Rolling out into the Wintery Manchester streets to support The Cool Greenhouse, it is a delight to see that almost all of the capacity crowd have made it out in time to catch Soup! and they are rewarded with a melting pot of influences which, while firmly rooted in the sprechgesang tradition, offers something modern as well as nostalgic.
With the brevity of tonight's set, much of the material aired has already been unleashed upon the world, such as the glorious single 'The Acrobat' (originally released just over a year ago). While there are many currently touring peers where comparisons with Soup! wouldn't feel misjudged, it is clear from tracks like this that the band owe just as much to the Postcard Records roster as they do to the 2020's post-punk movement we continue to see the effects of.
Elsewhere, cuts such as '6=3' manage to blend dutiful punk moments with an altogether more dance-tinged rhythm offering and 'Daily Bread', with its devestating declaration that we must "take no solace in these friends", burns like the statement of intent many bands spend decades trying to perfect.
The night does feel celebratory, and the band see it as a perfect opportunity to showcase 'Supplies'; recorded just down the road in Chorlton and due for release in February, it emerged from synth and electronic moments and covers a significant amount of genre territories across its runtime.
It can be a challenge to open the night, particularly before a band receiving huge amounts of hype, but Soup! are more than able to show the gathered masses just what the future has in store for them; but, then again, their hometown probably already knew that.