Bob Vylan, Kid Bookie & Panic Shack Deliver Incendiary Night at Manchester O2 Ritz [Photos]

Having been wanting to see Bob Vylan live for a long time now it was with great anticipation I arrived at Manchester’s O2 Ritz to catch them on their “Viva La Vylan Tour.”

With Cardiff’s Panic Shack opening at an alarmingly early 6:30 things were off to a great start. Their panic attack-inducing songs about tits, sandwiches and Ju-Jitsu absolutely hit the spot, and the synchronized onstage routines add humour to what felt like a physical attack of a set. Short, sharp and spiky. A perfect start.

Next up was Kid Bookie, who I was looking forward to as I’d caught him before and had been extremely impressed. With anger and energy expertly channelled into ten songs, he didn’t disappoint. Ending the show in the crowd, he showed once again why he is an act you really need to see live to be fully appreciated.

Something headliners Bob Vylan have in common.

They have a reputation for being excellent live and I was looking forward to my first experience of them. It started calmly with some light stretches and meditation led by frontman Bobby Vylan, before an incendiary “I Heard You Want Your Country Back” kicked things off for real.

Unfortunately, during the 3rd song, I caught an eager crowd surfers’ size 10 boot to the head, which knocked me for 6 – and that was before Bobby had even brought his cricket bat out! So, my first experience of Bob Vylan ended prematurely after only 6 songs, with a pounding headache and ringing ears – which was kind of what I expected – but not in the way I expected it.

The noise in the Ritz when frontman Bobby took the stage was probably the loudest I’ve ever heard, and when he asked who supports the current state of policing in the UK it was the quietest I’ve ever heard.

Even though I missed the majority of the show, and I also missed a punter throwing his boxer shorts onto the stage, what I did see, even in a relatively short number of songs was the pure energy and chaos of the band – which for 2 people was immense.

It was enough to see why they’ve got such a great live reputation and enough for me to make sure I’m there the next time they visit Manchester – although next time I’ll be stood somewhere much safer in a bid to make it to the end of their set.

Bob Vylan (w/ Kid Bookie, Panic Shack) @ O2 Ritz (Manchester, UK) on November 17th, 2023

37 photos