MGK review: ‘An unforgettable genre-blending spectacle’

Since transitioning from hip-hop to a rock/pop-punk-orientated sound with his ‘Tickets To My Downfall’ album, MGK, real name Colson Baker, has been hit with a barrage of criticism, ranging from being an “industry plant” to his music being “inauthentic”, something the 35-year-old has played into on the ‘Lost Americana’ tour. A mid-set video package saw a faux influencer criticise the artist’s pop-punk sound before later admitting after a Spongebob-esque passage of time that he’s a fan, and a further package slated the artist’s vampire phase, referencing news headlines of Baker and Megan Fox’s blood ritual and the Illuminati, a fitting moment of self-deprecation from the 35-year-old to make light of the criticism.

However, after an utterly spellbinding performance at the Co-op Live - his first in Manchester since performing at the O2 Ritz in 2019 on his ‘Hotel Diablo Tour’, it’s time to begin appreciating his artistry rather than blindly criticising his sound.

After famously arriving on Wembley Arena’s stage in 2022 via a pink helicopter and previously zip-lining over audiences on prior tours, MGK is no stranger when it comes to making a dramatic and memorable entrance for his shows, and last night’s performance at the Co-op Live was no different. This time around, the 35-year-old arrived through the mouth of a sunken Statue of Liberty statue, with a narrator, who referred to him as “the man, the myth, the legend and the last rock star”, retelling a story inspired by the tale of King Arthur before an electric guitar, lowered from the heavens, was hoisted in the air by the artist as if it was Arthur himself yielding Excalibur, and to further add to the extravaganza, a muscular rendition of ‘Papercuts’ saw sparks fly from the 35-year-old’s guitar towards the end of the evening.

However, it wasn’t a spectacle that relied entirely on the spectacular, with the 35-year-old’s standout moments at the Co-op Live arguably coming when he was at his most vulnerable. A stripped-back, acoustic-driven ‘Times of my life’ on the B-stage felt steeped in vulnerability, offering a touch of intimacy in front of a 20,000+ audience. The confessional ‘Treading Water’ saw a softly spoken Baker introduce the track by declaring, “This one’s about forgiving yourself. Whatever’s going on, it’s alright." While the emotionally raw 'Play This When I’m Gone’ was complemented with an emotional, scrapbook-style video package of Baker with his daughter, Casie, and as he sang about his own mortality, the lyric "you're gonna cry and that’s alright” felt even more like a gut punch in a live setting.

From perfectly curated tracks for arena-sized singalongs, such as the lights-out moment that was MGK and Julia Wolf’s take on the Goo Goo Dolls’ hit ‘Iris’, to the country-rock ‘Lonely Road’ and the punchy, emo-pop-rock of ‘Starman’, which interpolates John Denver’s classic ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ and Third Eye Blind’s ‘Semi-Charmed Life', respectively, to intimate, acoustic-driven covers of 'Don't Look Back in Anger’ and ‘Hey Jude’ to high-energy, rap-heavy tracks in ‘Wild Boy’ and ‘El Diablo’, MGK’s wide range of hits offered an unpredictable, career-spanning rollercoaster ride of a performance, and that was the beauty of it.

It was a show that offered twists and turns at every moment and kept you firmly engrossed in the live experience, which came to an enthralling end with the raucous singalongs of ‘Cliche’, ‘Sweet Coraline’ and ‘Vampire Diaries’, wrapping up a big-budget spectacle that delivered everything you could possibly want and perfectly underlined the versatility of MGK’s arsenal. However, it certainly did leave you wondering what direction he’ll head in next, with Baker hinting at a return to his hip-hop roots in the future, but whatever route he goes down, it’ll almost certainly be unpredictable and undoubtedly an unmissable live experience.