GIG REVIEW: Manchester’s hidden gem The Be Positives 

It’s not often you go to a gig and rave about the support more than the headliner – but here we are.

Castle Hotel, a small venue nestled in the heart of Manchester’s Northern Quarter, often offers a haven for musical gems and ‘how are they not famous’ acts vying for attention. And on Friday 24 January, this was no different.

Funeralcare may have been headliners, but it was Mancunian five-piece The Be Positives that stole the show.

I’ll be honest, I’ve had a pretty dreary few months. So when I stumbled into Castle Hotel’s cosy venue with a pint of pale ale after a long week glued to my computer screen, I felt like I’d stepped back into the fun, carefree 70’s era thanks to an array of shag cuts and a few rather questionable ‘taches on display. I found myself with a bit of a pep in my step and – dare I say it – feeling a bit positive.

Aside from aesthetics, it’s been a while since I’ve seen a band SO well put together with such a fun sound that felt like a time capsule of influences ranging from The Beach Boys, hints of Supergrass, to the grandeur of Queen.

From the moment they took to the stage, The Be Positives hit the mark with their seamless blend of feel good melodic hits adding a rose-tinted look at our little old day jobs to sharp hooks, plenty of swaying and foot-tapping with a jam-packed setlist, brimmed with infectious powerpop tunes. Fronted by Mike Seal, he revealed the band’s new single “Duty Free” – and teased he hopes the gig will mean the track gets a couple more listens (it’s currently their number 1 song on Spotify).

It doesn’t quite have the depth as their other tracks of their night for me, but it is a certified surf bop – it was impossible for anyone in the room to not at least tap their foot or sway to and fro… even just a tiny bit…

Thanks to the band’s infectious, comedic energy that permeated the tight-knit venue, it was a polished performance and it’s hard to believe a band this good still hasn’t hit the big time despite forming in 2017. It’s only a matter of time!

Unfortunately for the rest of the acts on the bill, The Be Positives set the bar a bit too high.

‘Pop star’ Maddy Storm was up next on her own without a backing band and it all felt like a seductive warm-up for Eurovision 2025. I’m not sure if she’s hoping to be the next UK representative but even as a Eurovision fan, it doesn’t quite fit the bill and every song seemed to blur into the next to the point I can’t quite remember what any of them were.

Hey, it’s all good fun if you like throwing your arms up in the air a bit with a bit of a funky backing track, she has a decent voice, but it seemed a bit bland and completely out of place with the other bands on the bill and I was just…bored. Sorry Maddy!

Next up, headliners Funeralcare. I had listened to them a bit before the gig and wasn’t completely thrilled so I was pleasantly surprised when they came on stage. The one word that springs to mind is: potential.

I can’t find much about this band online and they haven’t quite mastered what their identity is yet, at least from a stage presence point of view, but for a young band they’ve plenty of time to figure that out. “Icecap” is by far one of their best tracks of the night, with hints of whimsical synthesised pop.

It becomes slightly difficult to focus on the band in such a small venue as one of their overly enthusiastic pals is on the merch stall selling off the band’s t-shirt’s at an impressive pace – I hope they made a decent profit! They’ve work to do, but I’ll be keeping an eye on what they do next.