Bodega headline Band on the Wall Manchester prescribing a dose of infectious politically induced 21st-century punk music, New York is still kicking!
On Bank Holiday Monday the 27th of May, the iconic Band on the Wall in Manchester treated us to a generous bill at the Bad Dreams event by No Wave, presenting Deaf Deaf Deaf, Deja Vega, Panic Shack, Model/Actriz and headlining the list, Bodega.
So why is it that with such an action packed evening of talent we’re looking at Bodega? It’s the New York natives’ first time in England since the release of their attention grabbing third studio album ‘Our Brand Could Be Yr Life’. It’s a collection of old Lofi beats transformed into a punk with indie-infused album focusing on the capitalist/consumer based landscape we find ourselves in.
The album itself is incredibly strong, with relevant political undertones, or more appropriately overtones. This may distract people from just how talented Nikki Belfiglio and Ben Hozie (the band’s core songwriters) are. After seeing them live, their catchy melodies and infectious stage presence leave you wanting to put their discography on repeat for the next couple of days.
The gig itself had faced some adversity in the form of a late venue change, New Century Hall had been the initial location but a late swap in the last 2 weeks prior took place. The crowd was made up of people who had made the effort to keep up with setbacks and had a real desire to be there, it’s clear the band could see this. Sadly though, it may be why it wasn’t at the fullest of capacities, nonetheless, it was still a great turnout.
It had been a long evening of music, but the crowd showed no sign of tiring eagerly awaiting the 5 piece to take the stage. The band huddled together and put their hands in the middle, before the unmistakable intro of ATM kicked in, setting the perfect tone with a song that encapsulates the group. ATM feels as if it was made to be shouted together over their characteristic NYC punk riffs, it’s instantly clear their new material fits into their set.
At this point one of the main takeaways has to be discussed, Nikki Belfiglio. She led the line immensely, her soundboard and high hat set up front and centre, in perfect synergy with the music, the audience was utterly engrossed by her evocative dancing and strutting. You’d struggle to believe anyone else in the room is having as much fun as her, but they gave her a good run for her money.
Shiny New Model then followed as we made our way into the set, the energy naturally growing as illustrated by the pit starting to form. The crowd were properly moving by the time ‘How Did This Happen?!’ started, the whole room chants back with the quintet “two chips on your shoulder!” you’d struggle not to be humming this for the next week.
As expected, the band touched on the war in Israel-Gaza war, a ‘Free Palestine’ sticker being on Adam See’s bass from the beginning. Ben Hozie took this point to mention the distressing events that had unfolded throughout the day.
There seemed to be a technical difficulty at this point that Nikki discussed with the sound team, there was an issue with the feedback, but with no conferring needed, the band decided to roll with it. I hope they implement this every time as they absolutely ripped into Quantify, and the audience descended into madness. This being followed by No Vanguard Revival meant the energy showed no sign of letting up.
The AI voice from the album that is very system like made another cameo as they went into a strong trio from said album of Dedicated to the Dedicated, GND Deity and Bodega Bait which brought us to the highest point of the gig.
The crowd cheered as the recognisable chorus-infused intro riff for Tarkovski flowed, Nikki enticingly yells “take me”. This song is the pinnacle of Nikki and Ben’s playful vocal combos, they bounce off each other in an almost whimsical way, which combined with their poignant lyrics makes for a unique effect and is one of the defining characteristics of the band. This live rendition must have broken the eight minute mark, yet no one wanted it to stop. The instrumental break was captivating, and the moment of the gig came when Ben effortlessly worked in Shoot You Down by Manchester’s very own Stone Roses. This ode to the city is as personal, ingenious and subtle as it gets and the medley was brilliantly put together, so well fact that many audience members won’t have realised. The choice of this personal favourite from the album, according to Ben, shows his affection for the city which was noticeable throughout the gig. A lesson to all on how to pay homage to this great scene, fittingly done on the 34th anniversary of the Roses’ iconic Spike Island gig.
We continued on from this high point two songs later as the band joyfully erupted into their indie banger Statuette On The Console. A mainstay on their setlist for good reason, it’s impossible not to bounce to, performed in English not the eight other languages it was released in!
The encore was welcomed as expected and kicked off with a cover of Ballad of a Thin Man by Bob Dylan. This was to be expected given their full 12-song cover set tribute to the influential New York songwriter done the previous night. It’s clear their idea of the message being the art lines up with the legendary political figure, Dylan is a natural fit for them to cover and of course they did him justice.
Closing out the set with Cultural Consumer III and Gyrate leaves a lasting impression on the crowd, you truly know what you got.
They have a certain NYC aura about them, whether they realise it or not. Their confidence in their art and message is apparent, this combined with their humour, a mix of soft sarcasm and wit makes for a very likeable outfit. As the set finished Ben instantly greeted people at the front like his equal, delighted to chat with this new group of people that had landed in front of him.
I’d recommend anyone to try and catch them on the remainder of their tour for a dose of playful dance-punk and a jam packed setlist of enticing tunes.
Image credits: @sineadshoots
