Live Review : Crobot + Ingénue + Lute @ The Deaf Institute, Manchester on December 10th 2025

How do you get more intimate than the sweat box that is The Deaf Institute upstairs room? The answer is plain and simple, you can move the whole shebang downstairs into the main pub. This evening's event has the feel of having a band play your Nan’s front room. It's claustrophobic, in places it is shambolic, and you're not going to find any self-respecting cat getting itself swung round this place. But it embodies the true spirit of rock n‘ roll. You can take your arenas, you can take your Apollo's and you can shove your Academies up whatever orifice you fancy; this is where our music thrives, this is its foundry and this is its source.

With fellow spit and sawdust Rock n’ roll lovers Asomvel bowing off this tour, the undercard now filled with local talent hungry to show that the North West is still a hotbed of hard rocking. This is the juncture to say hats off to this evening's promoters Tapestry Promotions, who continue to provide opportunities for grassroots acts from the area to step into touring parties as they career into town. They continue to show both a huge amount of impeccable tastes but also an unwavering commitment to championing the best that this region has to offer. They have a “Keep it local” attitude that is worth applauding and admiring. 

Prog metalers Lute hail from Manchester and provide a refreshing juxtaposition to the headliners' grit and dirt approach to rock. We get just four tracks, including a rather stirring cover of Alice in chains’’Them Bones’. The first track is lengthy and is bestowed with multiple passages and some rather fabulous guitar work from Marc Hatton. The second song is shorter but no less interesting. There is a looping riff that forms into a perpetual circle. This is augmented by some rather alluring vocals from Bass player Jacqueline Savickas. The Alice in Chains cover is fun and starts to get the early arrivals bobbing along, and final track ‘Fears’ seals the deal by being simultaneously complex but also grounded and organic. It is always refreshing to find bands that want to play with the highbrow connotations of prog, and Lute certainly take the aloof technicality and bring it straight back to earth.

Ingénue are also Mancunian residents. They are carving themselves a rather unique furrow with a psychedelic take on prog. It is eclectic but not unpleasant. It feels rather like a hyperactive child at Christmas, rushing around their different gifts but settling with none. There's a lot here and it's obvious that the band are very well versed at playing their instruments. It just needs a spark of something to set it all alight. It's not bad at all, you just want the band to settle into one variant or influence and use their obvious talents to push forward in that direction.

By the time Crobot head to the stage (through the crowd), your nan’s front parlour is pretty full. There is no airs or graces here. Crobot may well be a name to be savoured in the Stoner rock scene, but they are more than happy to pay their dues and have no qualms with going right back to basics here in Manchester. If we are honest, their riff-heavy rock works best in an ultra-intimate environment like this. It turns into one of those extraordinary shows when the audience and headline act gel and morph together. The heaving mass at the front of the performance area feeds off the energy from the stage, and then the euphoric devotion from the front fuels the band onstage. An infinite circular movement that turns the whole place into a sweaty cauldron of good time feelings.

They are stunning; proponents of gnarly but also deliciously melodic rock that mine into the true fabric of this music. Rock n’roll is at its essence, dance music. It is not meant to be listened to in a stationary position, and Crobot take us by the hand and dumps us arse first onto the dancefloor (if the venue had one). The riffs are crunchy but also addictively moreish. Yes it is Stoner rock, but this is the point in a high where you want to strut your stuff, before the lethargy and munchies kick in. Brandon Yeagley’s voice is astonishing. It is rich and embracing but also has enough imperfections to feel real and invigorating. Since they were last in this city six years ago, they have jettisoned their rhythm section and recruited brothers Willie and Nico Jansen. It is their pounding and at times almost funky backline that gives the tracks their edge.

It cannot be stressed enough just how fun this evening turns out to be. It is a sweaty, carnal affair that reaffirms your faith in all the gods of rock n’roll. Crobot could have looked at the make-shift set up and gone “We are too good for this”. But instead they go with the flow and give us a good 70 minutes of high-octane, blues-driven primal rock. Set-wise, they concentrate mainly on their debut record but still manage to throw in three unreleased tracks from a potential 2026 release. Their last, “Obsidian”, is almost completely ignored, instead giving the devotees what they desire. There is not enough space to contemplate the Charde of an encore; instead, we get the unreleased ‘Battle Cry’ and a suitable declaration of “we will see you at the Merch stand”. They then march off through the crowd, who uniformly clamour to touch their heroes. Shows unexpectedly become special moments in time; this was one of them. It was cramped, and it was small but god was it beautiful.

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Crobot + Ingénue + Lute