Here at Last are one of the more recent additions to the long and storied history of boy bands and their success amongst a smaller demographic has been plentiful. The Halo Army is dedicated and always ready to support the boys and their farewell tour was sure to inspire some tears and joyful reminiscing. They may not have been around for a long time but they were certainly here for one last good time in Manchester. 

First up was solo artist Rachel Newnham, her set was a very low key affair that allowed her music to do most of the talking. Her on stage banter took a few minutes to fully warm up and get into the show but her music was on point from the get go. 

Her tracks like People Pleaser have this anthemic quality without resorting to over the top maximalism. People Pleaser in particular invokes the likes of Tegan and Sara and Ellie Goulding with the use of power pop choruses and introspective lyricism. It really does feel like you can learn a lot about Rachel in just a short set. Rachel also made sure to send love and thoughts to her hometown of Southport, a place that also has a special place in my life. 

Aside from her original songs, she played a cover of Olivia Rodrigo’s Favourite Crime and Taylor Swift’s Love Story, the latter of which fit her vocal range and timber perfectly and even got some of the older audience members singing and dancing. Her set ended with Jealous, a modern sounding track with a great deal of audience interaction and catchy hooks that are sure to stick in people’s brains for weeks to come. 

Saintclair was next and his set was much more intricate and highly produced which was a totally different vibe to Rachel but it did help in amping up the crowd. It seemed like there were a few people in the crowd that specifically came for Saintclair’s brand of rap tinged singer/songwriter music. He even had a few guitar solos which was really unexpected for this type of show. 

The majority of the set was filled with summer vibes as tracks like Good life and Cool Kids acted as brilliant introduction points. Saintclair had a very brief set but he still made an impression as he went through a set of tracks that were made for a beach setting all while coming off as a charismatic and interesting character. He even talks about How important it is to not take things super seriously and just enjoy the vibe as he says “we’re here for a good time, not a long time”. 

To me, his biggest appeal was just how dorky his set was. This may sound like an insult but it gave him a sense of relatability similar to someone like Macklemore or some of the more rap leaning Ed Sheeran tracks and gave a down to earth impression of who he is and what he can do. Remember, dorky is no longer an insult because everyone is a dork in some way. 

Most of the show could be experienced comfortably without ear protection but that changed once Here at Last took the stage. The five piece came out to the Prince inspired Tongue as the high pitched screaming almost drowned out the song. It doesn’t take long to notice the chemistry the band have together as they just patrol the stage hoping that the fun they have up there translates to the crowd. 

“You’ve made five boys’ dreams genuinely come true” said one of them as they push through a high octane set of power pop bangers like their signature club banger, Bloodshot, a track that would have received endless airplay had it come out during the boy band boom of 2010. 

Here at Last promised an emotional set as this was only the second date in their farewell tour and speaking as someone who has experienced their fair share of farewell tours, it’s exactly that. Here at Last seems like the first love in music for a great deal of younger people in the audience and the majority of people tend to forget what music means to people at that age. 

The more emotional tracks like Ordinary Life and God Took His Time show off the band’s ability to convey vulnerability as they sat on the stage, this made all the difference in humanising them and making them relatable. “We wrote it in a shed” is a bold admission but the track in question, Ordinary Life, does a wonderful job making the boys seem like a cohesive band that struggle through creating music together. 

The guitar work from Zach is lovely and gentle when it needs to be but it can still have some impact on the more rock driven tracks like the surprisingly impactful cover of Busted’s Year 3000, a track that most of the people in the audience weren’t even around for when it was first released. 

The show ended with a massive cover of Best Song Ever by One Direction (not to be confused with Baba O’Riley by The Who or Tribute by Tenacious D) and it was a phenomenal experience to see everyone singing along to every single lyric and making a small venue feel like a massive arena. 

Years from now the younger members of the audience will look back on their time with tracks like Dear Taylor or Casting Shadows and think about where their journey with music began and how they’ve developed. Some will have grown to love blackened deathcore, symphonic dubstep, hyperpop and whatever other genres that sound made up but actually exist. They’ll hear someone say something like “oh my god, remember Here at Last” and with a faint smile, they’ll say “I was there”. 

Good luck on all your endeavours, boys.