Warmduscher are a group of miscreants, known only by aliases (Clams Baker Jr, Lightnin’ Jack Everett, Salt Fingers, Quicksand and Dr. Withers aka Little Whiskers). Ardent fans, Iggy Pop and Marc Riley have only gleaming praise to heap on the band, and in return, Warmduscher have blessed them both with immortality. Tonight, Marc Riley introduces the band, as has become tradition whenever they grace Manchester with their presence.
Opening with newbie ‘Pure at the Heart’, one could be forgiven for thinking they’ve gone a little soft to start in such a way, but fear not, their version of melancholy only lasts a beat before ‘Standing on the Corner’, ‘Midnight Dipper’ and ‘Hot Shot’ are blasted out in fine style and see the room, on its bounchy floor, springing away. Another new one, ‘Fashion Week’ shows how they have progressed as a band, taking all the elements people love, mixing them up and firing out something so damn catchy your foot can’t stop tapping.
A heady combination in the next block of tracks of ‘Eight Minute Machines’ from 2022 LP At The Hotspot, new banger ‘Cleopatras’ and 2019’s ‘Disco Peanuts’ from Tainted Lunch leave the crowd breathless and smiling from ear to ear. ‘1000 Whispers’ adds a slight reprieve, before ‘Lady Eggs’ from 2015’s Khaki Tears demonstrates to full effect why this band are still as relevant now, if not more so, than they were when they wrote the track. ‘I Got Friends’ and ‘Whale City’ from the 2018 LP of the same name as the latter, are both delivered in fine style and they bow out to rapturous applause from the crowd who appreciate how special that set really was.
We are treated to an encore with the rarely heard live ‘The Sweet Smell of Florida’ and ending in fine style with the anthem ‘Big Wilma’. Its over all too soon, Warmduscher are the type of band you could watch all day.
