“I actually peed my pants onstage the first time I came to this city,” says Noah Kahan to a crowd of 23,000 in the UK’s largest indoor arena. That was Dot to Dot 2018, where Noah played an early-evening slot in the 200-cap Soup Kitchen – and, somehow, he makes Co-Op Live feel as intimate tonight.
His 2019 debut, ‘Busyhead’, and 2021 follow-up, ‘I Was/I Am’ are both enchanting, hooky folk albums, but it’s 2022’s ‘Stick Season’ that propelled Kahan to the stages he’s filling now, but he’s far from a one-hit wonder. There are a mighty 20 songs in the setlist ahead of Stick Season as the grand finale, and that’s the first testament to Kahan’s knack for writing excellent, addictive folk tunes – there’s not a moment where things feel samey, or the energy dips. His delivery is magnetic, and his ability to keep you rapt is formidable, whiplashed between soaring, belting choruses and delicate, haunting middle 8s and outros. He teases us at one point, saying “if you want to go get a beer you can… If you want to go on your phone you can…” No one takes him up on it.
That’s partially because it’s so intimate that you sort of feel like he’d be able to see you if you stopped paying attention, even at the back – there’s no such thing as a nosebleed at Co-Op live. Opener Maisie Peters, in between her sparkling, image-laden pop performances, even announces that she can’t resist putting her glasses on to get a good look at us all. Maisie is simultaneously a surprising and totally natural fit for the support slot, one second bubbling over with energy, the next singing the most melancholy, devastating vignette you’ve maybe ever heard.
Despite the heartbreak moments, she’s started the party – there’s a bit of a festival vibe, with Co-op being out of town, too. The quintessential experience of stuffing yourself onto a tram that’s steamed up from the rain and excitable chatter is a part of the concert experience that arena-goers in Manchester have been missing, with the AO situated right next to the Northern Quarter in the centre of town. But there’s a real social feeling – the bits of Co-op that aren’t the bit where you watch the music are bustling, buzzy, and energetic in the same way town would be ahead of a show in the centre, and are so much more than a void in which you have the ability to buy a pint.
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If you did take Noah’s nudge to go and grab a pint out there, you’ll want to hurry back, though, because his stage and performance is evolving and growing, and you’ll not want to miss a second. At one point, he’s literally at home: “this is supposed to be my mom’s living room… we put the paintings… But we couldn’t fit all the generational trauma on one stage.” Then, as the songs expand, so does the set – by the time we’re hearing the likes of ‘You’re Gonna Go Far’, ‘Homesick’, and ‘Northern Attitude’, Kahan has transported us to the chilly expanses of the New England scenery that’s as much of a familiar home to him as that living room. The stage becomes a sunset, then a starry night sky, blue and green stage-lights like the Aurora Borealis – it’s captivating, and an incredibly poignant backdrop for the emotional crescendo of the end of the show. It culminates in the most dreamy, atmospheric possible use of a confetti cannon ever – a flurry of snow swirls out during Northern Attitude to close the main set.
The deafening moments (‘She Calls Me Back’ is overwhelming, possibly even louder than ‘Stick Season’) are as momentous as the softest, gentlest moments (‘Orange Juice’ is a serious standout). For the evening, Noah has invited us into his home, told us all his most personal stories, and given us permission to sing along like they’re our own.
Talk about ending on a high – from one tearaway hit to another, Noah’s barely left the stage before we hear “5, 6, 5, 6, 7, 8!” and Chappell Roan’s HOTTOGO soundtracks the exit. Everyone on that massive floor and up in the seats does their little dance, and the party continues. The high continues, with numerous locations for a post-show pint and debrief. Harry Styles himself, who is an investor in the venue, dreamed up a backstage bar with a busker’s stage on it, where up-and-coming artists can hop on the mic and give taster to music industry movers and shakers. It’s just one of many little next-level factors that that exceed the hype – and preconceived drama – of Co-Op Live’s opening. It can do UFC fighting. It can do the highest spec, ultra-produced pop show. But tonight, you close your eyes and it could be the basement of Soup Kitchen.
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Words: Ims Taylor
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