Last night Manchester Academy 1 played host to American rock band Daughtry, who are near the end of their first ever European tour.
Their supporting act came in the form of London born rock band Charming Liars, who were prompt if not early starting their 30 minute set just before 8PM. The lead singer’s (Charlie Cosser) non-stop movement really warmed up the crowd, be it jumping around or standing at the very edge of the stage his energy was constant. Engaging with the crowd and encouraging them to sing along with their song The Desperation that had the very catchy chorus of ‘We won’t give up, won’t give up’ which really got the audience going, the backing vocals of the guitarists (Karnig Manoukian and Nick Krein) really brought the song to life. At the end of their set Charlie thanked the crowd and told them that they would be at the back of the room if anyone wanted to say hello or buy their EP New Disorder.
Charming Liars
After 30 minutes of songs being played over the speakers the music faded and the lights dimmed only for the stage lights to flicker back on in a blur of dancing colours and Daughtry came on stage. The crowd went wild, screaming, whistling and cheering for the band they had queued for hours outside in the cold to see perform.
Starting with the song Baptized the same name of their fourth studio album, the crowd where enthralled, bewitched by Chris Daughtry’s singing, the room was literally vibrating with energy. When the opening of Battleship started to be played two thousand people screamed in delight and the swaying and arm waving began, to what is clearly a fan favourite from the new album.
Without a doubt some of the biggest cheers of the night were for Over You and No Surprise, with the crowd singing along to every word, even I started swaying to the music though I’d never heard the songs before. Taking a short break from singing to interact with the crowd Chris told the audience about the first/last time he was in Manchester and how he watched a game of 'soccer', which caused the crowed to shout back ‘Football!’ and the room to erupt in laughter. The band started up again but one verse into Wild Heart and Chris forgot the lyrics, the audience laughed as he gathered his composure and the song started again.
The band followed with Life After You and then I heard the familiar beat of Phil Collins’s In The Air Tonight and as the crowd started to rock out, Daughtry won me over with dare I say a cover better than the original? (Trust me I don’t say that lightly, I grew up in a house with a Phil Collins fanatic!) But the cover infused the erratic drum beat (Robin Diaz) with head banging guitar chords (Josh Paul and Brian Craddock) that turned the classic into a full-fledged rock anthem.
Before playing Traitor (one of my favourite songs of the night) Chris asked if anyone had been stabbed in the back and cheers came from the crowd. After asking for the crowd to shout out a word to describe a backstabber ‘like hater or traitor or anything that rhymes with those words’ and not understanding what anyone shouted out the song started.
Bringing out our patriotic side, half way through It’s Not Over, Chris disappeared back stage and came back out holding the English National Flag which he waved around before placing it on the platform the drums where on. Taking another break Chris apologised on behalf of the band for lying last year and not touring in Europe, but he won the crowd over by explaining that they wanted to make a new album and to tour it in Europe before the US, which they have done. The European side of their tour ends on the 31st of March and picks up in America in May.
When the intro to Waiting For Superman started the audience cheered as they heard Daughtry’s latest single live for the first time, for me this song secured my fate as a Daughtry fan.
Complaining about the heat Chris opened a door that had the crowd chanting ‘Off! Off! Off!’, and his fellow bandmates yelling ‘Strip!’ But when push came to shove Chris announced that he had seen the entire band naked, which sure enough got a few people swooning.
Breaking into Home (which is currently being covered by former Westlife star Kian Egan) Daughtry finished their hour long set that left the audience wanting more but not for long, because moments later they were back performing September.
Finishing their encore with Westlife-covered classic What About Now the crowd cheered and applauded for the band that they have waited 8 years for to tour the UK.
I can honestly say that at the beginning of the night I had no idea who Daughtry were and now I can’t believe that I had never heard of them. If you have your doubts about this band let me clear things up for you, Chris Daughtry is a man who beat the odds and has a fan base that means he will go even further than he already has. I will definitely be buying their albums in the near future, and you too should definitely check out their latest album Baptized.
As for the Charming Liars, I have to admit their energy and sound are something that I as a young adult am deeply attracted to and their new EP New Disorder will definitely rival other rock bands I have on my iPod right now like The Fray, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance and You Me At Six. You should definitely check these guys out.
Check out our exclusive interview with Chris Daughtry himself: http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/music/interviews/chris-daughtry-exclusive-interview-446027.html