The Hara at The Deaf Institute, This is What Live Music Is Supposed To Feel Like!
- Phil Thorns
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
The deaf Institute Manchester - 23rd January 2026
WORDS / IMAGES PHIL THORNS
THIS IS WHAT LIVE MUSIC IS SUPPOSED TO FEEL LIKE
Sweat, crowd-surfing, panda heads and anthems collide as Manchester’s favourite trio tear through a relentless 20-song set
Built in 1878 as the Manchester Adult Deaf and Dumb Institute, the Grade II-listed building spent nearly a century as a community and education hub before falling out of use in the 1970s. After various reincarnations, it reopened in 2008 as The Deaf Institute, quickly becoming one of Manchester’s most important grassroots venues and, for me, a personal favourite. It’s a place that wears its history proudly, full of character and atmosphere, and one that rewards bands willing to lean into the room rather than play over it.
Its Music Hall has hosted early, or breakthrough shows by Florence + The Machine, The 1975, Wolf Alice and Bombay Bicycle Club, cementing its reputation as a proving ground for rising acts while remaining a key stop on the UK touring circuit. It’s a fitting venue, then, for The Hara’s volatile, high-energy set, placing them firmly in a lineage of bands who’ve used this stage as a launchpad rather than a stopping-off point.
Manchester based trio, Josh Taylor (lead vocals), Zack Breen (guitar) and Jack Kennedy (drums), have always felt like a band built for live carnage rather than passive listening. Rooted in alternative rock with traces of industrial beat, electronic punch and a hint of emo, they channel something raw and unvarnished, a style that suits packed rooms and sweat-drenched floors where every lyric feels like a challenge thrown down. Now riding a wave of momentum since the release of their second album The Fallout literally a few days ago, the boys clearly aren’t interested in shrinking violets or polite applause, it’s all volume, guts and hooks with jagged edges.
Tonight was further proof of that. Before the main event even kicked off, Paradise Fell had turned the early crowd into believers, heads down, amps cranked, and more than a few folks who’d clearly planned their evening around their slot. There was a sense of effort in the room, people making a point of being there early, and it paid off: punchy, tight and melodic with an authentic bite, they set the tone perfectly and earned themselves serious cheers well before the headliners arrived.
When The Hara hit the stage, the response was immediate and loud, the kind of roar that only comes from a crowd already fully invested. All three arrived looking sharp and dapper in their DJs, giving little away about just how feral the next ninety minutes were about to become. ‘Enemy’ lit the fuse, the room surging forward the energy was pure fire, mosh pits virtually from the word go, bodies pushing and pulling under the glare of the stage lights.
When ‘Off The Edge’ came around, one of my absolute favourites, Josh launched himself into the crowd who duly caught him and then passed him around the arena as if he were some kind of deity before returning him to the stage, carrying on as if nothing had happened.
As the set wore on, the temperature rose and the boundaries dissolved. Somewhere deep into the second half, Zack reappeared wearing a panda head, a moment of surreal humour dropped into the middle of the frenzy, while Josh and Jack gradually peeled off layers until both were shirtless, sweat-soaked and fully locked into the chaos of the room. A few more songs thundered past before the night tipped into something else entirely.
Next up, Josh and Zack both leapt into the crowd to organise what possibly became the biggest mosh of the night, directing waves of bodies like conductors of absolute mayhem and later in the show Josh made a break off the stage, ran across the top of the bar and then sang from the back of the room like some bar room prophet of rock ’n’ roll. Pure theatre and the devoted crowd and newer converts were loving every moment.
They save the best for last in my humble opinion, “Friends”, their anthem, that tune that buries itself in your head and just refuses to go away, the ultimate ear worm, delivered with full volume and total belief. The room bounced as one.
Tremendous night. Great music, serious showmanship, and entertainment in the purest sense. Loved every moment. Stunning value for money, and a perfect reminder of why live music still matters when it’s done this well.
This run is part of their February–March UK tour in support of The Fallout, following a busy European leg in November and a slew of festival and support dates through 2025. They’re taking this new material all over England and Scotland before wrapping up in Edinburgh in late March, and from the strength of tonight, those rooms are going to erupt every time. See this band A.S.A.P., check out the tour dates below.
SET LIST
ENEMY (The Fallout – album, 23 Jan 2026)
ROCKSTAR (Survival Mode – album, 7 Apr 2023)
DIE IN THE CITY (We All Wear Black – EP, Apr 2022 / single earlier)
EASIER TO DIE (The Fallout – single 27 Aug 2025)
OFF THE EDGE (Play Dead – EP, 16 Sept 2020)
FOOL AND THE THIEF (We All Wear Black – EP, Apr 2022)
KINGS (The Fallout – single, 2025)
STAY (The Fallout – single 25 June 2025)
FYI (single, c. 2020)
PSYCHO KILLER (cover / live staple) (not on a studio album)
FIRE (Survival Mode – album, 7 Apr 2023)
VIOLENCE (The Fallout – single late 2025)
MONSTERS AND DEMONS (The Fallout – album, 23 Jan 2026)
INTERGALACTIC SABOTAGE (The Fallout – album, 23 Jan 2026)
THE SYSTEM (The Fallout – single 2025)
TWIST THE ARROWS (The Fallout – album, 23 Jan 2026)
BURY ME (The Fallout – album, 23 Jan 2026)
TROPHY (The Fallout – single 2025)
ANIMALS (Play Dead – EP, 16 Sept 2020)
FRIENDS (Play Dead / live staple) (first released around 2020)
UK TOUR DATES (Feb–Mar 2026)
28 Feb – Parish, Huddersfield, England
1 Mar – The Cluny, Newcastle, England
3 Mar – New Adelphi Club, Hull, England
5 Mar – Corporation, Sheffield, England
6 Mar – Waterfront Studio, Norwich, England
7 Mar – Boiler Room, Guildford, England
8 Mar – Forum, Tunbridge Wells, England
10 Mar – Portland Arms, Cambridge, England
11 Mar – Green Door Store, Brighton, England
12 Mar – The Black Prince, Northampton, England
14 Mar – Old Town Hall, Trowbridge, England
15 Mar – The Junction, Plymouth, England
20 Mar – Tunnels, Aberdeen, Scotland
21 Mar – Hidden, Dundee, Scotland
22 Mar – Legends, Edinburgh, Scotland
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