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One to Watch: Doctrines

‘LONDON BEWARE, THE NORTH IS COMING’ screams the Facebook page of Manchester’s Doctrines in anticipation of their first ever show in the capital next Saturday. If their music is anything to go by, London should be quaking in its boots; the band have been busy making a name for themselves in their hometown as a force to be reckoned with.

It started just under a year ago when four students at Salford University decided to join forces in order to create an amalgamation of punk, hardcore and indie which would get people’s feet moving just as much as it would inspire them to punch their best friend in the face. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, the band had released their first E.P., O This Body of Mine, I Renounce You, Your Style is a Crime, and it was good, it was very good. Imagine the vision and grandiosity of Titus Andronicus, the danceable basslines of Fugazi and the emotional lyrical intensity of Defeater thrown into a blender and seasoned with a heavy dose of visceral punk rock.

In fact, no word describes Doctrines better than ‘visceral’, certainly if their live performances are anything to go by. Every show sees a crowd of disciples often at least three or four people deep jammed against the stage, providing a perfect gang-vocal to accompany the guttural yet melodic howl of frontman Jamie Birkett. The rest of the room will be looking on in contented silence, unable to ascertain whether they are more impressed by the innovative riffs of guitarist Luke Rees or the face-melting force of the percussion unit.

Of course, any band – albeit with a bit of effort – can create an energetic live show, but Doctrines have the songs to back it up, and these two strands come together to prove that the band are one of the most exciting things to happen to Manchester’s music scene in the last year. London better watch out, because it’s about to get indoctrinated (excuse the pun) by some truly heartfelt Northern punk rock; that’s enough to leave any town bruised.

 

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