The Virginmarys

It is Friday night and the Adrian Flux Waterfront seems reassuringly full as I arrive for a band that I have to admit I have not previously managed to catch performing live. The Virginmarys formed in Macclesfield back in 2008, and released three albums as a rock trio before the departure of bassist Matt Rose at the end of 2016. Since then they have performed with guest bass players at numerous festivals, and toured extensively, including visits to the Waterfront Studio and Voodoo Daddy's in  2022. For this tour, during which the band perform all ten tracks from their 2024 release The House Beyond The Fires, founder members Ally Dickaty and Danny Dolan are joined by guest guitarist Gareth Price. Norwich missed out on the 2025 tour dates, so their arrival at the Waterfront has been keenly awaited, and comes close on the heels of sold out nights in Leeds, Wolverhampton, Northwich and Barnoldswick. 

The band arrive on stage to the strains of Bob Marley's Redemption Song, before beginning their set with My Nettle, their own ode to honesty and truth from The House Beyond The Fires. Dickarty's voice soars above his own keyboards, whilst Dolan's drumming and Price's guitar add to his sonic palette. Dance To The City sounds like it is a song that could have been written for Norwich, but it is actually about Oldham, and is quite downbeat. Lies, Lies, Lies is similarly cynical in its darkness. By the time we get to There Ain't No Future, I am beginning to wonder whether this was the start to my weekend that I had really hoped for. 

But it is the passion and the power of Dickarty's voice that holds me transfixed, like a moth trapped in a bright light. A solo rendition of Sleep (from the 2017 Sitting Ducks EP) only draws me in closer, only for some loud chattering from the bar area to destroy the moment. At the song's conclusion, it draws a neatly phrased request from the singer to kindly keep the noise down. But it still takes a subsequent shout of 'Shut the fuck up at the back' from an audience member before the problem is properly fixed. Why can some gig-goers sometimes be such selfish and self-entitled dicks? 

As we are taken through Urban Seagull, You're A Killer, and When The Lights Go Down, I am completely hooked – remember, this is a band that I have never seen before. At times, I am reminded of John Bramwell (of I Am Kloot), whose voice and songs I adore. A cover version of Leonard Cohen's Everybody Knows only strengthens my appreciation of Dickarty's vocal style and integrity. It is followed with a solo, stripped back version of an early song from 2013, Passing Place, before we reach the final segment of the show, beginning with House Beyond The Fires opener Where Are You Now, followed by Veteran Soldiers, and closing with White Knuckle Riding. 

There is no encore but, to be honest, I am emotioned-out by the whole set, and I don't think I could have taken any more. I am now The Virginmarys biggest brand new fan. 

Opening support came from Bristolian duo IDestroy, formerly a trio but now performing together as a semi-acoustic duo following the departure of drummer Jenn Hills. Seated on stage, foregoing their former riott-grrl reputation, stage antics and plucky attitude, they instead perform stripped-back close-harmony versions of  pro-matriarchy punk material from their first two albums – songs like Petting Zoo (about guys keeping their hands to themselves), and Headphones (about being street-wise and keeping safe). But their set is laced with good humour and some great pop songs, including the as yet unreleased  Sad, Juice, and Tell Your Friends.