Luna Marble Live - Gullivers NQ
Words by Tom F-H. Photos by Courtney Turner Photography and Rozz Cottrell.
It’s not often I do write-ups of shows that I have actually played at – the last time I did so was in March 2020 just before the pandemic fully hit – but this is the second time I have played at Gullivers in the space of a month and, as our final show of the year, Katie Elizaa was invited to support Luna Marble for a night of rock.
Creeping up the tiny staircase in the back of the Northern Quarter bar that leads up to the venue, I was grateful yet again for not having to lug my heavy combo amp with me. The same could not be said for the members of Luna Marble, however, as they had been at the venue since about 4PM setting up lights and hanging decorations in front of a green backdrop.
There were a few things that made this night special, one of which being that our drummer Sayon Beaufort-Harwood was not only performing with us, but with his own band Seed. This was a very long time coming, as they had switched their formula around many times over the last few years, and were yet to make their public appearance; this was their first ever live show.
There’s mingling that goes on before the doors open, and it is becoming a bit of an inside joking point that our band take the comfiest seats first because we are always tired. Gullivers’ green room had seen an upgrade since I had last been there several years ago – a kettle, fridge, and sofa – but the walls were still lined with the familiar young adult graffiti consisting of band names scrawled in marker, and uncomfortably detailed genitalia.
Photo of Bad Heritage by Courtney Turner Photography.
First support Bad Heritage opened the night with a solid mix of Rage-esque riffs and strong vocals. Their choruses flew high as one would hope from a classic rock band, and despite their vocalist humorously calling out to her workmates and boss in the crowd, she dived straight back into badass soaring vocals.
Photo by Rozz Cottrell.
Seed followed suit with a heavier style, focussing on an iron foundation of rhythmic sections that gave their melodic elements room to sweep in and out. 70s inspired riffs preceded wah infused solos, and Matt easily owned the front of the stage with a performative intensity that was nothing less than artistic and emotional. Backing tracks, backing vocals and the chunkiest bass you have ever heard, Seed were well rehearsed and loved every second of it. What a joy to behold.
Photo by Rozz Cottrell.
We played next, as the main support. The Katie Elizaa band consists of two guitarists (one of which is myself), and much of our instrumentals is based around feedback, reverb effects and Francisco Soares’s lead noodling. As well as playing some long-serving Katie Elizaa tracks, our set featured two new ones, including an original written by Fran and Katie Smethurst herself (as all our songs are), and a cover of Staying Alive by the Bee Gees. This was adapted from a much slower acoustic cover featured on a livestream earlier in the year, to a full blown wall-of-noise rock cover in which Katie’s belting rock vocals were central and immense, and to which Luna Marble guitar legend Dragos Colcieru stated “why did you make us wait for that?”.
And finally, after a glass of cold water and more than a few deep breaths, I got set to watch Luna Marble take their rightful mantle of musical supremacy over the rest of us. Every band that played over the course of the night was different enough to remain engaging, but had the same basic roots in classic rock, and Luna Marble showed us all exactly what that meant. With powerful vocals, rhythmic riffs, shredding guitar solos and bags of personality, the four-piece worshipped the genre and styles that brought us all together that night and reminded me what a heart-warming community the Manchester music scene can be. Luna Marble played to a packed room, and they played well. Notably, a cover of Led Zepplin’s Black Dog showcased their musicality and potential, and seriously wowed everyone.
I want to say a massive thanks to Luna Marble for inviting us to play with you – it was such an honour. Also, to Dragos for reaching out to me about doing this write-up, I apologise for taking so long to do it; I had to give myself a little break but reminiscing on this wonderful and love-filled night has put a smile on my face. Equally, well done to everyone who played, especially the Katie Elizaa band, as I think this was our best show of the year. And finally, a small shoutout to Sam Hugh-Jones for coming to watch and putting up with me and my scrambled brain.
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