Having completely overhauled their lineup, sound and image over the past few years, a newly revitalised Electric Callboy return to Manchester to preach the gospel of Rave in support of a sold out UK tour. Annisokay came along to join the party.
Between sets, the only entertainment was a half a dozen condoms blown up and bounced around like a collection of beach balls. These condoms clearly established that not only was the audience ready to party, they also had every intention of doing it safely.
Annisokay was the first to take to the stage and they had a much more serious and heavy approach than Electric Callboy, opting for more intense breakdowns and even covering ‘Duality’ by SlipKnot, a track that basically everyone in the venue already knew all the lyrics to.
Annisokay was made all the more endearing by Christoph Wieczorek and his mild-mannered and somewhat awkward back-and-forth with the audience. This makes for a really fun disconnect with the band’s music which is immensely heavy post-hardcore featuring aggressive breakdowns. ‘Bonfire of the Millenials’ was a particular standout of their set.
Electric Callboy eventually came on the raucous applause wearing their personal trainer outfits as they played ‘Pump It’. Starting on a glorious high note as the band raced around the stage with an immense amount of energy that some members of the audience would struggle to keep up with.
Electric Callboy have only recently blown up due to their comedy music videos and light-hearted euro dance-inspired metal but their origins are deeply rooted in the scene. Tracks like ‘The Scene’ are completely new to a lot of people in the venue but still inspire so many people to give it their absolute all in the pit, which was non-stop almost all night.
The band may be rather goofy but they can still write incredibly heartfelt and emotionally engaging lyrics with beautiful music to back it up.
‘Tekkno Train’ features the lines;
“Shaky, shaky
Sweaty, sweaty
You make my spaghetti ready”
Those lyrics, working in tandem with a pounding bass, make for an immensely emotional track about the dedication to rave culture that so many hold dearly. It’s also arguably the funniest lyric on the album and perhaps music in general.
A particularly memorable moment on the album is ‘Parasite’ which starts with the ‘Blood Rave’ song from Blade and it could be the strongest song on the album. Perfectly balancing their metal sensibilities with pumping techno and invoking imagery that has long since been ingrained in metal culture and having a grandiose chorus. ‘Parasite’ may be one of the best metal songs of the 2020s and it is absolutely incredible to see live.
‘Hurrikan’ is an absolute sight to behold, ranging from trashy euro dance pop you’d likely hear at mid-2000s school disco; before it slams into a disgusting drop A breakdown with violent double bass drumming that left an already frenzied audience completely obliterated.
The audience was desperately holding onto whatever voice they had left and by the time Electric Callboy came back on stage and began the encore, there was no chance they would keep it. ‘Spaceman’ boasts one of the most easily accessible choruses in modern metal and every single person in the room was screaming along with gusto and the exact same can be said of ‘We Got the Moves’.
A massive chunk of the audience will attribute ‘We Got the Moves’ as their gateway to metal and seeing it live does it all the justice it deserves. With the band donning their bowl cut wigs and bouncing around the stage with what can only be described as a glorious dedication to the bit, the band ended their set.
Electric Callboy may seem like a one trick pony from first glance but they have so much more to offer than comedic music videos and rave sampling. They also have a fantastic stage presence and musicianship to match and hopefully they manage to get the acclaim they deserve.
