HOW TO STAY LIKE THIS FOREVER: ELLIOT MINOR’S TRIUMPHANT RETURN

LIVE REVIEW | ELLIOT MINOR | MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2 23rd April 2025 by Georgina Daniels

The pilgrimage up to Manchester Academy Student’s Union to see the actual, real-life return of Elliot Minor was everything. Sweaty. Packed to the rafters, emotionally overwhelming—in the best way possible. A sold-out room full of people who never stopped loving this band, screaming every word back like it was 2008 again.

They kicked things off with Jessica, which felt like unlocking a memory you didn’t even realise was still stored somewhere — long bus rides to school, iPod Classic tucked into a blazer pocket, Elliot Minor’s self-titled album blasting as the ultimate soundtrack to teenage melodrama. The first fifteen minutes weren’t the tightest—they were clearly feeling the nerves, rushing a bit like they were just trying to find their feet. But the second it clicked that this crowd was nothing but love, they relaxed into it. From that point on, the room was theirs.

The set was stacked: Electric High, I Believe, Solaris, Time After Time, Running Away Discover (Why The Love Hurts), Shiver, Last Call To New York City. None of these core tracks could be missed for this tour. Song after song unearthed long-buried emotions, and the connection between the band and the audience felt tangible. Lucky Star, the first track they ever wrote, still holds so much sentimental weight, and they delivered it with just enough shakiness to make it land even harder.

How Does It Feel, their first single in over a decade, felt like proof they’re not just cashing in on nostalgia. The DNA of Elliot Minor is still there—symphonic, theatrical, and full of heart—and the track shows they’re very capable of picking up right where they left off.

It’s worth noting that this didn’t feel like a crowd of curious newcomers—it was core fans, the ones who’ve been here since the beginning, still clinging to the band that made their sixth-form years feel like a film soundtrack. But the presence of new music hints that Elliot Minor aren’t just here to relive the past. There’s space now for new fans to discover them—and for the band to evolve in whatever weird, orchestral, emo-adjacent direction they choose.

When Elliot Minor first broke through in the late 2000s, they arrived at a strange transitional moment—just after Welcome To The Black Parade turned emo into something massive, but right as that wave was beginning to crash. Hailing from York, a city known more for Asking Alexandria’s scene-core antics than symphonic rock, they stood out. They always felt like an outlier—too posh, too polished, too piano-heavy to fit neatly into the scene—but that’s what made them memorable. Their music sat at the tail end of emo’s mainstream peak, but it never really belonged there. And maybe that’s why it still works now.

Then came the encore—the climax of the night. Still Figuring Out hit first, triumphant and urgent, followed by Better Than The Courtroom, which took everything up another notch. And then came Parallel Worlds. That first glimpse back into 2008 came roaring through with every note—a rift in space and time cracking open inside Manchester Academy. You could practically see the side fringes, the eyeliner daubed along waterlines, the skinny jeans stretched to their limits. The baroque-rock drama of it all felt massive again, just like it did when you’d tune into Kerrang! Radio and hear this song for the hundredth time like it was still the first.

That final stretch wasn’t just a bow on the night—it was the release, the exhale, the reminder that some moments, some songs, some bands, just stick with you.

With two dates to go—Birmingham and London—it’s tempting to say “go if you can,” but the chances are slim. Over a thousand fans are reportedly on the waitlist for the KOKO show on April 25th. You’re gonna need a lucky star to land a spot now.