Manchester Orchestra - Camden Stables, London - 13th April 2011 (Live Review)
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
Written by Matthew Williamson
Manchester Orchestra come on as Weezer’s Buddy Holly gets turned down, however that doesn’t stop Andy Hull from leading a rousing rendition through the chorus before the band, neither an orchestra or from Manchester, launch into ‘Pride’. A suitable opener for tonight’s show in the Camden Stables as part of ‘Breakout’, Camden Proud’s band night. The song slowly builds up into a fury, and the crowd go with it, many of them shouting every word.
This leads straight into ‘In My Teeth’. Another song from the band’s second album, 'Mean Everything To Nothing'. Hull, who’s shaved most of his infamous beard off, leads the line, with strong, pitch-perfect vocals that cut through the mix perfectly.
Next up is ‘Now That You’re Home’, from the band’s debut album, 'I’m like a Virgin Losing a Child'. The crowd seem to react more to this than the two previous songs, Hull seems overwhelmed as the crowd take over vocals for large swathes. Especially the quieter middle, “Now that you’re home won’t you rescue me? I’ve been trying so hard to be good again.”
The good feeling continues into the epic ‘Shake It Out’. There seems to be groups of people only in the venue to hear the one song, and they’re not disappointed. The song has huge builds and the softest of quiets, it tugs on your heartstrings and puts you into an uncontrollable frenzy all at the same time.
The band keep going with tracks such as ‘My Friend Marcus’ before launching into the only songs from new album 'Simple Math' and ‘April Fool’. Some of the crowd, showing their die-hard nature, have already learnt the words due to the band putting it on their website the week before. ‘I’ve Got Friends’ hits home before a short break for the band to assess. “You can either have 'I Can Barely Breathe' or 'The Only One', which one is it?” asks Hull, before, naturally, they play them both.
The set may be short in nature due to the time allotted for the band but they use it perfectly. Everybody seems in a buoyant mood as they file down the corridor out of the stables toward the bar. With the band set to come back in September they are definitely one to catch if you get the chance.
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Next up is ‘Now That You’re Home’, from the band’s debut album, 'I’m like a Virgin Losing a Child'. The crowd seem to react more to this than the two previous songs, Hull seems overwhelmed as the crowd take over vocals for large swathes. Especially the quieter middle, “Now that you’re home won’t you rescue me? I’ve been trying so hard to be good again.”
