The Pineapple Thief is a band that needs no introduction, and indeed, as they came onstage to roars of cheers and applause from the excited crowd at The Ruby Lounge in Manchester, they didn’t even need to announce who they were because the response they got was incredible.
There was something magical about the atmosphere and everyone was so into them that it was difficult not to get lost in the moment too – everyone was behind them from the very first. It didn’t matter if they played material from their new album Magnolia, or very early songs from their back catalogue; each track was received with just as much as a warm response as the last.
A great moment of the night was when Bruce announced that it was their merch seller’s birthday, and he subsequently got invited up onto the stage in order for the band (plus their guitar tech) to sing happy birthday to “Mr Merchandise”, which had apparently been practiced in their dressing room prior to them taking to the stage.
The encore (if it could be called as such, since the band didn’t actually leave the stage!) was incredible in particular, with The Pineapple Thief beginning with a soft acoustic rendition of Part Zero before adding instruments as the encore continued until the full band was playing for the triumphant finale, which saw the ceiling lifted with all the cheers as the closing chords rang out.
It was quite simply a stunning night and The Pineapple Thief really were on top form – they sounded incredible and barely put a foot wrong. A show to remember for all the right reasons.
9/10
