More about: English Teacher

If you’ve been paying attention, English Teacher will be on your radar. Their single ‘R&B’ launched them onto the radio, and their acclaimed debut EP Polyawkward has kept them there. Their particular brand of ‘post-lame’ poetry is a refreshing offer amongst the slew of post-punk bands currently dominating the rock scene, mashing together screeching riffs, groovy pop basslines and a deadpan delivery of ironic lyrics.

What separates them from the likes of Yard Act, Sports Team and Squid is the operatic approach to their sound. They take advantage of their combined musical skills to reinvent what an instrument can do. In many ways, it shouldn’t work - each element sounds like it should belong to a different song, in a different genre - but it really does. They’re more Pulp than they are Public Image Ltd; sardonic and satirical, sure, but there’s a subtle sensitivity in their lyrics, and their sound is endlessly experimental and innovative, pushing the boundaries of what they can do.

It’s impressive, then, how their songs translate in a live setting - on record, their tracks are an intricate, carefully-produced web of chaos; sophisticated and elaborate in their construction. Live, they are only elevated, being reignited into something new. ‘Wallace’ is transformed into a cinematic masterpiece by touring cellist Blossom, who’s cramped into the back of the tiny stage next to Douglas Frost’s drum kit. Lewis Whiting’s boundless riffs are kept in check by the unphased and effortless bass lines of Nick Eden, who performs as though it is the easiest and most natural thing in the world. Lily Fontaine proves to be a dynamic instrumentalist, too, swiftly switching between a keyboard and her guitar with every track. As a vocalist, she is even more compelling: a laidback verse often contorts into a violent rambling that’s impossible not to be enthralled by.

Draped in the slime green lighting of Manchester’s YES basement, the show is loud. The walls could shake. There’s rarely a moment of silence coming from the stage - someone is always idling away on their instrument, and it doesn’t take long before everyone else joins in - restless and impatient to keep playing. When Fontaine drops her guitar, she stares helplessly at a crowd who find it hilarious and endearing. She nods to the rest of them to play ‘lift music’ as she re-tunes it and without thinking twice they oblige - cue a jaunty instrumental we can only hope will make its way onto their next release. 

Their personableness serves them well as they interact with the crowd - it’s like you’re watching your mates smash it on stage. They’re enjoying themselves, and so we are too; it’s infectious. ‘Let’s get this one out of the way,’ Fontaine teases before the explosive ‘R&B’. She hovers like a self-effacing John Cooper Clarke for ‘Yorkshire Tapas’ - a bit more shy than she has been previously. The impassioned pro-Yorkshire chant the song inspires should be proof enough there’s nothing to be bashful about - the crowd really love them. By the closing track ‘Good Grief’, the room is a sweltering hot mess - bouncing, sweating, grinning - like all good basement shows should be. 

It’s been a delightful evening. The mutual agreement that we’ve all just encountered something great buzzes around YES long after they leave the stage. Proficient musicians and thrilling performers, they’re a band that will - surely - go on to play bigger and bigger venues. Tonight English Teacher certified themselves as a rising class act, and certainly ones to watch, but more importantly: they’ve proved themselves to be a whole lot of fun, too. 

See photos from the night by Dominic Walsh below:

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More about: English Teacher