“Say as I say, do as I do” requests Jay Harris, the softly spoken lead guitarist and vocalist of The Manatees midway through their set tonight in Birmingham, generating a sense of crowd anticipation as to what this might actually involve. After the ensuing guitar frenzy of ‘Dream In Colour’ that fizzes with Red Hot Chili Peppers energy you wonder what more audience participation can contribute to a song that seems to have everything all wrapped up, let alone what more can be said. All is soon revealed, as Harris leads the room in a Black Lace style dance – “foot down, hands up, reach out and shimmy fingers”, before the impetus is handed back to the band to continue from where they left off. The moment seems to epitomise what the London five piece are all about: being unpredictable, likeable and fun.
Tracks like ‘Best of Me’ and ‘Buttercup’ both from their recently released second EP ‘Different State Of Mind’ have an unapologetic indie thrust at their core with guitarist Tyler Bloor channelling Weller both in Style Council era image and through Modish, jerky, angular movements as he jabs and slices the air with his guitar and for ‘Have It All’ leaves the stage and prowls around at the front. Other tracks that are laced with fuzzy electronics reveal a different motivation. ‘Get What You Want’s” tropical flavour mixes in backing vocals which imagines Jungle, “How Was I To Know” is gently nurtured into a Friendly Fires explosion. ‘February’s Cold’ starts off as a down-tempo track that wraps itself around hazy synth chords, before unleashing itself as a guitar melee. Opener ‘Know You’ starts off with a spacey hum before gravity kicks in with a bang as thunderous drums are soon pitted against swampy guitars leading to a catchy chorus. It’s as if The Zutons had crossed paths with Josh Homme.
On their new track ‘Innocence of Youth’ they throw pretty much everything into the mix – guitars that are aimed skywards, a grumbling bassline courtesy of Tyler Miller, the band’s multi-disciplinarian and the gentle shaking of a tambourine, all to psychedelic effect. With such a spectrum of sound, The Manatees are very much the sum of all their parts.