Fallen Star Photography

Zigfrid von Underbelly, in Hoxton Square near Old Street Station is a both a bar/restaurant (upstairs) and a music venue (downstairs). It is a stylish place indeed, adorned with illustrations on the ceiling and walls, a lot of care and attention has gone into the aesthetics of this place. The stage downstairs is in a the corner with luscious red curtains hanging on the walls and a giant mirror, a very warm and intimate space to see bands. 

On the venues website Manna was advertised as being the main act of the evening, however this was not the case, in fact they were listed second on the bill. The first act on stage (7:30) was a band from Montreal, Canada called Snailhouse, fronted by Mike Feuerstack. On the night there were three up on stage, however when the stage is more accommodating their live set up is a five piece. When they arrived on stage there was a distinct lack of an audience, they opened jokingly by saying “Thank you both for coming”, referring to my brother and I. This was more tragic considering they had come all the way from Canada, Feuerstack having been signed in Canada since 1994 to ‘Grand Theft Autumn’ and most importantly they were actually pretty good. During the set a the audience grew in dribs and drabs, but it was still a very intimate affair.

Snailhouse had a small merchandise stand, which I would have liked to have bought something from, but it was a little too pricey for me unfortunately. Feuerstack even joked about there being enough T-shirts for all of us in the audience. Despite playing to such a small crowd (not even sure if the word crowd applies here) they gave a good show, with good humour and good music. You can check out their stuff by downloading their album and make a donation here (no minimum) or buy Lies on the Prize on amazon. I only wish they were playing higher up on the bill, maybe then they would have had a bit more of an audience to play to. However I overheard them talking about being on tour in Europe, and when I checked it out on-line I saw they had a string of dates on the continent from Amsterdam to Paris, which I hope draws a bigger crowd than tonight for them. 

Snailhouse.

Now it came to the second act on the bill, the one I had come down to Old Street to see, Finnish rockers Manna. I first discovered Manna when reading on the Muse website that they were supporting them in Helsinki. Although I didn’t go to that show, I was interested in the acts they were getting to support them, and after listening to them they instantly resonated with me. I went to see the play in Kentish Town, London ealier in the year and the lead singer Manna Mariam gave me a copy of their album (Songs of Hope & Desire) she had in her bag. I brought the same CD with me to the show last night in hope that I could get it signed by the band. Although the crowd was still a little on the small side, it was growing. 

Manna started their set with It Only Hurts For Awhile, with Manna Mariam dressed all in white armed with her incredible voice and her kick ass band, only let down by a few sound issues. They were still great though, although the crowd was small, and very few people venturing near the stage except for my brother, myself and a girl with a much better camera than mine. Manna played a new song that they said they had only played once before in Helsinki, which you can see at the bottom. Just as they were about to play their last song, there was a power cut. In the dark, the band were still high spirited Manna Mariam even did a little dance. It wasn’t too long before the power was back and they got back to finishing their set.

Manna Mariam Jantti & Maria Rantanen

Tero Sundell

Manna: Mikko Joensuu (Guitar), Tero Sundell (Drums), Manna Mariam Jantti (vocals) & Maria Rantanen (Bass)

When they left, I quickly nabbed the setlist for myself although upon reading it, I couldn’t make much sense of it. Three of the songs in particular were the source of the confusion one called “Nirvana”, one “Strokes” and the other “Beirut” all names of bands I like. I also managed to meet the band after they came off, and got my CD signed by the band, and a photo with Manna too. They are all very nice, and I managed to show off my very limited amount of Finnish that I know. “Yksi kaakao kiitos” which roughly translates to “One hot chocolate please”, and told stories of drunken escapades in Finland last year.

Manna’s Setlist @ Underbelly, Hoxton Square, London 20/10/10

Manna - New Song @ Underbelly, Hoxton Square, London 20/10/10

Other bands to play on the 20/10/10 were: The Onironauts, The Raphaelites, & Kampion although I only stayed until the end of Kampions set who played just after Manna. I don’t know how the venue arranged the order of bands to play, I don’t think they were anywhere near as good as the acts before her, but they did have a group of friends to watch them play.