Welcome noise and an exhibition in guitar music strikes Yes Bar in Manchester, as Martial Arts deliver a raucous headline performance to a sold out Pink Room.
It was a special night that had been a long time coming. Akoustik Anarkhy has existed for a quarter of a century, and to celebrate, their two big hitters Holly Head and Martial Arts put on a show with Open Fly kicking off the bill.
Martial Arts are a somewhat unknown commodity away from Manchester’s lively post-punk scene, but far from taken for granted here. They’ve worked their way around the city for the last year leaving lasting impressions on onlookers. Thrashing guitars, changing tempos and melodic driven riffs make them hard to pin down, but they are driven in both tone and attitude, having taken on a multitude of venues.
Tonight felt different however, this was their night, and they’d earnt it. The Pink Room eagerly awaited them to enter from side stage, given that they only have three songs released and many were first time viewers, they work to do. They went about this fearlessly, with four unrealised tracks to open the set, yet were far from losing anyone in the audience.
Defector sitting at 35,000 listens on Spotify is their defining track. The song has two distinctive parts to it, the drums drive away, and within a wall of noise sits a simple catchy riff, but it’s the more melodic second section which had audience members beginning to answer the band’s energy.
It feels like aspects of Sonic Youth’s untethered sound with the precision of Pavement, a true representation of the five-piece.
The second half of the set contained debut tune Warsaw, and Triumph, the final two of their released material. The band went hell for leather into the remainder of the set as the intensity of the evening increased.
It always feels like the highest form of flattery as mosh pits form on their own accord at these gigs. Anyone can tell a group of people to start smashing against each other, Martial Arts however didn’t. No, they were merely facilitating the utter carnage breaking out in front of their feet, the crowd were naturally reacting to the best guitar music you will find on the scene.
To close out the gig, front man Jim Marson entered the mele of people for set closer Self Portrait. He crouched with the whole audience who took a well-earned breather, before plunging into one last mass of limbs.
Audience members filed out thrilled by the evening. The band have that power you expect from five piece with three guitarists, yet despite this show the dynamic range that’s often compromised for energy. They exhibit changes in tempo, creative song writing and are an outfit that are at their most prolific when you come face to face with them.
I expect they will be back, but not in a venue with this capacity.
Live images: Esther Roberts / @solojp3g
