With a queue all the way down Oxford road, fans were eagerly waiting to enter Manchester Academy for the one and only Alec Benjamin.
At 8 o’clock the doors were finally open and fans - already in his merch - piled into the venue. As the room filled quickly it wasn’t long until Alec was on stage, with no support act beforehand the crowd were ready for the show to begin. The stage was set up like a bedroom, the backdrop acting as windows, a bed for Alec to sit on and a desk with a picture frame of his dog and flowers on top. A very warm and homely atmosphere blended perfectly with the comforting feeling his songs bring and made a safe space for everyone in the room.
Alec starts his set off with ‘I Sent My Therapist To Therapy’, which is met by immediate excitement and screams as the introduction plays and he enters the stage full of energy. A fast pace song was the perfect way to get the crowd engaged straight away, despite its dark lyrics about being “so messed up” he “sent his therapist to therapy”, it seemed to be cathartic to shout the lyrics along with him. This track is a very open and vulnerable way to start a setlist but arguably brought Alec immediately closer to his fan base as it emphasised how much they must relate to the song due to their enthusiasm for it. From the first strum of ‘If We Have Each Other’ fans recognised the song and belted the lyrics the whole way through without missing a beat. It was heartwarming to hear everyone sing as one, with such passion to songs that you can tell have gotten people through hard times in life based on their message.
Alec addresses the crowd after his fourth song to talk about how this show is his second ever headlining show in Manchester and how it’s much colder than it was last time. People in the crowd have mixed responses , the main phrase being “I love you”, to one person joking “Play Wonderwall”, none of which is heard properly by Alec, as he laughs that it sounds cool though. ‘Devil Doesn’t Bargain’ breaks the silence of the crowd, and the room fills with everyone’s voices once again. Calming guitars and a catchy melody make up this track, and just like most of his songs, there’s a deep meaning behind it. It depicts a conversation of Alec telling someone to leave an abusive relationship and how “he’s never gonna change”.
Next up is one of Alec’s older tracks from his album released in 2020 ‘These Two Windows’ , ‘Mind Is A Prison’ is the first track Alec decides to play on piano. Originally meant to be played with his band, he ultimately chose to play it on his own, creating a more intimate feeling within the crowd. Allowing for a touching execution of an already extremely exposing and truthful ballad.
Introducing the next track Alec explains how ‘Pick Me’ is about creating an online dating profile and how he wanted to find the one, but all that came of it was dates and heartbreak - a prevalent issue in today's society. The major key of the song is much lighter and upbeat in comparison with the lyrics as Alec tries to sell himself to the listener. The following two songs, ‘Lead Me To Water’ and ‘The Arsonist’, juxtapose one another not only in their subjects but in their stage lighting. ‘Lead Me To Water’ of course fills the stage with blues and greens and ‘The Arsonist’ is a deep orange. Potentially an overlooked aspect of the show but a clever choice nonetheless.
Alec’s next portion of the set is played by just him acoustically, he performs ‘Jesus In LA’ sat on the edge of the bed, yet again another personal anecdote about how sometimes you can be searching for something in the wrong place. Fans then shout out for the song ‘Older’, and to their pleasure Alec informs them that he’ll need their help to sing some of it as his songs tend to “have a lot of words”. They happily take on this task as they sing every single word out despite its fast pace, a feature that is quite prevalent in Alec’s songwriting despite him having short track times of around 2 minutes, he always completes his stories. He ends this section with ‘Paper Crown’ played on piano, an emotional ballad where his raw talent shines before transitioning into ‘Water Fountain’.
Alec takes centre stage once again to play the fan favourite from the top, encouraging the room to sing as loudly as they can, and they definitely do, almost being louder than Alec himself, you could tell just how much this song meant. ‘Boy In The Bubble’ - also from Alec’s debut album ‘Narrated By You’ - had a similar reception, as the crowd cheered as the song began, knowing what was coming. His set was a range from his discography, including his older hits but also his tracks off of his new album ’12 Notes’. Switching back to his first album ‘If I Killed Someone For You’, let his day one fans have their own moment as there was a lot of call and response throughout the song that they embraced.
Alec then announces that ‘Sacrifice Tomorrow’ will be his last song, after thanking everyone for coming. By this point the love between him and his fans was clear, and they knew he’d be back out on the stage only moments after they sung the last notes. With two more songs left, he kicks off his encore with ’12 Notes’, the title of his latest album, beautifully sung on piano, it made for one last close moment with his audience. ‘Let Me Down Slowly’, one of Alec’s biggest songs, closes the set. A spot on encapsulation of his music and sound, although lyrically quite a melancholic song, it was the ultimate way for fans to have one last sing along with him.
His storytelling ability throughout the whole set was impeccable, and with his stage presence and overall performance he brought to life everything he’s written about. His introspective lyrics commented on topics like mental health, love, loss and pivotal moments in life. It felt as though everyone in the room was able to share his personal moments and even find their own stories to tie along with it. Therefore he managed to create such a deep connection with the room, even in his more commercial songs, his personality and uniqueness came through effortlessly.
Emma Turner
Images: Emma Turner
