Nothing gets you set up for a gig quite like spending all day in Blackpool. Having dined on fish and chips on the beach and made a swift exit before the locals got lairy, the fatigue heading into Saturday evening began setting in on the drive home. But with Brighton lot Public Body in town, I couldn’t miss out, so headed out the door for round two.
Their Manchester visit took place in “up and coming” Levenshulme at The Talleyrand, a pub I’ve been eager to get to. A proper charming spot, the back room is like a lengthy corridor that leads to what looks like your Nan’s conservatory, with velvet curtains either side of the room to give off the feeling you’re in The Black Lodge.
A bouncy looking pit kicked off up front for local support Duvet, the vocalist quick to acknowledge it was just the four people involved, though they were active as anything. The band themselves were equally as active, all smiles through every song, some still wearing their shades (it had been bright out earlier, TBF). Whilst they’re scrappy as anything, their enthusiasm was completely infectious and made them very likeable from the off. There was no shortage of compliments thrown their way after they’d left the stage, with many a kind word overheard as they made their way through the bar area.
“Alright, hey ho…” Is the last thing said from on stage before Public Body burst into life on rock hard opener ‘Presenteeism‘, one of the many water-cooler songs in their catalogue that deal in the minutiae of the 9 to 5 – turning up, logging in and tuning out.
The show came off the back of releasing their latest EP ‘Flavour Of Labour‘ (see?), so naturally the set was new song heavy. The raging, wonk-tastic ‘Reset My Password‘ and hypnotising synth-heavy ‘Formica‘ rubbed shoulders with a few unheard numbers (to these ears anyway). ‘No Constraints‘ and its proper KO bass rumble dealt in the lyrical theme of alcohol shame from the night before, whilst ‘Dysfunction‘ had synth player Tom Bjorn utilising Space Invader stylee game sounds and toots on a referee whistle for added vibes.
That referee whistle made a return on EP closer ‘Sunburnt‘, nudging it into gnarly territory as guitarist Theo Verney bared teeth, closed his eyes and went ultra-focus mode as he let rip. Speaking of letting rip, when he wasn’t blowing on that whistle, Bjorn was ripping it on the vape!
“You’re so much cooler than us…” Said Verney to Duvet, as the support danced about the room, before announcing the next song was about the TV show ‘Friends‘. Yeah, fair enough. The Duvet lot took over the front where the pit previously was, making enough noise and building up an atmosphere to make up for the not-so full room. The type of support you want backing you up – they set ’em up before you, then keep up the energy whilst you’re on!
We’ve been itching to see Public Body live ever since falling for their debut S/T EP back in 2019 and thankfully they didn’t disappoint. The DEVO shirt on guitarist and vocalist Seb Gilmore was a definite nod as they’ve certainly got that vibe to them, but they also really reminded us of Manchester favourites DUDS, both in tightness (very) and tunes that ensure you’re moving your feet (often). Much like the latter, the live show was all killer, no filler, with not a bum note.
Fittingly, it came to a close on early single ‘Talking Show‘, the song that got us involved in the first place. Watching them get the room buzzing one more time, I thought it mad that the place wasn’t packed (or that they weren’t in town, filling out The Castle Hotel or similar). As it turns out though, this was one of those shows where the crowd actually made up for the turnout, bringing bags of enthusiasm for everything offered up on stage (mainly thanks to mood-enhancers Duvet!) Here’s hoping everyone in attendance told a friend after this night and there’s a more deserving turnout for Public Body next time they’re in town.
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