AN under-hyped jewel of the Manchester underground, Bolton pop-rock five-piece, The Attic Doctors had Jimmys, Manchester bouncing to beats and bursting at the seams, as they kicked off Northern Exposure’s ‘Bring It On Down’ indie night in style on Thursday 9 August.

The Attic Doctors opened the night with ‘Cool Revolution’, a thumping track of riff-driven rock and Manchester typicality, as the neon-lit basement filled to the top within minutes of the off.

Having quickly become a Manchester scene favourite, Jimmy’s was the perfect place for the Bolton band to parade their feel-good indie rock, a venue combining the vintage 70s vibes and archetypal 90s atmosphere to celebrate the musical past with glass-knocking delight.

As their set progressed, the Attic Doctors shifted from chopping guitar rock to dance-pop digital pound, as they channelled 80s rolling rhythms through the Stones-ified rock ‘n’ roll filters of five-piece guitardom.

While matching the music with the move and shake much expected of Manchester’s dance-rock dynamic acts of the past on the venue’s notably small-sized stage, the Attic Doctors could have unquestionably let loose into further performance freedom, as they felt somewhat tail-trapped before growing into the set.

However this was no issue by their conclusion, as the Attic Doctors stylishly closed with ‘Milkshake’, firmly stamping their electro-rock sensibilities onto the memories of all in attendance, and confirming their position as a Bolton act exhibiting all the classic idiosyncrasies of Manchester music past and present.

Will Wolstenholme