Josh Record - St. Phillips Church, Salford


St. Phillips church is located on the outskirts of Manchester's City Centre. It's not the most conventional place to hold a gig, with the audience sitting along wooden pews and photos of the parish covering the walls, I didn't quite know what to expect. 

The support act for the night was Seafret, a duo who's music was as hauntingly beautiful as Josh Record's. I decided sitting there that even if I didn't enjoy the rest of the night, I was glad I came just to discover this band. Despite the lyrics and melancholy tone of most of the tracks, their sound is incredibly uplifting and worked perfectly in the church setting. Also, the singer's hair wasn't much different to Sideshow Bob's, win win.

After a short interlude, which was filled with questioning the ethics of drinking strongbow in a church and judging the haircuts of alternative teenage boys (shaved around the bottom then the rest in a pony tail?!) Josh Record entered the church silently. Similarly to Seafret, Josh's voice echoed perfectly around the room. He immediately relaxed and enchanted the audience to hang onto his every word. Sips of whiskey and nervous sounding anecdotes filled the gaps between songs, one where Zane Lowe downloaded his track 'The War' off YouTube and proceeded to play it on BBC Radio 1, so legal. 

The mood in the church was tranquil and calm, until Josh Record announced there was free CDs at the back, then it was every man for himself. 


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