Rival Schools at Manchester Academy 3, 02.05.2025

2025 is shaping up to be the year I shoot loads of bands that my 15 year old self would never believe. (More of those to come this summer!). And so it was when I saw that post-hardcore legends Rival Schools were playing in Manchester. In 2025!? Let’s do this.

Walter Schreifels – an icon of post-hardcore and hardcore NY bands – was joined by his Rival Schools crew. The crowd were ready, the band were ready. Would they bring the energy?

Hell yeah.

It’s easy to overlook the age of bands I liked when I was a young teenager. But I’m only bringing this up to give the band their absolute props. They’re in their mid-fifties now – and they still absolutely rocked the heck out of the stage!

Rival Schools had one big hit (in the UK at least), and refreshingly the band didn’t play it as the first or last song. Instead they played a mix from their 3 albums – all going down an absolute treat with the crowd.

The band weren’t around long when I was a kid – 4 years or so – so I didn’t get to see them the first time around. Apparently Manchester was the first city they played as a band. So it was a real honour to be here – as the only photographer! – to shoot Rival Schools at Manchester Academy 3.

They did eventually play Used for Glue and it went OFF, as you can imagine!

Stylistically – I love this set of photographs as they came out how I envisioned them in my head. The black and white was a callback to hardcore band photography of the past. I wasn’t around then so this is absolutely my tribute to the scene.

Rival Schools at Manchester Academy 3, 02.05.2025