Gig: Finch with Filth is Eternal at Manchester Academy
Filth is Eternal by Nic Howells
Finch's 20th-anniversary tour of ‘What it is to Burn’ has been rolling through the UK. Tuesday marked it’s stop in Manchester for another downpour-afflicted crowd, akin to BEX the previous Friday. We had the honour to photograph Finch and one of faves on support, Filth is Eternal. Here’s what we thought:
Filth is Eternal
Any fans looking for any insight on support band Filth is Eternal, look no further than the heart they showed in this set. Filth is Eternal are a band that seemed destined to make that first leap across the pond, having such a strong connection with fans over social media for literal years.
As the group took to the stage, Brian McClelland wails on an old school black, chipped guitar that in a way sends its own message. The message of the Seattle group is that they will not be stopped, Filth is Eternal finally made it to the UK.
Filth has been especially vocal about their joy of supporting Finch. Vocalist Lis Di Angelo was all smiles and gratitude to anyone at merch, but on stage they were a complete force. During the set they said how great it is to see everyone in person, as well as the satisfaction of being on the road again.
Those who made their way down were treated to an absolute shift from the group. Emily Salisbury behind the kit made what seemed to be a genuine attempt at blowing the wet out of peoples hair with their drumming. The Seattle mob captivated the many northerners who made a wet trek to catch them.
Filth is Eternal are playing these shows in celebration of releasing Find Out back in September. They added an extra 8 dates of their own on top of the Finch run, and you should definitely consider getting a ticket. On this night they asked nothing of Manchester Academy and gave everything.
We had the honour of getting to speak with Lis after their set and talked about the recording process of Find Out, the well of influences of the band, and a special “dream team” tour line-up from Church Road Records. Interview on the way!
Finch
A brief intermission later and we were on hand to catch the swells of the Terminator theme tune. Finch had picked Brad Fiedel’s arrangement to prelude their set, and it worked amazingly. The atmosphere was thick with anticipation that erupted as they started ‘New Beginnings’. The crowd reaction was raw, many in tears, and the heartwarming sight of a father and son on the front row. It's a safe bet that the ‘What It Is to Burn’ album is about twice the lad's age.
Finch by Nic Howells
Given the tour is in commemoration of ‘What It Is to Burn’, there were very few surprises in this setlist. They launched right into the ‘Letters to You’ with a monumental response from the crowd on the chorus. ‘Post Script’ followed in quick succession and flawless performances for both tracks. Finch are not a band I was personally that aware of, but Manchester sang as though they’d been waiting a lifetime. Tracks like ‘Grey Matter’ and ‘Perfection Through Silence’ played effortlessly for the 5-piece. Many would argue that Randy Strohmeyer has no right to dance that well whilst dropping into 'Grey Matter'. The group moved into ‘Awake’ while a sold out Manchester Academy writhed with emotion. The lyric "Can't you stay tonight" rang out particularly strong from a crowd that couldn't have been more behind this set.
The band moved on into ‘Without You Here’ and ‘Stay With Me’. The eagled-eyed fans saw that this set was the entire ‘What It Is To Burn’ album in running order. This meant heartfelt melodic tracks were very much the name of the game. The post-hardcore genre has always had immense staying power here in the North, but the highs and lows this set brought to fans was next level. Nate Barcalow shares some special moments with fans on the front row, smiling as they scream back the lyric "There's something in the air tonight". 'Project Mayhem' took that emotion and nostalgia and forced it into pure energy. A crowd that seemed to peak more than once already unglued altogether. The mix on the night had Alex Pappas' bass drum especially loud, so this track had some earsplitting beats. Elsewhere, the rhythm section of Alex Linares and Kenny Finn exuded cool while the bass samples, whilst catchy, were giving their best attempt at shaking the foundations.
Finch by Nic Howells
'Untitled' was a return of some great clean vocals for Nate Barcalow to share duties with the crowd. There was a strange, almost reflective feeling from the room during the latter half of this track. It was as though the magnitude of the nostalgia this entire night was based off became apparent before exploding once more to finish it off. The body of the set finished with 'Three Simple Words' and 'Ender' played swiftly back to back. The band left the stage, as is custom. Given what fans knew of the tracklist, it was the least effective walk-off possible for Finch. One song remained from What It Is To Burn, but we got three more.
'Project Mayhem' took that emotion and nostalgia and forced it into pure energy. A crowd that seemed to peak more than once already unglued altogether. The mix on the night had Alex Pappas' bass drum especially loud, so this track had some earsplitting beats. Elsewhere, the rhythm section of Alex Linares and Kenny Finn exuded cool while the bass samples, whilst catchy, were giving their best attempt at shaking the foundations.
'Untitled' was a return of some great clean vocals for Nate Barcalow to share duties on with the crowd. There was a strange, almost reflective feeling from the room during the latter half of this track. It was as though the magnitude of the nostalgia this entire night was based off became apparent before exploding once more to finish it off. The body of the set finished with 'Three Simple Words' and 'Ender' played swiftly back to back. The band left the stage, as is custom. Given what fans knew of the tracklist, it was the least effective walk-off possible for Finch. One song remained from What It Is To Burn, but we got three more.
Finch by Nic Howells
It would've been too simple for FInch to come back on and just play. The five-piece come back, and Nate briefly sings the verse of 'Show Me The Way to Go Home' unbacked by any of his bandmates. It was an unexpected choice but brought the room back down after the 10+ minute crescendo of 'Ender'. The first track after the break is our only Finch offering not off of What It Is To Burn, 'Insomniatic Meat'. Though this encore has a lot more than fans may have expected. Barcalow is coy over the mic, and subtly slips in "yeah we didn't write this song", before the group drop a cover of Deftones 'Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)'. Again, unexpected, and the response from Manchester for this was almost rapturous.
Finally, Finch sent all home happy with the iconic title track 'What It Is to Burn'. The entire night had banked on this in some way, nostalgia or not. It was fulfilling to say the least, and a personal favourite on the night, if not tied with 'Letters To You'. Finch did something special with this show. You rarely hear "Classic" or "Timeless" and Post-Hardcore in the same conversation. With Finch's 'What It Is To Burn', you do.
