By Izzy Hurcum
Six months after the release of their self-titled debut album, Australian post-punk/goth-pop band, HighSchool, take over a sold-out Pink Room at YES, one of Manchester’s most iconic venues.
Kicking off their set with an explosion of energy is ‘Only A Dream’. The fast-paced guitar riff fills the chorus and mixes with the thumping bassline and angelic synth in the background, which carries out into the crowd, eliciting a reaction of jumping bodies and pumping fists. Tonight is going to be a rowdy one, and everyone knows it. ‘Sony Ericsson’ and ‘One Lucky Man’ are next, keeping the momentum high. The former mentions specific suburbs of the band’s home city of Melbourne, Carlton and Richmond, and as someone who has spent a lot of time in Melbourne growing up, it puts a smile on my face as I scream the lyrics!
Leaning more into their gothic and lo-fi roots, the band slow the night down and play an older song, ‘Heaven’s Gate’, from their 2024 EP, Accelerator. The crowd sways to the slower song, though the passion doesn’t deplete. “This one’s for the OGs!” lead singer Rory Trobbiani says as he introduces the next song, ‘Jerry’. The distinct bassline of the moody song rings out into the room as both I and the crowd cheer in disbelief. As mellow as the song is, the crowd can’t help but sway, dance, jump and shout the lyrics back at the band, especially when the energy increases in the chorus.
At some point in the show, Rory jokingly says to the crowd that he will do a shot on stage if someone can get him one from the bar, and within a single song, he is handed a shot of some nondescript clear liquor by a member of the crowd. Not long after he’s handed another two shots by a different member of the crowd. Rory laughs as he downs them both, joking that he’ll get drunk if he does any more shots. They stop coming after that.
Bringing the pace back up after that are ‘Dipped’ and ‘149’, two of the singles for HighSchool’s debut album, released back in October 2025. ‘Dipped’ has everyone dancing and jumping once more, including Rory on stage as he jams out after the chorus with bassist Luke Scott. It’s the same during ‘149’, with Rory showcasing his stage presence despite the small space on the stage available to him. Rory pumps his fist up in the air through the chorus as if he’s leading the crowd into the explosion of noise and chaos.
New Music
The band has been teasing a new song at earlier shows across the UK, Europe and the US so it was only fair that Manchester got to hear it too. “We’re still working on it […] this is a chance for us to see how it’s like live,” Rory explains before introducing the song as ‘Red Label’. It’s fun, catchy, and certainly going to be a hit once it’s released, if the way the crowd is dancing along is any sign.
If the energy in the Pink Room is set at 100, then ‘New York, Paris, London’ ramps it up to 110. The crowd are at their loudest and a mosh pit breaks out in the middle of the room. The song is a clear fan favourite, with the crowd almost drowning out the band in the chorus. The band leave the stage shortly after, but the people of Manchester aren’t ready to go home yet. Chants of “one more song!” break out, with another fan starting a chant for the song ‘De Facto’, taken from their first EP, Forever At Last. Luckily for everyone, their chants are listened to and the band return to the stage for one final song, and to everyone’s glee, it’s ‘De Facto’. There’s a real sendoff atmosphere in the room, fists pumping, mosh pits opening, lyrics being shouted as if nobody wants the night to end. Rory stands on the very edge of the stage, jumping and punching the air as the crowd jump and mosh beneath him. The walls of the room are dripping with passion (and possibly sweat) as the band leave the stage for the last time. Everyone’s ears are ringing, voices hoarse and we’re all wondering the same thing… when are HighSchool coming back to Manchester?
Music journalists Izzy Hurcum, Leah Simons and Freya Hoare discuss smaller venues, fan experiences at gigs and the HighSchool concert.
