Gigraphy Review - Normandie, O2 Ritz Manchester, 13/03/24

Back from taking a short break after their first leg of tour, Swedish rock band Normandie brought their Dopamine tour to the UK last week, and we went along to catch the opening night in Manchester. Alongside their fellow Swedish associates Self Deception and Nottingham based punk band As December Falls, here's Sophie's photos and review of the night!

Self Deception

Self Deception had the tough job of opening the night, and they certainly did not disappoint. Introduced by a pre-recorded female voice (extremely similar to Eve’s voice from Bring Me The Horizon’s latest tour if you managed to catch one of their shows), bassist Patrik Hallgren bounced onto stage donning bright pink checkerboard dungarees setting the tone for the rest of their set. They started the evening with The Scandinavian Dream which had almost everyone tapping their feet to the beat off the bat – it’s the sort of track that makes standing still almost impossible.

Between the thumping drum beats and heavy riffs, the whole crowd bounced for every track of the set. Throughout the set, Patrik and guitarist Gabriel constantly switched sides to keep the crowd alive and energy high. Halfway through the set, lead vocalist Andreas explained he was having trouble with his in-ears, but instead of letting it kill the mood, the band powered on and their lead spent the rest of the set down by the barrier with fans.

This only added to the energy of the whole show with both Patrik and Gabriel signalling to the crowd to clap along to the beat. To round off their set and leave a lasting impression, Andreas had the whole crowd crouched as low as they could go, instructing them to jump as high as possible on the beat drops - an instruction they very much followed. Self Deception wrapped up their segment, leaving everyone begging for more.

As December Falls

I managed to catch As December Falls at their recent run of intimate shows, so knew I was in for a treat. Kicking off their set with Go Away, the floor was instantly bouncing with the crowd's energy and I could tell the momentum wouldn’t be slowing down anytime soon. Through the set, lead singer Bethany Curtis stunned us all with how easily she held powerful notes and contorted herself into impossible looking shapes.

A big take away from my experience is that this band is not short on talent, with lead guitarist Ande Hunt throwing out crazy riffs and making their sound what it is. The chemistry between the members of As December Falls is enthralling to watch; knowing they're enjoying it as much as those in the crowd adds to the magic. Timmy Francis on guitar may not have had a mic of his own to be heard by the crowd but he made sure to stay connected, often miming at the crowd and encouraging them to clap.

The time came for drummer Lukas to showcase his own individual talent, and he made sure to do just that with an impressive performance during their track Ride. All too soon As December Falls' set came to a close, saying their heartfelt goodbyes to the fans that so clearly felt the same.These guys are a fully independent band, as they took great delight in reminding everybody, so I’m really excited to see what the future holds for them.

Normandie

As the lights went down and the crowd roared in excitement, everyone knew it was time for the fun to begin. Without hesitation, Normandie fire straight into Serotonin, the EP proceeding their most recent album, Dopamine – the whole reason we were all gathered. With it being the first night of the biggest UK shows they’d ever played, it only seemed fitting to celebrate with a cascade of confetti during Serotonin. The excitement from the band was palpable it was obvious the fans were feeding off it, an endless cycle of joy as lead singer Philip, took several moments to bask in the crowd’s energy and grin from ear to ear.

After the first couple of songs flowed seamlessly, Philip took a minute to explain to the fans about how illness had floored the band after the first leg of the tour. The second leg nearly hadn’t happened, making it all the more special for them, and in turn, us. He went on to say that he was still struggling with his voice, though the notes he was hitting proved that to be untrue. He again proved himself wrong when performing Hourglass and covering Daniel Winters-Bates’ parts (Bury Tomorrow’s vocalist) that are much heavier than Normandie’s usual sound. I personally wouldn’t complain if Normandie became a little more experimental and dropped something heavier after witnessing their live capabilities–we shall see! Keeping the crowd involved was evidently important to the band as Philip crouched down several times to reach for fan’s outstretched hands, making sure to include the crowded balconies in his shows of affection.

Earlier in the day, Hakan and Jules had informed fans that they were able to choose what they wanted to hear that night. Given the choice between Colourblind and Glue via an Instagram poll, upon hearing that Colourblind had won the vote the crowd went wild. Just a few songs later, another choice was given, however this time this was aimed directly at the crowd – Collide or Dead? The answer was unanimous, if not deafening. Collide it was. It was refreshing to see a band have such a bond with their fanbase, heart-warming for a little emo like myself.After pleasing their fans with their choice ,the lights went down for a short encore and thunderous chants from the crowd ensued, pleading for more as if Normandie weren’t already giving us their all. Who were they to deny us of that?

All at once the lights were back on, Babylon kicked in, and the crowd bounced. The perfect track to end an unbelievable night. Streamers and confetti poured down on the fans, who revelled in it like the first rain after a drought, arms wide, eyes closed, basking in it. The show came to an end all too soon and the band stood together, equally basking in what they had just experienced. The faces of the group reflected that of the crowd – pure joy. A beautiful sight as band and fans grinned at one another, showing once again the special bond Normandie have clearly formed with their fanbase. I personally think that this could be one of the main reasons they’re one of the best on the scene right now. You’re missing out if you don’t manage to get yourself to a Normandie show soon. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

Full Gallery