Live Review: Alphawhores – Manchester

Live Review: Alphawhores - Kamera, Manchester

21st May 2025
Support: BLDSUGR
Words: Matthew Williams

One of the many joys about going to festivals, is the depth of bands that are available to watch, however, that also means that there will be inevitable clashes. Armed with that knowledge, I went to watch a different band on Sunday afternoon at Desertfest, as I knew that I had the pleasure of seeing Alphawhores later in the week.

It appeared that a few others had applied my weekend logic, as we piled upstairs into Lloyd & Platt and Kamera in Chorlton for a night of music. Now, take a breath and some ear plugs if you get to see support BLDSUGR, as my word, does singer Lolly have a set of lungs on her. Whether its soft mellow moments or barking out some high-pitched squeals, she certainly gives it her all in an animated fashion.

The Birmingham trio, with Leigh on guitar and Jake on drums, have a unique sound based around punk, doom and gothic melodies, allowing Lolly to apply her full vocal range, and as a person with “a master’s in literature” which she never shuts up about apparently, they are a quirky bunch. With songs like “S.W.R.M” and “The Depths” they tell a mixed bag of stories as the singer expresses herself fully.

There are elements of 90’s grunge in some songs, but I felt that the high-pitched squeals were a bit over the top and unnecessary on times, because she has a good and varied tone, used in a very theatrical way. “Mania” and “Carmilla” have a cool punk vibe to the guitar riff, before she explains about the viral success of “The Ant Burns Under the Magnifying Glass”. They finish off with “I’m Not The Same” and a new song of their upcoming EP called “The Fields” which sums up their feistiness perfectly.

Ambling up through the crowd, Alphawhores just look so damn cool as they walk onto the stage. They have a few mic issues to begin with but Massiel shouts out “How you doing guys?” just before Juan Carlos says, “we are Alphawhores from a small country called Panama” and they lead with “Same Team”.

They are an intriguing duo, as they blend stoner/sludge but with shifting melodies and emotional vocals from both. The cymbals are certainly getting a working over from Massiel who is constantly smiling as he sings and plays drums. “You Could have been Something (But instead You are You)” has some wonderful, harmonised vocals with a small drum fill midway that mixes well with the guitar riffs. “T-REX Masseuse” has a trippy beginning and her vocal gets lost a bit in the mix at times, but the smooth heavy solo is a pleasure to watch.

They play my two favourite songs next with “House of Doom” having a sumptuous introduction, leading to a haunting yet seductive vocal. The guitar part is equally wonderful ahead of “Pirate Mode” which due a broken drumstick, is re-started, but the meaner, moodier notes aid the zippier transitions with the guitar at times sounding like a bass. They dedicate their next song, “I Can Manage” in an ironic way possibly, who knows, to the crew and management team, and the dual vocals work powerfully alongside some bluesy sounding rhythms.

They are certainly one of those bands who bring a fresh and distinctive sound to the scene, as a fuzzy guitar tone from Juan Carlos emerges on “The Glass Between Us” alongside a heavier and hypnotic drumbeat. “Beautiful Music, Awful Person” is a quite beautiful track, and I was intrigued by Juan Carlos playing with some buttons on top of his Orange Amp Head, as they alter his sound impressively.

Then, they change instruments for a few songs and immediately Massiel’s vocal is more dynamic as he sings the wonderful “Days of Sin” followed by “Raw Nerve”. They switch back after two songs, but it’s great to see the skillset of both musicians and shows how they understand each other and their instruments. “Bloodsport” elevates their music to new levels, with awesome soundscapes over the vocal range.

The show has demonstrated what happens when two people work harmoniously as one, and just before they finish with “Stay Normal” they end by telling us they’ve started writing their third album and will be back. And on this evidence, they’ll be playing in bigger venues than this next time.