WHO THE F* ARE CASSIA?” — A Night to Remember at New Century Hall

NEW CENTURY HALL, MANCHESTER, 17TH MAY 2025

WORDS AND IMAGES ISOBEL EVE SCOTT

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I'm walking towards New Century Hall, ready for tonight’s indie rock trio Cassia’s biggest headline show to date. On my way in, I pass by a graffiti tag on the ground that reads "WHO THE F*** ARE CASSIA?”. It’s right in the centre of the pavement, presumably having been seen by passing by pedestrians all day. It’s certainly an interesting guerilla marketing technique, and I have to admit it’s working on me. I’m already intrigued.

Stepping inside, the room is bathed in a warm pink light as people mill around the venue. A small group of fans already have their barricade spots claimed, while everyone else is stood around chatting amongst themselves or queued up at the bar. The room is air conditioned and at a comfortable temperature, a nice refuge from the rare heat we’ve been having in Manchester today. But I get a feeling the temperature isn’t going to be controlled in this room for much longer.

Stepping up first to the stage are The Deep Blue, starting up their set with such an energy that you couldn’t have guessed they’d just made an almost five hour trip up from the Great Escape festival in Brighton. It’s an all female lineup, which I always love to see.

They play a set of indie folk numbers, and a highlight for me is their beautifully crafted three part harmonies they use in their songs. Their cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Everywhere’ is a delight to watch, and the room really fills out as they’ve been playing.

The Deep Blue are set to head out across the UK again supporting The Waterboys

“Who’s ready to get fucked?!”, is the opening statement of Arcy Drive’s frontman, Nick Mateyunas, a stark difference from the introduction we got from The Deep Blue.

Self describes as ‘attic-rock’, Arcy Drive are a four piece from New York City, and have already seemed to have built up a decent fanbase here in the UK, with many people at this show already familiar with them. They’re much heavier than The Deep Blue, bringing more of a grungy vibe into New Century Hall. This is the biggest show they’ve ever played, and they’re not holding back one bit. ‘Roll My Stone’ is absolutely packed with energy, and a great closer to their set.

Cassia finally take to the stage, opening with ‘everyone outside’ off their latest album by the same name. the energy in the room is incredible, and New Century Hall’s many ceiling lights are flickering on and off to the music. This is Cassia’s biggest ever headline show, and they’re doing it in their home city of Manchester.

There’s some pretty bad sound issues during ‘Loosen Up’ , a loud hissing noise cutting over the band and causing the audience to look around in confusion. A crew member gets up onstage to have a look at things, but unfortunately the next song, ‘Vitamins’, is plagued by the same issue, and ultimately the show has to come to a temporary stop. A band heading offstage and the overhead lights coming on is never something anybody wants to see, especially not the members of Cassia, who’ll now have this to associate with their biggest ever headline show.

The band eventually come back out onstage, met with huge cheers, and play ‘Do Right’. All the sound issues seem to have been resolved and miraculously none of their setlist has to be cut for time. ‘100 Times Over’ is a clear crowd favourite, with fans getting up on each others shoulders for the song. Another highlight is their interlude towards the end of the show. It’s a heavy bass and drums beat, accompanied by frontman Rob Ellis repeating “Manchester outside, everyone outside” over the music.

The band encore with not one but two songs, ‘reframe’ and ‘Right There’. The latter is my clear favourite. It’s an older release of theirs, and it has that slightly funky indie sound I absolutely love.

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