Aatma holds a special place within the Manchester music scene, hosting emerging artists in its 150-capacity, multi-purpose events space in the Northen Quarter. One of these events, presented by Eagle and Salmon, saw three Manchester- based acts: Vaudevilles, Bleach, and Sam Biggs each take the stage for half-hour sets showcasing their distinct styles.
Indie rock band Bleach were sandwiched between Biggs, who cites Nothing But Thieves, Jeff Buckley, and Sam Fender as influences with his songs similarly featuring high-tenor vocals. The final band of the night as well as the headline act were Vaudevilles, a three-piece who released their debut album in July 2024 and are currently working on a follow-up. Despite the pressure of performing after an impressive young talent and before a band who are well on the way to making a name for themselves, Bleach managed to stand their ground, establishing themselves as a name to look out for in the process.
Bleach cite Nirvana as one of their influences and their name is a tribute to the grunge legends’ debut album of the same name. Most of their material was unpredictably soft, reminiscent of the days of Britpop and indie bands of old. This didn’t come as an unpleasant surprise, though: the set’s first song, ‘Stranger’, saw frontman Dan Zambartas display Richard Ashcroft-style vocals, backed by jangly guitar riffs and a propulsive drum rhythm. ‘Oblivious’ came next, providing an early highlight to the set as a song which can only be described as infectious.
Speaking for the first time since urging attendees to “come closer if you want”, Zambartas informed the crowd that the first song centres around “walking down Market Street”, while the second focuses on being ‘Oblivious’ to an instance of being cheated on, jokingly described as “two equally traumatising experiences”. The only cover of the night was a version of The Strokes’ timeless hit ‘Someday’: although the song’s brilliance may prove for some impossible to match, the band delivered a version which Julian Casablancas himself would probably approve of.
Credit: Halle Irvine @ Bleach
Zambartas dedicated ‘A Certain Charm’ to Bleach’s manager, “who I have a bit of a crush on”. This track features the occasional cliché within its modern ode lyricism, but these were compensated for by its love-soaked guitar riffs which perfectly complemented its romantic themes. ‘Achilles Heel’ was dedicated to Zambartas’ late grandfather, marking a momentary departure from the high-energy indie-rock of previous songs before eventually leading into an impressive concluding instrumental segment.
Another highlight within the set came with ‘Blink of an Eye’, which centres around the dissolution of a friendship once one person enters a relationship. This was followed by the band’s final song of the night, aptly titled ‘Bleach’ and preceded by Zambartas stating “we’re going to turn up the energy, this next one is called ‘Bleach’ and we’ve been Bleach”. Undoubtedly the most Nirvana-esque song on the setlist, it features an incendiary guitar solo at its close which was the perfect end to a brilliant set.
On stage, Vaudevilles recognised they had big shoes to fill after Sam Biggs and Bleach, but their vigorous and often humorous blend of rock music did the job. Some of the three-piece’s material was reminiscent of Green Day and early Fall Out Boy, while their final song told a tale of “setting your house on fire with a deep fat fryer” and was imbued with a similar comical energy to bands such as blink-182 and Getdown Services. Wittily named ‘Deep Fat Fire’, the track is full of clever wordplay mainly about oil and deep fat fryers. The Manchester-based band closed with an arena-style grand finale that demonstrated their ability to make a small venue feel like a stadium.
Aatma may be nearly impossible to find, located down a Northern Quarter alleyway composed of similar-looking doors all leading to various performance spaces, but the gig presented by Eagle and Salmon proved that navigating Stevenson Square is well worth the battle. Chances are you might stumble across an exciting new name like Bleach, although it’s almost certain that they won’t be hard to find for much longer. With recorded releases on the horizon, and an upcoming appearance at Aatma’s neighbour The Peer Hat scheduled for Christmastime, the band are sure to get the attention they deserve.