Spring King at Deaf Institute review

Image: Spring King 

Little over 12 months ago Spring King were playing in the back room of The Eagle Inn to no more than 30 people. Over the course of the past year the band have moved from that to supporting the likes of Courtney Barnett and Wolf Alice, playing at SXSW, and even being the first song to be played on Apple’s Beats 1.

This return to Manchester and to a sold out Deaf Institute was a coming home for the band on the penultimate night of their UK tour. 

The band are based out of Manchester but with roots in London. Tarik, writer, vocalist and drummer, graduated from LIPA in to a job as Transgressive record’s wonder-kid producer, whilst simultaneously writing, recording and producing his own music from a disused bathroom.

Spring King was born out of this Manchester privy, and completed by Peter, James and Andy. The four-piece have spent the past two years tiresomely playing support slots around the city and UK. And tonight was the culmination of their hard work.

 “We can’t believe how many of you are in here”, Tarik commented with a beaming smile across his face as he took his seat behind his kit centre stage. The comment was an obvious throwback to the days of playing to smaller crowds around the city. 

Instantaneously, the sold-out crowd erupted into waves of arms and bodies gyrating from the first kick drum to the very last guitar chord.

Older cuts from the bands first EP kick proceedings off; 'Better Man' and 'Not me, Not Now' swelled the front mosh pit crowd in size as it almost took control of the whole standing crowd and forced them into the pit.

Even their most recent track 'Rectifier' and an unheard track from the forthcoming album didn’t slow the crowd down as the floor pulsed with energy under foot. 

Tarik then came out from the safety of his drum kit to greet the crowd with an unexpected cover of Grimes’ 'Oblivion', reaffirming the confidence the band have in themselves.

Each band member perfectly synced up with blazon smiles across each face. It truly is a great thing to see from the band as there is a tendency for too much moody in 2016.    

The band have gone from support band to headliner in very little time at all and proved a sold out Deaf Institute was no issue without the release of a debut album. 

Each and every song of the 14 strong set list manifested itself in a mass riot; Tarik and the rest of the band must be hooked up to the power back stage to never once slow down during the set.

Set Closer 'City' has been the catalyst for the meteoric rise of the band. First being played out at their Eagle Inn show 12 months ago, the song is destined to grace stages of bigger venues in the not to distant future as the rise of this band continues.

Read Band of the week: Spring King