Show: Manchester Orchestra
Date: June 2, 2011
Venue: Music Box
City: Hollywood, CA
Manchester Orchestra
Photos by Nicolas Bates
Written by Lindsay Murphy
Manchester Orchestra brought their usual mix of authenticity and excellent musicianship to a sold-out crowd at the Music Box in Hollywood early June. The Atlanta-based band’s music is defined by careful juxtaposition. Their sound spans the spectrum from plangent to poppy, their songs full of swells that suddenly attenuate.
Sans introduction, Manchester Orchestra sauntered onstage and played the title track to recent release Simple Math. The mid-tempo song was an unexpected choice as opener, but it built to a compelling climax and the audience loudly approved. They then transitioned smoothly into “Everything to Nothing,” the (nearly) title song from their previous acclaimed effort.
Frontman Andy Hull’s ability to inject the appropriate amount of emotion, tone and volume into his words added shape and context to their meaning. Some singers settle into a pattern of going through the motions when repeating songs night after night. Not Hull. He felt the full weight of each lyric and projected their heaviness and intimacy to the receptive audience. The crowd in turn absorbed it all, eerily and empathetically during the valleys, and energetically during peaks. Fittingly, the discovery of meaning is a prominent theme studded throughout Hull’s lyrics.
Another mesmerizing member to watch, keys weaver/percussion puncher/vocals enhancer Chris Freeman headbanged his way through a slew of songs, including “I Can Barely Breathe,” with frantic intensity.
Frayed slivers of sound between songs threaded the set together and hinted at what was to come, causing the crowd to cheer with anticipation once recognition set in for faves like newbie “April Fool’s,” ominous “Pride,” and plucky “My Friend Marcus.”
Introducing “Bananas,” Hull issued the disclaimer: “This song is completely new. It’s only a minute and a half, so don’t worry about it.” The song itself was bananas, branded by fast, grungy chords and a solo featuring lead guitarist Robert McDowell. Its snappy nature provided the perfect peak to halve the show.
The set presented proportionately stacked songs from across the band’s discography, balanced like a club sandwich. Old, kinda old, new, really new—slices from all were included. However, noticeably absent from an otherwise stellar setlist was debut album single and fan staple “Wolves at Night.”
Manchester Orchestra slightly alters some songs for a live setting, but the one instance it didn’t work was the sped-up version of “I’ve Got Friends.” Instead of adding intensity to the radio hit, the quicker pace rendered it rushed. “That was phase one of the one-two punch—part two coming up now,” Hull explained as the band segued into “Shake It Out.”
The whole audience belted along with odd gem “100 Dollars.” Hull then announced the “last” (translation: pre-encore) new song of the night, “Pensacola,” which was met with cheers. A seemingly tickled Hull responded, “Oh, you guys like that one?” and proceeded to encourage all familiar to practice the sing-songy bridge: “Alcohol, dirty malls, Pensacola, Florida bars.”
A gentle, slowed-down version of “The Only One” caused the ambiance to quickly shift, with Hull barely raking his hands across guitar strings and singing so quietly that the close-to-whispering crowd drowned him out. Hull’s magnetic presence intensified the song, despite its softness. It felt like sitting on the edge, and then exploded to full speed at the ending chords.
After leaving the stage, only to be persuaded back for an encore, Manchester Orchestra played an abbreviated version of their current single “Virgin.” Oldie “I Can’t Sleep” followed, and Hull genuinely and profusely thanked fans for their support before closing with “Now that You’re Home.”
“I was like 17 when this started,” Hull explained, “and it means so, so much to us that so many of you give a shit about what we do.” As Manchester Orchestra proves again and again, the band’s sincere songs and captivating performances have solidified their spot in indie-rock ranks.