Some bands should need no introduction, but unfortunately Atlanta, Georgia’s Manchester Orchestra still do. The band whose three studio albums and six EPs have made them a household name amongst critics around the world, still have yet to crack it into most households elsewhere. And with tonight (re)confirming my suspicions that they’re also a phenomenal live band, I can’t help but wonder why Manchester Orchestra aren’t one of the biggest bands in their market.
All this said, when hundreds of rabid fans turn up to lay witness to the bands third tour through Sydney, singing along to every word, perhaps this is for the best. We know what can happen when a band reaches a point of global saturation. So I daresay that their show last night at Sydney’s new 1500 capacity venue, The HiFi, Manchester Orchestra were exactly where they needed to be.
A wall of noise introduced us to Sydney’s Nantes, who had rushed up from their shows in Melbourne to be a last minute replacement for Cabins, whose lead singer found himself in hospital with a broken leg. For those unfamiliar with the group, their repertoire champions that late 80’s, Depeche Mode industrial vibe, with a bit of electronic thrown in for good measure – think Gary Numan. But when you have their triple j hit “Fly”, with its sweet xylophone and backing harmonies, they aren’t far removed from the poppy tunes that the Brisbane scene has been pulling out of late. “Charlie” was my personal highlight of the set. With some great tunes and a good amount of energy, this is a band who are going to go far, mark my words.
Manchester Orchestra walked onto the stage to a loud reaction from the fan-filled crowd, and I immediately got lost amongst their phenomenal lyrics, beautiful orchestrations (supplemented by some great sound at the new venue) and stage presence (plus an unexpected amount of harmonies). “Deer” opened the set, with the appropriate lyrics that thank the crowd for joining them: “Dear everybody that has paid to see my band, it’s still confusing, we’ll never understand.” Naw.
The rest of the set, which had a surprising amount of older tracks, went a little bit like this: “Pride”, “100 Dollars”, “April Fool” (featuring a great crowd singalong), “My Friend Marcus”, the incredible “Pensacola”, “Pale Black Eye (possibly the highlight of the set), the Andy Hull cover “We Were Made Out of Lightning” (featuring a phenomenal guitar solo), “Shake It Out”, “I Can Barely Breath”, “Colly Strings”, “Simple Math” (how can you NOT love this song? Watch the video NOW if you haven’t yet…), “Everything to Nothing”, “The River”, “The Only One” (with amazing harmonies on stage) and a cover of Willy Nelson‘s “The Party’s Over” appropriately closing out the main set.
They returned for a three song encore: “I’ve Got Friends”, “Now That You’re Home” and “Where Have You Been?”, and with a quick thank you left the stage. With an expected amount of harmonies and some great singalongs – which kept going as we left the venue – this is a band who managed to improve upon already breathtaking recorded material, making their live show something truly special. Can someone call the Sydney Symphony and get them to do a show with them at the Opera House next Sydney Festival? That would also be amazing. Let’s spread the joy that is Manchester Orchestra…
