For 364 days of the year, the O2 Ritz – one of Manchester’s most beloved and longest running venues – is nothing more than a place to enjoy live music. However for one brief evening earlier this week, the Whitworth Street listed building was transformed into a fully functioning ‘Party Temple’ thanks to the arrival of singer-songwriter Andrew W.K. This was the label the Michigan-born musician, author and sometimes self-help guru placed upon the building halfway through his set. Having returned to the city following a minor delay (W.K was initially due to arrive in late 2017), both fans and the man himself were raring to go and with a grab-bag of tracks to choose from, both wasted no time cutting straight to the chase.
“The Power of Partying” warmed up the sea of giddy, beer swilling revellers and started things as they meant to go on. Things move swiftly from there, with W.K pausing briefly between tracks to dedicate a performance of adrenaline pumping love song “She Is Beautiful” to all the women in tonight’s audience. With the help of a four-piece backing band, W.K’s iconic new-metal catalogue gets the airing that it deserves, transformed into a fully fleshed out wall of sound conducted by a front-man dressed in white. It’s this element that really helps the hits come alive, with the anthemic “We Want Fun” and “I Get Wet” giving off an energy that’s truly infectious.
Maybe it’s W.K’s experience of conducting self-help and motivational seminars that help audiences become so swept up in the spirit of tonight’s performance. After urging Manchester to submit to the party ethos, the long-haired frontman puts his all into the epic ballad “You Are Not Alone”, swinging his limbs around the stage in a ball of movement. It’s this track that closes out tonight’s main set, ending things on a triumphant and defiant note, with a fleet of wailing guitars seeing the singer off stage.
After a brief break, the rhythmic pound of a bass drum signals WK’s return to the stage for a double-punch of “Violent Life” and “We Want To Party”, kick starting his encore performance. From here on out, we’re on a fast-track to the singer’s most recognised track – but not before he invites the crowd to count down from 100 before celebrating tonight’s pinnacle party moment. It’s worth it though. When W.K’s calling card track “Party Hard” finally arrives, things get kicked into overdrive as Manchester takes the singers advice and well and truly embraces the party spirit.
Words by Simon Bland (@SiTweetsToo).
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