Heyrocco and Humans as Ornaments at The Castle Manchester Review
Heyrocco and
Humans as Ornaments
The Castle, Manchester
13 October 2015
Reviewed by Brian Grehan
When I was asked to go to see a couple of rock bands live in Manchester I was a little apprehensive as it’s been a while since I dipped my toes into rock concerts. For years I would go and see bands, big and small, play in Dublin where I grew up and having worked in a record store for a number of years I consider myself a bit of a music snob!
I will admit that my apprehension was fuelled by the fact that I had not previously heard of the bands that were playing so I entered the venue a little “blind” as I did not know what to expect. The best way I can describe it was that I was not expecting to be as entertained as I was.
I was more than a little impressed by the support act Humans as Ornaments. Being a lot older than the rest of the audience I stood back and watched as this band took to the stage and made it their own. They were tight and the driving rock music they played soon had me nodding my head and tapping my foot in appreciation.
This Leeds based outfit really impressed me with their original tunes influenced by such luminaries as Queens of the Stoneage, Nirvana, Mudhoney and Weezer! What a combination! They carry it off with aplomb. As a talentless drummer in a previous life I was very impressed by how hard the drummer hit his kit. Did he not like it very much was the question that crossed my mind. Whatever it was his driving rhythms with the competent bass player held the songs together.
The only small little thing I would have changed was the vocals sometimes got lost in the pleasant rock noise. They have recently released a debut EP called When Will This Be Enough which I highly recommend. They sometimes remind me of a band called Crane. I don’t know why maybe it was the excellent guitar sound. But they definitely have something.
Next on was the main act of the night, Heyrocco. Hailing from Charleston, South Carolina, USA these young men also impressed me with their mix of grunge and guitar based music. I was impressed by the catchiness of their original material.
The small crowd eagerly awaited their arrival onto the stage and Heyrocco didn’t disappoint as they hit the stage. They have cited artists like The Strokes, Radiohead and The Cure as influences but I heard similarities to Dinosaur Jr and Weezer.
They played the 2 songs that I knew Comfort and Mom Jeans which pleased the audience and me as I had only heard them for the first time recently and could not fathom how catchy they were.
All too soon their set finished with a meandering instrumental jam and then they were gone and so was I into the night pleased that people so young can write original rock songs and actually play their own instruments and not use a computer to sample stuff! Long may this continue!
A definite 5/5 from this reviewer. I will definitely be checking these 2 bands out again!
Rating: 5/5 
For more information about Heyrocco visit www.heyrocco.co.uk.
For other events at The Castle in Manchester visit www.thecastlehotel.info.
The Castle Hotel, 66 Oldham Street, Manchester, M4 1LE | 0161 237 9485
