By Eluned Darwin Goss, Second Year Law and French
The budding Mancunian artist only left English teaching around a year ago, and has quickly become a most-wanted set in the UK and Europe's venues and festivals following the release of his album Service Station at the End of the Universe. His music does not conform to any specific genre, but is a blend of hip-hop, indie, even some garage, house and drum and bass. Szmierek's flare for poetry and lyricism is occasionally likened to that of Mike Skinner's, however seeing him perform live proves the opposite. He has undoubtedly adopted his own unique take on spoken word.
Support act Getdown Services set the tone for the night - carefree and unapologetic. Their silly and sassy characters jumped around the stage, announcing unserious lyrics in an assertive way.
They describe their music as 'disco rock', but their set list showed that like Szmierek, there are no boundaries to what or how to perform.
Their tune 'Crisps' got the audience moving and laughing - a great way to start a gig. With a packet of ready salted crisps flying around the crowd and a tambourine held by Szmierek - his first appearance onstage, the dread of Monday morning had worn away.
After Getdown Services' lively performance, it was time for Szmierek's long-awaited appearance. Starting off his set with a couple of new tracks which are references to his favourite sci-fi book series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Antony launched us on an extraordinary journey with 'Service Station at the End of the Universe' and 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Fallacy'. It was out of this world, if you will.
Vibrant 'The Great Pyramid of Stockport', homely 'Working Classic' and funky 'Rock and a Calm Place' drifted effortlessly into Antony's most popular track 'Seasoning', which was sung warmly by the crowd, heightening the relaxed ambiance.
The groovy light-hearted beat of 'Yoga Teacher', though masking lyrics which discuss anxiety, had the effect of chilling out the crowd. 'Breathe in, hold, release' becomes increasingly tense, but within the walls of the Trinity church was motivation to keep dancing.
'Twist Forever' with its calm techno undertones upheld an illusive vibe, before moving into Szmierek's cover of 'Feel' by Robbie Williams. This track gave new discoverers a chance to sing along. The light-hearted addition made for a well-rounded night.
'What's something that beings with 'R'?...'; the old fan favourite 'Rafters' took us on a pilgrimage of a 'piece of confetti' which comes 'dancing from the ceiling'.
Immersed in a story that seemed to take place there and then, we were reminded of the unique moments that hundreds of people share in the time that it takes for confetti to fall from the ceiling to the floor. The lyrics 'flecks collected on church steps', planted a reminder of our time with the artist as we stepped down the church steps of the Trinity Centre in St Phillip’s.
Szmierek's encore was arguably the best moment of the night. Electronic 'Restless Leg Syndrome', dancy, energetic 'Take me There', both from the new album, accompanied by nostalgic 'The Words to Auld Lang Syne' from 2023 curated a bitter-sweet end to the night.
'Take me There' brought a feeling that we were at a house rave, with calm beat drops and a dream-like feeling which flowed naturally into the last song.
'Let me hold you for a second...tomorrow's never promised' embodied the feeling of the audience - not quite ready for the gig to end and wanting to make the most of the moment. Needless to say, Antony's 'new friends and old friends', including Generation Feral, dancing onstage with pure joy, fulfilled this desire.
Expect to see Antony Szmierek’s name repeatedly appear on the lineups of big festivals and venues. His bold yet humble attitude is the breath of fresh air we all need.
Featured Image: Eluned Darwin GossDo you enjoy the spoken word style of Antony Szmierek?
