Location: Manchester, UK
Review by: Ian Walker for Jace Media Music
Dark, Twisted & Unforgettable: Amigo the Devil Brings Murderfolk Magic to Manchester
Amigo the Devil doesn’t just perform—he possesses. On a rainy night in Manchester, Danny Kiranos transformed Academy 1 into a confessional chamber where gallows humour, raw vulnerability, and banjo-driven murder ballads collided in glorious chaos. It wasn’t just a concert. It was a sermon, a séance, and a singalong all in one.
The Devil’s in the Details
Opening with the ferociously theatrical “Murder at the Bingo Hall”, Kiranos immediately had the crowd locked in. His signature blend of macabre wit and emotional honesty rang out from every corner of the room. Backed only by his voice, a banjo, and the kind of stage presence that swallows the dark whole, he turned tragedy into catharsis and awkward humour into communion.
“It’s All Gone” delivered a haunting gut-punch of grief and acceptance, while “Once Upon a Time at Texaco Pt. 1” unfolded like a cinematic slow burn—eerily quiet, heartbreakingly detailed, and followed by a punchline that snapped us all back to reality.
The set continued with crowd favourites like “Hell and You” and the deliciously twisted “I Hope Your Husband Dies”. The latter was sung by the crowd so loudly and joyfully, you’d have thought it was a pop anthem—such is the paradoxical magic of Amigo the Devil. Here, darkness doesn’t repel; it brings people together.
Chaos, Confessions & Cracked Smiles
Whether it was the absurd intimacy of “Crying at the Orgy” or the booze-soaked self-awareness of “My Body Is a Dive Bar”, each song hit like a confessional whispered from a barstool. Kiranos’s between-song banter only deepened the connection—equal parts stand-up, storytelling, and emotional release.
And then came the finale—“Hungover in Jonestown”. With its brutally poetic refrain “this life is a joke and death is the punchline,” the track landed with shuddering weight. But the room didn’t feel heavy—it felt strangely uplifted. Laughing through the pain, singing through the sorrow.
A Crowd Fully Possessed
The reaction from the Manchester crowd was electric. From the opening chord to the final lyric, Academy 1 was transformed into a cathedral of chaos. Every fan sang like it might be their last night on earth. Laughter bounced off the walls, tears flowed without shame, and the applause was thunderous—raw, real, and deeply earned.
The Verdict: Essential Live Experience
LA Weekly once described him as “Johnny Cash at his blackest, mixed with Father John Misty if he exhumed graves at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.” Rolling Stone praised his ability to “spin dark topics into cathartic, heavy-metal-adjacent anthems.” Both nailed it. But witnessing him live proves something more: Amigo the Devil isn’t just making music—he’s building a cult of radical honesty and strange beauty.
If you get the chance to see him live, do not hesitate. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and maybe—just maybe—you’ll feel a little less alone in the darkness.
Tags:
#LiveReview #AmigoTheDevil #ManchesterAcademy #JaceMediaMusic #Murderfolk #DarkFolk #ConcertReview #BanjoPunk #AlternativeMusic #MusicBlog #ManchesterGigs #GigReview
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