LIVE REVIEW: Westside Cowboy – Gorilla, Manchester – 29/01/2026

It’s been quite the 12 months or so for Manchester’s Westside Cowboy. This time last year, they were still riding on the high of their first single I’ve Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could Really Love (Until I Met You), a bold, high-energy debut that is so well-loved that tonight, they played it twice (more on that later). And yet, they’ve quickly built up their infectious live reputation within the local music scene, selling out the Northern Quarter’s Gulliver’s and The Castle Hotel off the back of one single alone, which is some good going.

April last year saw them win Glastonbury Festival’s Emerging Talent competition, giving them the opportunity to open the legendary Woodsies stage, whilst also releasing their second single Shells, a gentle and melancholy number in contrast to their debut. “This better be something great”, both Aoife Anson-O’Connell and Reuben Haycocks open softly in unison and it really is as the song builds with intensity before the dramatic closing line of “So I’ll just sleep with a gun”.

Thus followed an EP titled with that very same opening line, working themselves to the bone with high profile support slots supporting Black Country, New Road across Europe and Blondshell in the UK. Then, only two weeks ago, the affectionately-known Cowboys released their second EP So Much Country ‘Till We Get There, culminating in a sold out tour and their biggest Manchester headline show at the very hot, very sweaty Gorilla.

Arriving early, this already has the tell-tale signs of a pivotal gig. The venue already feels near-full with friends and family exchanging hugs and the band on the balcony. With that fellow Manchester band Holly Head take to the stage. Fresh from releasing their third single No Country Is An Island only two days prior, the band storm through a politically charged set with an energy that has become customary to their live shows. Singer Joe Moss snarls vocals to the left of stage, while the rhythm section of Liam Kelly on bass and Oscar on drums really showcase the groove based sound they’re becoming known for. The groove is particularly prominent on No Gain. A song that Joe wrote in a police cell after being arrested at the Scottish Grand National for protesting horse racing. “Nothing in my life has made me trust in the people who run the country that I live in”—a lyric shouted with such venom but no doubt agreed by the entire room. They end their set with No Country Is An Island, another hard-hitting reaction to the violent anti-immigration protests last year. A band that certainly left their mark on me.

Next up is Westside Cowboy. Taking to the stage to (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher, a song that feels fitting given the atmosphere of the room, the band arrive to a rapturous reception and sporadic “yeehaws”. The band launch into the aptly titled Midnight Cowboy, a beautiful melodic cover of the Santo & Johnny version of the song. The blues guitar of Reuben Haycocks fills the room as the band make the song their own—the drums getting harder; the beat getting faster; and the cheers getting louder as the jam reaches a massive crescendo, and drummer Paddy Murphy screams the first “Westsideeeee Cowboyyyyy” of the evening in unison with the entire crowd who obviously knew it was coming. They storm into the single I’ve Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could Really Love (Until I Met You) with aplomb. It’s another level of tempo to the recording and only adds to the rawness of a band that always look like they are having the best time onstage.

The energy levels don’t drop for Alright Alright Alright, as James ‘Jimmy’ Bradbury takes his turn on vocals. It’s fuzzy and chaotic, and heads are nodding to the frantic pace. Can’t See continues in the same vein, with Haycocks taking his glasses off which at this point are no doubt steaming up. Trading vocals between Reuben and Aoife, it sums up their tongue in cheek genre of ‘Britainicana’ perfectly. (It’s obligatory for a reviewer to shoehorn this genre into a review at least once so here it is.) Shells should be the slow emotive song that captivates the room to complete silence but is met with such a singalong that the band can’t help but giggle as every word is sung straight back at them. “This is so much better than London,” Bradbury says to predictable cheers and applause. The vocal tennis continues and it’s brilliant to see. “Will she still love me tomorrow or will the ship pass us by?” Bradbury sings tenderly for the heartbreaking Slowly I’m Sure.

Don’t Throw Rocks and The Wahs pick up the pace again with scratchy guitars and beaming smiles, as the crowd are asked if they can dance. They definitely can. Strange Taxidermy then leans beautifully back into their folk influences with vocals solely from Aoife that leave this first time writer with goosebumps. “Those who have seen us will know this is the last song.” as all four members of the band take centre stage around one microphone for what is now the customary closer In The Morning. Acoustic guitar and snare drum in hand, it’s another beautiful folk inspired singalong that has a whole new identity and energy when played live and leaves you with the fuzzy feel you want when a gig is about to end.

But this is a special gig; it was always going to be. And with that comes a unique experience of a Cowboys encore. “We don’t do this ever, and we don’t have a lot of songs.” announces Haycocks as various requests for Oasis covers are shouted from the guy behind—oh, Manchester, what are you like! *eye roll*—before playing an unreleased song, so sombre and delicate that the only sound heard other than Haycocks’ soft vocals is the buzz of the microphone as he calmly expresses “Just quit while you’re ahead”. An audience stunned to silence.

At this point, Gorilla could be a rehearsal room, which is fitting as many of their songs played tonight were written only a few roads away. They play another unreleased song before one final hurrah for the hometown crowd. “This may lean on self-indulgent…” the band claim as they reminisce on their friend Zac joining them onstage to play percussion at The Castle Hotel last year. And with that, their newly-appointed fifth member bounds onstage again with tambourine in hand. “It’s a good song if you only hear it once,” Paddy jokes before another scream of “WestsideeeeeCowboyyyyy” to send the room into a frenzy. There is not one person in this room that would begrudge them this moment as they launch into their debut single for the second time this evening. It’s joyful and euphoric, with added swagger from their new addition dancing around the now crowded stage.

As the night draws to a climax, this felt like a momentous one for Westside Cowboy. A band glistening with confidence and building something special before they’ve even released a debut album, already adored in Manchester with the rest of the UK now catching on. And with an upcoming Springtime support of current indie darlings Geese, it really does feel like the sky is the limit.

Words by Dean Cavanagh