Live review: The Get Up Kids, Manchester Academy 2 (18/08/09)

THE GET UP KIDS: Manchester Academy 2, 18/08/09

The Get Up Kids’ influence on modern rock music is insurmountable; the list of contemporaries who owe everything to the band’s marriage of introspective lyricism and punky guitar pop is about as long as Manchester’s meandering Oxford Road, on which tonight’s retrospective is taking place, in a building that houses a meagre 800 over-excited souls. It’s a curious quirk this, for the alumni of the Get Up Kids School of Emo are arguably better known and far more successful than their masters, but it’s one that also puts the band at a distinct advantage. Those that do know who they are, who grew up with their irresistible hooks and sumptuous harmonies, quite literally adore them; theirs is a fanbase bereft of stragglers, devoid of those who simply come for the hits and then fuck off home. And while there are plenty of hardened fans here in their old tour T-shirts, there are just as many who didn't get a chance to experience the GUK live show back in t'day, and this combination creates a positively vibrant atmosphere. It matters little that the average Joe on the street looks bemused when told who's playing, or that the passengers on a delayed train into Manchester look distinctly perplexed when scores of skinny jeaned kids start getting antsy when it looks like they won't make it in time. For now, here, tonight, the Get Up Kids are the most important band in the world, and they mean absolutely everything.

For so long, the idea of a reunion has seemed like such an unobtainable dream that it takes a little while for the reality to sink in. When the five slightly aged, but no less distinctive, bodies saunter onstage at 9pm with little fanfare, the moment seems to lack the gravitas it should so obviously exude, but then they launch headfirst into a blistering 'Coming Clean' and all doubts are quickly erased. The band deliver a career-spanning set, covering everything from EP tracks (including their two best, most playful covers: The Cure's 'Close to Me' and the Replacements' 'Beer for Breakfast') to the polished anthems of 'Guilt Show', but there's little distinction in crowd response (well, aside from the occasional tosspot shouting "old stuff!", as if he was going to get anything else). 'Four Minute Mile's angsty, messy 'Don't Hate Me' sits comfortably next to the wistful balladry of 'Valentine', and while the abundance of tracks from 'Something to Write Home About' probably elicit the most lunacy, - argy-bargee abounds during a raucous 'Ten Minutes', and the superbly anthemic 'Action and Action' and 'Red Letter Day' - judging the audience on their willingness to jump into one another is a bit of a faux pas. These guys pay attention. There isn't a face in the crowd that isn't glued to the stage for every single song, mesmerised by their power. The Get Up Kids are simply riveting no matter what they play; so slow-burners like 'Campfire Kansas', 'Martyr Me' and 'Holy Roman' leave just as indelible an impression as their arms-in-the-air rock brothers, which is quite remarkable when you consider the simplicity of the performance. This is not a band who do jumping jacks across the stage; they remain fairly static, meandering around but not cavorting around, and yet they are thoroughly enthralling. You could hear a pin drop during the otherworldly 'Walking on a Wire', so mesmerised is the crowd.

Indeed, it certainly appears that the band take greater enjoyment in playing the tracks from their later albums; the college classics are ace, sure, but there's something for more powerful about the 'On a Wire' and 'Guilt Show' material. They tend to hint at what the band could be, were they still producing music, something that is mildly hinted at when a heckler shouts for a "new album!" towards the end of the set. Matt is "not at liberty to discuss" which only adds credence to the suggestion, making the audience cream their pants with excitement. And just as they do, 'I'll Catch You' soars over everyone, causing young lovers to embrace, old ones to exchange knowing looks and perfect strangers to become fast friends. It's a tender way to close the show, but it's the most appropriate, reminding everyone of just how much the band mean to us. The Get Up Kids soundtrack lives and underscore moments, and that's what tonight is about: celebrating a career that had a profound effect on everyone and everything it touched.

An emo kid in his chequered shirt and a punk dude with his new-born mohawk stand side by side, bellowing the words to this sombre ballad together and that, right there, is the very essence of the band. Across genres and scenes, personalities and types, The Get Up Kids cut a swathe of real emotion from the deepest denizens of their hearts, uniting even the unlikeliest of souls. This is what music should be about, how live shows should be done, and thank our lucky stars that we all got to see it at least one more time.