Humanizer/Working For A Nuclear Free City
St Philip’s Church, Salford
02/09/2011

There’s quite a racket coming out of St Philip’s church this evening, but this ain’t no late-night choir practice. St Philip’s is where Humanizer rehearse their space-age synthed-up rock ‘n’ roll, and it’s where they’re launching ‘This Tiny Universe’, their debut EP for the iconic Hacienda Records. But before we hear from the gospel according to Humanizer, their fellow Manchester-dwellers, Working For A Nuclear Free City, take to the altar to deliver their own musical sermon.

WFANFC start their set with an ambient glow, as one member absent-mindedly plucks a guitar while his mate crouches over a sampler - firing off the most futuristic and destructive sounds imaginable. Minutes pass and a crumbling bass part adds to the suspense, while the drummer builds up a beat. Eventually, the guitar distorts and finds a jagged rhythm, though it’s neither loud nor ferocious enough to be anything other than anti-climatic. For much of WFANFC’s set, it’s hard to tell the difference between mind-expanding creativity and self-indulgent messiness. Confusion turns to awkwardness when, after half an hour, they stop playing for the first time, shrug their shoulders and mutter, “that’s it”.

Humanizer aren’t quite as challenging, though they have their own interesting contradictions. They start their set with the polished, uplifting pace of U2, though that’s balanced elsewhere by the stuttering, lethargic grooves of The Longcut. Their songs are ambitious on a 65 Days Of Static scale, though the performance itself lacks confidence – the musicians don’t seem to know what to do with themselves when they pause playing during ambient breaks. But with a crisper sound, a clearer direction and a tad more self-belief, Humanizer could well make the transition from slightly nervous techno-rock to pounding, euphoric, infectious post-rock. If they do that, they’re going to need a bigger church to hold their congregation.

Robert Cooke