More about: Easy Life

It’s a Friday night in Manchester, and by some miracle there’s no signs of rain. It’s almost suspicious. Instead, it’s just good times, a dance, and a heavy dose of Easy Life on the agenda – frankly, what more could you want? 

In the shadows of Old Trafford (a slight issue for the Leeds fans amongst the group after this week), the O2 Victoria Warehouse lies in wait of what is destined to be a big night. Easy Life have been on a unrelenting uphill trajectory for the better part of the last few years. A festival line-up without their names on the bill seems to be an anomaly these days, and after they released MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE at the end of last year, that doesn’t seem likely to change any time soon.

It's no surprise, then, that the evening’s show is a sold out affair – packed out to the rafters with fans who have evidently been with them since they dropped ‘pockets’ back in 2017, the biggest task of the night will be appeasing listeners old and new. The solution is a 20+ track setlist, celebrating the plentiful highs of their careers over the last six years. Mission accomplished. 

Bursting onto stage to the easy-going opening beats of ‘GROWING PAINS’, taken from their latest release, Easy Life immediately prove they are not hear to mess around. It’s a mass of head bops as they quickly set out to charm the crowd, something that is easy enough for the band. Kitted out in matching jackets, they settle into the house-like set quickly, making the whole room feel at home. With a double whammy of ‘daydreams’ and ‘sangria’, arguably two of the best hits in their arsenal, Easy Life prove they are equal parts hopeless and romantic, and it’s an endearing realisation.

From there, they journey through some of the finest moments of their two albums and endless amounts of EPs – there’s old school hits like ‘slow motion’ and the ever-stunning ‘sunday’, but there’s just enough of their newest record to remind us that the band are still in the thick of making some of their best music yet. ‘skeletons’ is a raucous highlight, whilst ‘BEESWAX’ offers an opportunity for a scathing, laughing singalong. 

Easy Life have long since had a reputation for debaucherous, chaotic live shows, but this feels like a somewhat matured version of the Leicester lads. There’s no leaping into the crowd, here – though perhaps that’s in part due to the scale of the venues they’re playing now. Rather, they’re slick and sounding better than ever. “We’ve wanted to play this venue for so long,” frontman Murray declares. There’s no doubt it will live up to their expectations. The crowd lap up their every word, immediately launching their friends onto their shoulders as soon as Murray demands as such. It’s the kind of bucket list check the band have no doubt dreamed of. 

Debuting a new track, ‘trust exercises’, Easy Life promise more long-lasting indie-adjacent bangers to come. As they close the evening with ‘DEAR MISS HOLLOWAY’, they leave the stage safe in the knowledge that they’re in their prime, and the rest of their mostly sold-out tour is set to follow in a similarly impressive fashion.

See the view from the pit, captured by Jay Fisher:

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More about: Easy Life