Porches at Band on the Wall

Johnny James, Managing Editor

Book now

Porches

YES, Manchester
28 September 2024

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Image supplied by Band on the Wall
Book now

New York-based synth-pop artist Aaron Maine AKA Porches plays at Band on the Wall this September, shortly after the release of his anticipated sixth album, Shirt.

Porches started out in the early 2010’s with a ’90s-inflected, spacey alt-rock sound. But pretty quickly a different and more distinct vision took hold: melancholy, highly stylised synthpop and indie electronica powered by yearning, softly auto-tuned vocals. 2016’s Pool caught the attention of the world’s music press, serving up 12 pristinely crafted pop songs for earnest shy kids and lonesome nights. For 2018’s The House, this romantic, slightly jaded synthpop was stripped back, and more powerful for it, the case in point being ‘Country’, a confessional whisper of a song that traces a narrative of vulnerability so complete that listening to it feels voyeuristic.

But the 20’s have seen Porches gradually delving back into those older influences, reclaiming some of the scrappier rock elements of his early output. Following in the footsteps of 2022’s All Day Gentle Hold !, his new album Shirt is reportedly his heaviest to date, with “grungry guitars that shine with a menacing glint, drums and bass that punch you warmly in the stomach, interspersed with moments of eerie calmness to create a physical sense of tension and release that resonates with each track.”

From the singles we’ve heard so far, it’s great. Part angsty fantasy, part confessional melodrama, the narratives oscillate between reality and make-believe as Maine treads the line between the innocence of suburban youth and the frayed reality of adulthood. ‘Rag’ certainly delivers on the heaviness promised, channelling the energy of a bratty ’90s band playing their first DIY party. Things then get brilliantly weird with the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it ‘Crying at The End’, which proposes an ungodly marriage of hyperpop and grunge. It’s familiar but uncanny, in the best way.

With any luck we’ll hear much more that when the full album drops on 13 September, giving you two weeks to get it around your ears ahead of Porches’ show at Band on the Wall.

Where to go near Porches at Band on the Wall

Manchester
Music venue
Joshua Brooks

Long-established Manchester bar and nightclub, Joshua Brooks is just off student hotspot Oxford Road. Open until 4am on the weekends with regular DJ-led club nights.

View of PINK meeting area and exhibition space, with a table, chairs and white walls
Stockport
Gallery
PINK

PINK is a Stockport-based multipurpose art space, with studios, exhibition areas and a community-focused ethos.

Manchester
Theatre
The Dancehouse

From its charming Art Deco interiors to a quirky, highly original creative arts output, our theatre is firmly established within the city’s famously vibrant cultural scene.

Manchester
Bar or Pub
The Thirsty Scholar

Friendly pub under a railway arch serving vegetarian and vegan pub food, as well as hosting regular live music.

Manchester
Restaurant
The Cotton Factory

This residency restaurant opened in summer 2019, at Locke Hotels’ Whitworth Locke. The first residency comes courtesy of Mexican specialists El Camino.

Manchester
Restaurant
Peru Perdu

Peru Perdu has an all-new food and drink menu, with some of the best-looking dishes in the city.

What's on: Music

MusicManchester
John Talabot at The White Hotel

A quietly radical force in contemporary club culture, John Talabot returns to The White Hotel for one of his signature all-night sessions.

From £13.00
NightGarden Festival
Festivals
NightGarden Festival

Somewhere in Trafford, behind an unmarked gate, a former garden centre hosts one of Greater Manchester’s most original festivals.

From £20
MusicManchester
Manchester Psych Fest 2025

Manchester Psych Fest, the UK’s trailblazing psychedelic music and arts festival has announced a massive bill for its 2025 edition.

From £44.80
Summer at Aviva Studios
Until
ActivityManchester
Summer at Aviva Studios

From global dance and live music to storytelling, skateboarding and football, get ready for a dream summer on the banks of the River Irwell.

Free entry

Culture Guides

Theatre in Manchester and the North.
Theatre in the North

From outdoor shows to drama in the dark, our theatre guide celebrates genre-pushing work, new writing and contemporary performance.

Author portrait
Literature Events in the North

Our latest round-up features plenty of one-off live literature events to wrap your ears about, so get those diaries ticking over...

Two women stand next to an orange car.
Cinema in the North

August brings a huge LGBTQ+ film festival, plus a reggae classic and a spotlight on Japanese animation.

Blondshell by Hannah Bon.
Music in the North

From Lyra Pramuk’s sacred synths to the sugar rush of YAANG, our latest music picks bring ritual, rebellion and ridiculous levels of fun.