Manchester icons Inspiral Carpets played Southend’s iconic seafront venue Chinnerys last week to a sold-out Indie Cult Club crowd. Last time in Southend, the Inspirals were supporting the Happy Mondays at Cliffs Pavillion. They stole the show that night, this time out, they were after souls.
Image Credits: Gas & Shutter. Courtesy of Indie Cult Club
‘Two Worlds Collide’ gave the set a euphoric crowning glory, the kind that people will talk about for years to come. With every passing year, it carries more weight and emotional heft. Lost lives, lovers, and chances of redemption flood the senses as Stephen Holt’s divine soul vocal causes eyes to close and hearts to open. Pin. Drop. Moment!
The poignancy continued to flow from the band on ‘Beast Inside.’ As Holt decreed, “guess a man is no man / If he doesn’t have the beast inside,” the band and crowd united in a powerful moment of self-reflection.
When they stepped on the power, punk’s riotous energy coursed through them. A thunderous rendition of ‘Joe’ bordered on insanity as chaotic drums and Boons iconic organ riff locked horns. ‘I Want You’ was at it’s destructive best, flailing into the ether like a lost soul with nothing to lose. Devastatingly good.
Three decades after their debut, the Inspirals have found a vein of form that hit dangerous levels of intoxication at Chinnerys. Mooooooooooooooooooooo.