On Sunday, Oct. 2nd, Manraze, featuring legendary musicians Phil Collen (Def Leppard), Paul Cook (Sex Pistols) and Simon Laffy (Girl) hit the stage at the world famous Roxy nightclub on the Sunset Strip to perform their debut American show.

But before the gig, Manraze part in the GRAMMY Camp SoundCheck, a remarkable program that allows local high school students to not just witness a sound check, but also ask the artists questions afterwards. About 30 students from the Los Angeles area took part in the afternoon event, which featured a lively Q/A with the band after a raucous, entertaining sound check.

Several hours later, Manraze hit the stage and performed a tight, energized set of songs from both their debut and brand new 'PUNKFUNKROOTSROCK' albums. Check out an exclusive video Noisecreep shot at the band's sound check earlier that day below.

Watch Manraze Perform at the GRAMMY Camp SoundCheck


if(typeof AOLVP_cfg==='undefined')AOLVP_cfg=[];AOLVP_cfg.push({id:'AOLVP_us_1197950172001','codever':0.1,'autoload':false,'autoplay':false,'playerid':'61371447001','videoid':'1197950172001','publisherid':1612833736,'playertype':'pageload','width':456,'height':357,'videotitle':'Test','bgcolor':''});




The GRAMMY Camp SoundCheck series has also featured artists including Mariah Carey, Coldplay, U2, among many others. Christian Cassidy, the Grammy Foundation Communications Director told Noisecreep that this program, along with other interactive programs put on by the foundation, reaches out to high school students in a variety of ways that truly become life changing. "For students to be able to attend events like this with Manraze really helps them begin to define where their careers may lie within the music industry. And it's not just for musicians. There are so many unique professions within our industry and our goal is to make these opportunities available to as many students in as many creative situations as we can."

Backstage before the show, Manraze spoke to Noisecreep about how much fun this project is to them.

Chris Epting
Chris Epting
loading...

"We go back so far in life," Collen said. "Simon and I played in Girl together obviously, always stayed in touch, and always had a wonderful chemistry. Same with Paul. So at this point in our lives to be able to make the record we want at our own pace, well, we love that freedom and think it shows in the music."

Bassist Simon Laffy agreed. "The new album ranks right up with everything I've ever done. The best part now is being able to actually be with them on the same stage because our schedule keep us apart and we actually end up working together digitally, trading files and such. But nothing can replace what we will do tonight. And our goal now obviously is to start playing more gigs once Phil gets back from down under with Def Leppard."

Manraze
Manraze
loading...

For Sex Pistol drummer Paul Cook, the magic of Manraze all comes down to the songs."We favor these great, tight, really catchy rock and roll songs. That's where we all come from. Bowie, Bolan, Motown - we all grew up listening to really catchy rock and roll and I think it's reflected in this new album especially. Even with the Pistols, I mean, most of those songs are just very basic, catchy, verse-chorus-verse songs that people like."

Collen added that for all he's done, the latest Manraze album ranks at the top -which is saying a lot. "This is us doing exactly what we wanted, no interference, just having the best time in the world with good friends. I hope the fun and enthusiasm shows."

To the crowd it surely did. They fist-pumped and sang along, enjoying the rare chance to watch major musicians super close in a small club - doing what they do best - rocking hard and having fun. Song for song, 'PUNKFUNKROOTSROCK' is an incredibly powerful collection that taps into many influences - here's hoping this show hits the road, soon.

More From Noisecreep