It feels like forever ago that we picked up our tickets to see Bad Cop/Bad Cop make their first Manchester appearance in far too long and, as well as the build-up of anticipation, this is largely due to the string of postponements which have beset this particular UK run. With the crowd fully warmed up by punk scene...
...stalwarts Wonk Unit, it’s left to the powerful one-two of ‘Retrograde’ and ‘I’m Done’ to forcefully herald the arrival of the main attraction. Both taken from ‘Warriors’, this last album Bad Cop/Bad Cop released which was afforded a full UK tour, they are pair of anthems which fully serve as a statement of intent.
Straddling the line between melodic and aggressive in a manner which comes entirely naturally to the band, they provide a joyous welcome before ‘Breastless’ offers a more solemn moment with Stacey Dee explicitly referencing the cancer journey which provides the origin story for the track itself. Of course, that’s not to say anything about a Bad Cop/Bad Cop live show ever veers too far towards a depressing narrative, with the band’s unrivalled ability to craft every negative topic into either a call to arms or a joyous victory charge.
‘Pursuit of Liberty’ falls firmly into the former camp, with a disturbing but rebellion-inducing glimpse into life in America as a refugee; the lyrics feel especially jarring given all the related developments in this area in the three short years since the track was released.
The set itself is brief, with Bad Cop/Bad Cop always a band seemingly intent on not outstaying their welcome – although we firmly believe this to be an impossibility – but by the time the closing duo of ‘Simple Girl’ and ‘Womanarchist’ ring out of the PA the band have done more than enough to remind us of exactly how much we have missed them over the last three years. ‘Warriors’ by name and certainly warriors by nature; Bad Cop/Bad Cop are here to remind us that fighting the good fight comes sound-tracked by all of the best tunes.
Straddling the line between melodic and aggressive in a manner which comes entirely naturally to the band, they provide a joyous welcome before ‘Breastless’ offers a more solemn moment with Stacey Dee explicitly referencing the cancer journey which provides the origin story for the track itself. Of course, that’s not to say anything about a Bad Cop/Bad Cop live show ever veers too far towards a depressing narrative, with the band’s unrivalled ability to craft every negative topic into either a call to arms or a joyous victory charge.
‘Pursuit of Liberty’ falls firmly into the former camp, with a disturbing but rebellion-inducing glimpse into life in America as a refugee; the lyrics feel especially jarring given all the related developments in this area in the three short years since the track was released.
The set itself is brief, with Bad Cop/Bad Cop always a band seemingly intent on not outstaying their welcome – although we firmly believe this to be an impossibility – but by the time the closing duo of ‘Simple Girl’ and ‘Womanarchist’ ring out of the PA the band have done more than enough to remind us of exactly how much we have missed them over the last three years. ‘Warriors’ by name and certainly warriors by nature; Bad Cop/Bad Cop are here to remind us that fighting the good fight comes sound-tracked by all of the best tunes.
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