Live Review: English Teacher at Manchester’s O2 Ritz

by Lucy Craig

Just a stone’s throw from where the Leeds quartet originated, the O2 Ritz in Manchester was home for the night to English Teacher’s extraordinary UK tour of their debut album ‘This Could Be Texas’. Following their introspective EP, ‘Polyawkward’, from 2022, their debut album sees the band carry across their refusal to be boxed-in musically as they explore their own reimagining of the post-punk and psych genres. With melodic vocals over transcendent guitar riffs, ‘This Could Be Texas’ tackles a broader scene of political and social issues, with a revolutionary spirit that characterises the tracks.

Before English Teacher graced the stage, an undeniable display of local talent came from the effervescent support acts, West Side Cowboy and TTSSFU. Consisting of harmonious waves of psychedelic guitar and vocals that oscillated between ethereal melody and gritty, post-punk belting, West Side Cowboy proved their unified stage presence. We saw the band of four abandon their usual stage positions to come together in a heartfelt rendition of their final song together into a single, central microphone.

The stage was seamlessly taken over by the hypnotic TTSSFU, donning white shirts and black ties and fronted by the angelic and mesmerising Tasmin, who took on the challenge of a sold out O2 Ritz with grace and power.

With the iconic Manchester venue brimming at capacity, the night felt significant as the 1,500 strong crowd waited eagerly to welcome English Teacher to the stage for the first time since their winning of the Mercury Prize earlier this year. Excitement bubbled as the stage became decorated with seven-foot-tall daffodils, a paper mâché head from The World’s Biggest Paving Slab music video, and backdropped with the ‘This Could Be Texas’ album art – immersing the cosy venue in the English Teacher universe. Speaking about their northern roots, and themes of hometown, is close to English Teacher’s heart, so it isn’t surprising that Fontaine’s mother’s depiction of the Yorkshire Dales would frame the band’s performance.

Lights dimmed on the mountainous scene and anticipation peaked as Fontaine glided onto the stage with band members, Whiting, Frost, and Eden in close stead, with an immediate stage presence that needed no spoken demand to be felt. The contagious bassline of fan-favourite song, ‘R&B’, rumbled out from Eden’s bass across the venue to enthusiastic reciprocation from the crowd. With a rapid progression into the debut album, English Teacher fell into place playing ‘I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying’ in the wide-eyed gaze of both old loyal and newly recruited fans alike.

The third song, ‘Broken Biscuits’, saw Fontaine, dressed in a white Wilson top and jeans, take to the keyboard at the back of the stage to perform a spellbinding version of the tune, alongside cellist, Blossom Caldarone, who glitters the tracks with her addition of melodic strings.

After a long year of touring in both the US and EU, as well as a successful festival season, English Teacher took to the Manchester stage nevertheless with an enthusiasm and magnetism that truly speaks to the band’s tireless work ethic that is laced into every beat of their Mercury Prize winning debut album. In a sentimental break in the setlist, Fontaine shares how the band “never thought we’d be on stage doing this”, honouring memories of the band coming to the venue themselves from the age of 14 – marking the performance that night as another momentous achievement for English Teacher this year.

Throughout the rest of the set, English Teacher maintained a clever balance between the melodic vocals and dreamy guitar on songs such as Albatross and A55, and the more indulgent chaos of grungy riffs from Whitling on ‘Polyawkward’. This is where Fontaine could be seen poised on top of a speaker, almost lecturing the eager-to-learn audience with the punk-poetic lyrics that have come to characterise the bands discography. Fontaine’s presence in both her songwriting abilities and live performances establish her as a true storyteller with a magnetic pull – one that will be listened to for years to come.

The dance-party continued as English Teacher stayed true to their charismatic character, with Fontaine introducing, ‘Not Everybody Gets to Go to Space’, by quizzing the crowd; “Has anyone ever been [to space]?”. Going on to explain the song’s spotlighting of ever-present class inequalities across the world, Fontaine declared: “music should always be about something… especially now that a lot of things are really hard for a lot of people”. Their unapologetic commitment to highlighting issues with current political landscapes, in their self-described “big explosion of socialism and psych music” (CLASH, 2024), is arguably what has landed their place in the hearts of so many.

Following this theme of making music that’s really about something, the exploration of ideas of home and belonging within the debut album translated well into the live performance. The band’s rare love song, ‘You Blister My Paint’, slowed down the dancing crowd for just a moment, letting us glimpse into the band’s hearts, with a courageous vulnerability from all members, that has become definitive of the personal connection that English Teacher holds with their audience. It is undeniable that a home had been found for English Teacher at the O2 Ritz that night.

Met with much elation from the Mancunian crowd, English Teacher shared an unreleased song, ‘Billboard’, which did not disappoint. Accompanied with continuous cheers of support and pride, the new song carried promise the English Teacher are full of exciting, new creativity and that their journey is only just beginning.

The show built to a cathartic finale with the iconic, ‘Nearly Daffodils’ and ‘The Worlds Biggest Paving Slab’, seeing the crowd become a tidal waved of motion. Fontaine stayed true to the band’s grassroots origins, bridging gaps between artist and audience, by getting right up on the barricades to be face-to-face with the crowd.

Ending with the album’s closing track, Fontaine joked with the crowd once again. Asking if she should wear the oversized paper mâché head for the final song, which depended on “how loud you clap”. The eruption of applause that followed kept Fontaine to her word, as the verses of ‘Albert Road’ were recited, this time, from a paper mâché mouth.

After a vibrant encore of ‘Good Grief’, in true English Teacher style, the Leeds gang leave the stage with a single word of “thanks”, carrying with it how their authentic gratitude for where they are right now. From barrier to balcony, the crowd was left dazzled, with excited conversations heard between friends about the promise of the next chapter for English Teacher in their, quite frankly, inspirational journey. This will be met, no doubt, with unwavering support.