This swaggering festival run is the latest in a long line of successes for Måneskin, but the band show absolutely no signs of hitting a ceiling just yet.
Words: Ali Shutler.
Photos: Frances Beach.
Måneskin have always believed a great live show can make anything possible. Sure, winning Eurovision certainly helped their trajectory, but it’s been a long time since the four-piece were defined by the rowdy theatrics of ‘Zitte E Buoni’. Last year’s foray into arenas showcased a band living up to their newfound legacy and tonight, headlining Mad Cool, they step things up once more.
While their show at London’s O2 Arena was defined by intimacy on a grand scale, tonight’s gig is a flamboyant display of rock and roll excess. There are guitar solos, drum and bass jams and a monstrous moving lighting rig that gives the tightly wound breakdowns a real sense of majesty. Vocalist Damiano David is a commanding force, asking for more and always getting it. He only needs to sing the first word of their take on The Four Seasons’ ‘Beggin’’ before the packed field takes over, while the likes of ‘Don’t Wanna Sleep’, ‘Gossip’ and ‘Honey (Are You Coming)’ run riot in a playground this big.
There’s a constant, excitable joy driving every moment of Måneskin’s set, threading together the political fury of ‘Gasoline’, the stadium-sized drama of ‘The Loneliest’ and the spiky ‘Bla Bla Bla’. Sure, tonight’s set leans heavily towards epic but Måneskin are still the same scrappy, ambitious band they started out as. Vic, Damiano and Thomas can’t keep out of the audience, and they return the favour for the snarling ‘Kool Kids’ – inciting a stage invasion that turns Mad Cool’s main stage into a sweaty club show. It’s triumphant, communal and chaotic, all at the same time.
This swaggering festival run is the latest in a long line of successes for Måneskin, but the band show absolutely no signs of hitting a ceiling just yet. They make every new challenge look effortless, and there’s no telling what comes next. Questions about the future can wait though. Tonight is a fearsome reminder just how giddy and unifying rock & roll extravagance can be.
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