//Gig Review\\ Rockstar Resilience and Raw Passion: The Radio Addicts ft special guests: Jake Lightbown, The Tails and Seventh Floor at The Lodge-26/07/2026

Manchester has always been known as a foundational epicentre for music, from the iconic Sex Pistols' first gig at Lesser Trade Hall to Oasis ‘Definitely Maybe’ launch at the now-infamous Hacienda in 1994. Fast forward to 2026, and there are skyscrapers galore, Oasis fight no more (for now), and most of all, indie music is thriving more than ever, by a group of lads with the attitude of rockstars and the talent that feels wise beyond their years. Taking the mantle from icons such as The 1975 and Florence and the Machine, they’ve cut their teeth alongside the finest and, on the 26th of July, felt ready to make brilliant history. That is right: The Radio Addicts were back in Manchester to continue their meteoric yet humble rise alongside a high-octane line-up that would make their indie predecessors truly proud, and a community spirit that felt like home.

From the moment the crowd entered the venue, the latter couldn’t have been more true, as each member was welcomed with open arms, from pin badges to heartwarming hellos; you weren’t entering a gig but becoming part of a musical family, whether you knew the band or were brand new to them, although if The Radio Addicts aren’t familiar, there is certainly some catching up to do and fast.

The majority of the line-up, at first glance, may have seemed just like lads having fun on paper, but this gig was far from that. There may have been a house party feel, certainly helped by the warm, lit, intimate ambience of The Lodge, which made the venue feel like someone’s cosy living room, but from the moment the bands took the stage, the atmosphere was electric, even when it was acoustic in the case of first artist Jake Lightbown.

For this young singer, this wasn't just a gig to be played but a true moment in the making for this 16-year-old indie songwriter, with this deaf institute show marking his first ever live performance, which certainly felt like it was his hundredth, with a stage presence that was unwavering in confidence and vibrantly carefree. 

Starting with ‘7 Hours’, Jake kicked off his set in dreamy style, with soft harmonious vocals that effortlessly set the mood, and combined pure heart and indie sensibilities as a delightful musical treat that would surely make Richard Ashcroft feel like daydreaming; à la Bittersweet Symphony. The rest of his set would quickly prove this to be one of his biggest strengths: feel-good vibes and a set list of songs that felt like the makings of a bright indie legend.

Once the crowd was well and truly warmed up, it was time for the fun to truly begin with a cover of one of Manchester’s own greats, The Stone Roses' ‘She Bangs The Drums’, featuring familiar faces of the radio addicts crowd, Max Thornhill of The Fleeces. This on stage appearance with Jake had the crowd energised from the get go whether it was singing the track’s iconic chorus of ‘Have you seen her, have you heard The way she plays? ‘ with full bodied dedication, toe tapping moves or fully jubilant swaying as passion poured from their lungs, These reactions could easily be taken to build an ego, but for Jake, it just seemed like home, rather than performing to a crowd, it was delivered with the ease and comfort of a performance in his family garden may have done. This was one of those moments that truly felt like the forming of a bright history into stone and one of the highlights of the set.

With such an iconic track given its flowers, and time feeling like it had stopped in its tracks, it was time for Jake’s final track ‘All The Times’, which truly showcased Jake most in his element, as it was delivered with an introspective yet vibrant tone and bold anthemic vocals that truly showcased Jake as an artist to be on everyone’s must-listen list. Talent doesn’t always come in crazy visuals and swagger; sometimes it comes with a guitar and a bright heart.

Whether it was the melodics and unwavering confidence of Jake’s stage presence, or the respectfulness of the crowd, this opening set was incredibly special, and really kicked off this headline show, with pure magic and a wonderful, intimate musical atmosphere. Keep the name Jake Lightbown on the brain; it's sure to be on an Albert Hall Marquee one day. 

As Jake left the stage, and the crowd gave their verdict,’ That was amazing, ’ as one member rightfully described it, the atmosphere sprang to life, energised and giddy, whether it was reuniting with friends and family or, most wholesomely, commenting on how lovely the grassroots scene the headline band had brought together was, particularly in the case of Max Thornhill’s performance alongside Jake just moments before. One thing was for certain: these bands weren’t in competition; there was no ego or swaggering around the crowd like a Gallagher even though there were many pairs of similar sunglasses; there was music, and there were unbreakable community bonds that surely solidify that if these bands are gonna be in the music industry, they were gonna pull each other up, not let them down.

Once the room had been sufficiently refreshed through social greetings and some refreshments, it was time for Liverpool’s Seventh Floor to take this show to the next heart-racing level, with charisma, cool and a whole lot of colour!

From the moment Seventh Floor took the stage, with tracks ‘Noose ’, ’ Rain’ (Wunderhorse cover) and Mach Shau, this band were a triumph to witness; springing into action with a high-octane indie rock energy that truly turned The Lodge into this band’s own personal dance floor. This style would have fans of The Clause in adoration and quickly have all dancing like no one was watching. If Jake Lightbown was the soulful indie brother, Seventh Floor were the indie rock older brother (maybe get rid of this line), bringing a more Blur/Damon Albarn-like swagger to the stage than Richard Ashcroft, but still embodying a similar bright passion that all could delight in, which easily weaved its way through each track and truly brought this band to life.

This band truly didn’t seem to take much of a breath, jumping into songs with unfaltering bouncing energy that seemed to only fuel them more as it developed throughout the set; they didn’t need to try for your attention; they confidently played like they were certain it was already theirs.

When it came to transitions between songs and the band did take a breath, this same aforementioned high energy was kept, although a whole lot cheekier, showing these guys don’t play around when it comes to delivering high-energy and masterful music but when it comes to engaging with the crowd, they’re always up for a laugh, especially when it came to their tongue in cheek introductions, including to their cover of powerhouse indie rockers Keo’s ‘That’s Me’, which was met with the equal roaring applause, that met the band’s well crafted setlist. This was the pure embodiment of house party antics and wholesome wonder, as well as an excellent showcase of band synergy beyond the music.

Finishing off the set was ‘Anita’, an original that quickly became a stat-studded favourite as it played out, from its wall-shaking, rolling melodic guitars to its confident, rockstar attitude, and truly kicked the energy up a notch. If there was ever to be a track that would make this band stick in the mind, this was it. Seventh Floor left it all on the stage and more, and truly showed themselves at their brightest.

Overall, Seventh Floor provided not only the perfect bite of rockstar realness but also power in abundance, truly taking this local gig to the next level.

With the growing anticipation, The Lodge seemed to spring to life more with each band that played, every set feeling like a level up or new layer of excitement and build, like the new level of a game or book chapter. So far the show had made quite the name for itself, from melodic indie to bouncy high-octane indie rock, and if the next band on the roster, The Tails, were to have anything to do with it, it was only gonna get even more invigorating.

As soon as The Tails took to the stage, they made their presence known with a high-energy musical ferocity that struck to the soul and left the crowd hanging on every word in the form of ‘Mr Mysterious ’, which may have had a mysterious name, but quickly solidified this Manchester five-piece as anything but Mesmerising. 

Even when you thought you knew what was coming, particularly with tracks such as ‘Time ', this band upped the intrigue, contrasting indie rock grit with melodically cool classic indie sensibilities throughout, with tracks such as ‘ Time’ taking their rightful spotlight as crowd favourites, alongside a very groovy cover of Bruce Springsteen’s influential ‘Dancing In The Dark’ of course, which brought the crowd into this band’s world with wide open, welcoming arms, singing and shouting without a worry of the world outside. 

By the time the Tails hit the midpoint of their set the lodge had become its own stadium atmosphere, and The Tails had embraced the brilliant yet coordinated chaos of ‘Headcase ’, which quickly became crowd favourite with complex layered guitar solos that would have Queens of the Stone Age applauding and an undeniable charm throughout its full power vocals, all delivered with boldly honest drive and a resilient fire. Headcase wasn't just a track but a whole crafted world to be stunned by, even with its darker tonality compared to its successors,’’ Wicked Eyes; and closing track of the set,’ Alone’.

Introduced with a powerful call to action to talk to your mates if you’re feeling lost or alone,’ Alone’ is a driving, anthemic bite of classic indie rock set to lyrics of pure resonance and heart-aching personal experience, that really drove home the band's values of community and support, even when the world often feels somewhat daunting. The set ended with the same brilliant charm it began with, introducing each member as if you were meeting the family for the first time; it felt familiar and unfiltered in the most wholesome of ways.

Overall, The Tails knew how to balance reflectiveness with high-powered rawness, in a way that never felt like showing off. This wasn’t a ‘look at my brilliance’ kind of set but a ‘here is the power of music ’; these guys weren’t just playing songs; they were building worlds for all to find comfort in. This was a true masterclass in how to not just put on an outstanding show but also how to truly embody every moment of it like it could be life-changing. Something that The Radio Addicts themselves were about to take in their own personal stride on the stage.

Before The Radio Addicts hit the stage, they were already highly praised and anticipated, particularly in relation to selling out the show at such an early stage in their career; some could easily call it luck, but for this young band, it has and had been proven to be a product of serious dedication, from impromptu campsite sets at festivals such as Kendal Calling to complete presale sellouts of their debut EP, this headline set at The Deaf Institute Lodge, was about to be more than just another show but a moment of wonderful history in the making.

Greeted by chants of ‘ohhh Radio Addicts’ set to The White Stripes' ‘Seven Nation Army’ and entering with an air of unapologetic confidence, this bold Bolton four-piece ignited the crowd with electrifying energy and a rockstar resilience from the get-go throughout their second single, ‘Before My Eyes’, and found their rhythm almost instantly, much to the crowd's vibrant delight. This wasn’t just a show but a full ceremony of celebration to be enjoyed by all.

As the band jumped into their latest single ‘Let's Party Like Its The 90s’, they only seemed to grow in confidence and exhilarating stage presence, whether it was calling to action the best dance moves from the band’s lead singer, Luke Cardwell, from his centre stage podium, or the general unapolgetic enthusiasm that would have felt equally as familiar in the Boardwalk as it would the Hacienda, this track took on a new lease of life as it played out live, taking the joy of the recorded version, that has been well loved from Botlon FM to Radio Wigwam, and turning it up to a thousand fold, with the entertaining atmospheric addition of The Radio Addicts party balloons quickly decorating the air, and sticking around to enjoy the show for the rest of the band’s set.

With such high energy, it could be easy to stop there and take a breather, but that wasn’t this young band's style, with even their transitions, particularly in the beginning, being mostly quick and sharp, yet still excellently complementary when it came to the tracks they followed and introduced, incredibly wise for a band who had only been together 2 years, yet had the synergy of a band together for 5 or 6 years.

Ego can easily creep up when faced with such a meteoric rise, as this band have had over the years. Still, even amongst the gritty indie punk riffs, sunglasses, and themed hats and t-shirts, there wasn’t one moment in this set that didn’t feel humble or appreciative of the scene they had proudly grown up in, with two particular highlights of the set including a spotlight on show opener, Jake Lightbown, through the band’s cover of The Royston Club’s‘52’., Max of The Fleecers guesting on guitar (as part of a show tradition) during ‘and forming of The Radio Addicts choir via the cast of the band’s ‘Let's Party Like It's the 90s’ music video. If there was one thing this band were proudly confident about beyond the music, it was that those around them were as much a part of their success as their own brilliant talent, creating a distinct yet familiar atmosphere that felt more like being around friends than strangers, and perfectly complemented the band’s honest, unfiltered nature. 

Even when it came to one of the band’s more personally raw tracks, ‘Anxiety Attack’, there was still charm, with its heartfelt yet comedic introduction about one of the band’s first performances; this wasn't a stage but a home and a safe space they had beautifully crafted, and were now inviting their personal worlds to have an insight into with openness and gentle catharsis.

There was not one moment where The Radio Addicts didn’t showcase or appreciate those around them; even when it came to their own tracks, credit was given, kindness bestowed and wisdom wonderfully woven through track, transition and storytelling; this may have been their headline show, but they made sure it was known that behind every great rockstar is one person or people uplifting us to be our greatest. 

This band may have said nothing was interesting anymore during their encore. Still, truly they might just be one of the most interesting and driven young bands in the Manchester scene in 2026, whether that be plastering stickers on every wall in Manchester or pouring their heart into stage presence, honest lyricism and dedicating themselves to their passions with unfaltering drive, even with speedrun covers of Johnny B Goode, unplanned bar stage dives (with all our hearts in our mouths) during the band’s encore of debut single ‘Scroll My Life Away’ and a phone that takes cards. 

This was truly a night to remember, from indie rock grooves to Bruce Springsteen Covers and community spirit; this headline show is exactly what grassroots music should feel like everywhere.

The Radio Addicts' latest single ‘Let’s Party LikeIt's thee 90s’ is out now on all platforms; click below to choose yours.