Honestly, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from a Puscifer show. I’ve been a fan of Tool and A Perfect Circle for years, but Puscifer always felt like a completely different world. I ended up enjoying it far more than I expected. It wasn’t just a concert. It felt more like a carefully planned theatrical production where every detail had its place.
The show took place at Manchester Academy as part of Puscifer’s UK and European tour supporting their latest album, The Normal Isn’t.
For anyone not too familiar with Puscifer, the band is currently built around Maynard James Keenan, Mat Mitchell, who handles much of the music, arrangements and production, and Carina Round, whose vocals and songwriting have become a key part of the project. Over the years, many musicians have been involved with Puscifer in one way or another. In fact, Maynard has often described it as an artistic collective rather than a traditional band.
Looking at Puscifer today, it is hard not to think that this is the project where Maynard feels most comfortable. There is no pressure to make everything sound huge or dramatic. Instead, there are odd ideas, plenty of humour and music that sometimes feels like it exists simply because the people creating it enjoy doing so. Maybe that’s one of the reasons the project has lasted so long while still feeling genuine.
Best known for his work with Tool and A Perfect Circle, Maynard has never seemed interested in repeating the same formula over and over again. Puscifer has always been the place where he could experiment more freely. That is still true today. Rather than placing himself at the centre of everything, he allows the songs and the people around him room to shine, making Puscifer feel like a real collaboration rather than a side project built around a famous singer.
The Normal Isn’t shows another side of the band. There are more guitars, less reliance on electronics, and at times the record feels rougher and more direct than some of their previous releases. Not everyone will enjoy that change, but it is hard to accuse Puscifer of standing still. Personally, I really enjoyed the new album and was curious to hear how the songs would work live. Like all of Maynard’s projects, the concert was completely phone free.
Before the support act even appeared, a short animated film was shown on the screens. In it, cartoon versions of Maynard and Carina reminded everyone about the no-phone policy. Rather than a standard announcement, it was presented as a funny sketch filled with the band’s usual absurd sense of humour. According to them, anyone caught using a phone would be instantly “vapourated”.
The support came from New York comedian and musician Dave Hill, who quickly won the crowd over. Alongside jokes and stories, he performed a number of his own songs, many of them completely ridiculous in the best possible way. His humour really clicked with me. His set was great fun and had the crowd in a good mood before Puscifer even appeared.
Puscifer took to the stage at exactly 9pm, and the show felt very much divided into two acts. The first part focused mainly on material from The Normal Isn’t. Most of the set came from the new album, while older songs appeared only occasionally.
After a short animated segment called Bangers and Mashups, the band returned for a few more songs. “Horizons”, “Mantastic”, “Bullet Train to Iowa” and “The Remedy” were all warmly received by the crowd before the show moved into its second act.
The second half of the show covered a wider range of the band’s catalogue. Alongside newer material, we finally got to hear songs many people had clearly been waiting for all night, including “The Humbling River”, “Momma Sed”, “Grand Canyon” and “Conditions of My Parole”.
“The Humbling River” and “Grand Canyon” were among the biggest crowd favourites of the evening. You could feel the reaction the moment the opening notes started. One thing I really liked was that there was none of the usual crowd working that you often see at big shows. No constant “How are we doing tonight?” every few minutes. The music did all the talking. The audience seemed completely drawn into the atmosphere, listening closely and then responding with huge applause after each song.
The sound was excellent throughout the night, and the first half of the set had a real post-punk edge that gave the songs extra energy. The visuals added a lot to the experience as well. At times the lighting felt like something from an old 1980s club, while for much of the evening the band played surrounded by darkness and thick smoke.
I walked into Manchester Academy mainly as a Tool and A Perfect Circle fan. I left as an even bigger fan of Puscifer. I genuinely wasn’t expecting the songs to sound this fresh and alive on stage. Before the final song, “A Public Stoning”, the band finally gave the audience permission to take their phones out and record the ending.
Dave Hill returned to the stage for the final song and performed a solo, bringing the evening to a fun and slightly surreal close.
Simply put, it was a fantastic concert.
Review and Photo Copyright © Tom Adam
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