they have embarked on a long-awaited tour and I caught them at Manchester’s Gorilla.
Their sense of humour shines through at the merch stall with bandana/facemasks that state ‘I Want My 2020 Back’ – a pun based on their popular track ‘I Want My Minutes Back’. With the scene nicely set by support Mermaid Chunky, they take to the stage in an array of foliage as a five piece and go immediately into ‘Rhythm Is Our Business’ with little time wasted by the vocalist who jumps straight into the crowd, unruly modernised wooden mic stand and all. The crowd jump around him happily and memories of what we have all been through in this pandemic dissipate quickly. Moving into ‘Letter from Hampi Mountain’ and from there into ‘The Evidence’ they display with ease why they have become so popular, with flawless execution of complex music that could be messy in less capable hands.
‘Shifting Basslines of the Cornucopians’ and ‘Undiluted Lover’ make for more dancing and sweating from the crowd who are lapping it up with gusto, with barely a body in the place remaining stationary. The final part of the set is the strongest, with fan favourites ‘Rechargeable’, the aforementioned ‘I Want My Minutes Back’ and concluding ‘Jonny Guitar Calling Gosta Berlin’ tying things off. Lashings of reverberation linger long after they leave the stage with the only thing missing being an encore; another time.
Snapped Ankles are one of those bands, they’re either the best thing you’ve ever seen or they’ll leave you confused. One thing is for sure though, what they do they do so well that they will never be matched.
