Messed!Up
After a long, grey winter, the sun has come out and graced the pavements of Manchester – finally! The start of summer in the city greets you with open arms. An air of eagerness and excitement that you can almost taste. This air filtered in from outside into the walls of the 02 Ritz as fans waited in anticipation for The Band CAMINO.
The Ritz is historic and iconic for Manc music fans. The Ritz welcomes old, new, local, and global talent, and Tuesday’s gig saw The Band CAMINO land on the sunny streets of Manchester. The crowd slowly but surely filled up the room. Some were armoured in leather jackets and vans, some with bright two-toned hair dye and tattoos for days. A mix between young and older came out to see The Band CAMINO: a reflection of the success in the indie-rock-pop world that the band enjoys, from the 2010s to the present day. A young family stood near me as we waited for the main act, and I overheard one of them say that waiting for The Band CAMINO was like “waiting for Christmas morning.”
Consisting of Jeffrey Jordan, Spencer Stewarts, and Garrison Burgess, The Band CAMINO came onto the scene in 2015, formed when the members were at the University of Memphis. Camino is the Spanish word for ‘path’ or ‘way’, and this band has steadily forged its own path in the indie-rock-pop scene. Their music journeys through the trials and tribulations of youth, relationships, identity, and coming-of-age. Fluidly weaving themselves through a multitude of genres and mixing between slow ballads and punchy, vibrant hit singles, their upcoming second studio album is eagerly awaited by their fans.
Upon prior listening to the band, I wasn’t too convinced. I couldn’t connect to many of the songs. Something lacked. As I watched The Band CAMINO play on Tuesday night, however, that gap was expertly filled. With smooth and controlled (but extremely energetic) riffs and guitar solos from Spencer, Jeffrey’s raw vocals and funky synth notes, hard-crashing drums from Garrison that you could feel beat in your own body and a bass that tied everything together so skilfully, the band exceeded my expectations completely.
Songs like “Told You So and I Think I Like You” bounced from floor to ceiling. As if physical noise moved from the chords and cymbals to hit the hands of the crowd. They are a band that excels in live performance.
The Band CAMINO is a band that is located within the enjoyment of music. The performance wasn’t a spectacle or elaborate. Ahead of their arrival on stage, the lights lowered, and the cheers erupted. The staging and lighting were stripped back and comfortable. It felt like the stage could have melted away and we could have been watching four mates jamming in a garage in Tennessee. Spencer and Jeffrey rotated between playing lead and rhythmic guitar, taking the lead on vocals, and playing on synthesizers. The brighter lights on the stage became the four members filling the room with perfectly blended sound: all elements working in harmony.
I caught tender moments between the band and their fans. Jeffrey smiled ear to ear as the crowd sang his songs back to him, Spencer and Jeffrey sang with their arms around each other, and each band member garnered appreciation for their fellow musicians throughout the gig. Jeffrey announced that, on their first tour of the year, the boys are far from home – “5,000 miles from Tennessee,”- to be exact. Yet, on the stage, as they caught each other’s eyes and smiled and pointed out to the crowd as they sang, it seemed to me that they were right at home.
Ahead of their next album, The Band CAMINO have been releasing new singles and keeping their fans waiting with bated breath for the full catalogue. On Tuesday night they played unreleased songs which elicited gasps from the crowd and Jeffrey mentioned their latest release “What Am I Missing?” was their fastest streaming song, ever. He expressed his support for his fans and their part in the band’s rising success: “If you listened to this, it means the world.” Midway through the song, a technician had to replace Jeffrey’s guitar. He tuned it on stage, and the band picked up exactly where they’d left off, effortlessly.
From young friends starting a band to crafting and releasing two studio albums with Elektra, to having an honourable mention on Taylor Swifts ‘Songs Taylor Loves’ Spotify playlist, and now flying through their EU tour, the friendship that was so indelibly present in their performance was heart-warming to watch. Referring back to the journey that is communicated through their music, The Band CAMINO took the audience on a ride through their brotherhood, admiration for one another, and their simple joy in playing music with their mates. It was a good gig to start the summer.
Reviewer: Lauren Chadwick
Photos: Courtney Turner
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The Band CAMINO pages
