We had a good position in the middle of the floor, safely on the edge of the mosh pit. In front of me energetic fans ebbed and flowed like waves on the beach as they flowed towards the stage and back. As the tempo increased the band screamed ‘Jump,’ and these people reached for the roof, briefly levitating and bouncing off each other like human pinball. I could feel the rhythm of the bass guitar to my core. ‘Jump as high as you can and try and stay there,’ the band instructed; there was so much energy in the room this seemed possible. No one was checking their phones or talking about their day at work, everyone was completely in the moment. A mosh pit might look like chaos but there are rules to keep everyone safe in this bundle of energy; someone fell and my daughter-in-laws strong arms quickly pulled him up before he was crushed, at the end of a song our son waved a handbag he had found in the air until the owner claimed it.
I have written before about my love of loud rock music; the noise, energy and total immersion of the experience. Academy Three part of the Student Union building in Manchester is a small [holding 470 people] and intimate venue on the third floor. Turbowolf have a loyal following that made for a great night of heavy rock music but you might be forgiven for never having heard of them and attending one of their gigs is not on everyone’s tick list. Every person that was there on Friday night was there because they love rock music, not because it was somewhere to be seen and brag about.
We walked home in gentle rain, hot, happy and tired and soaked in mass-produced lager spilt from glasses as fans rushed to join in the fun at the front. It is a feeling I want to hang on to.
Back on the road again 