I’ve come to realise that the venue is central to the live experience, but sometimes the sheer quality of music can transcend other considerations. I was at my
least favourite location in Manchester, in an all seating configuration which often kills atmosphere, but this was still a magical evening from the outset. Leeds’ FossilCollective is yet to record their début full length, but the just released EP
On and On is beautiful. They take influences from Bon Iver, Fleet
Foxes and Neil Young, but are also indebted to the English folk tradition. The sadly
short four song set was notable for the rich harmonies and lead singer David Fendick’s
delicate falsetto voice. I'm looking forward to seeing them at greater length at a smaller venue.
The Lumineers are a force of nature, immediately putting a huge smile on my face with the opening Submarines. Ho Hey brought the previously passive audience to its feet,
singing and clapping. Their positive energy was infectious: just a few days
after seeing Alt-J, I was once again feeling a sense of intense euphoria. The band is clearly proud of their home town of Denver, Colorado; this was their first
time in Manchester. Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites started up in
2005, but they didn't come to prominence until a year ago, when their hit Ho Hey
was used in a TV programme. Their début album has been a huge critical success
since its release in April, testament to the power of word of mouth. It’s a
group effort, and there’s wonderful sense of collaboration and joy on stage,
culminating in them singing a new song with glockenspiel solo unmiked at the front of the
stage to 3500 people. Other slower, quieter songs such as Dead Sea show an emotional range which extends beyond the jovial and jaunty, reflecting the tragedy of their back story (Fraites' elder borther was Schultz's best friend until he died of an overdose in 2002, and then Schultz's father died of cancer in 2007).
I’m already incredibly excited about a headline Lumineers
gig at a smaller venue in Manchester next February. I was transfixed with the
cellist Neyla Pakarek's beaming smile, as she danced around the stage. She joined the band after responding to an advert on Craigslist, and is also a delightful singer, duetting with Wesley in another new song towards the end of their set. They combine the sing along quality of Mumford and Sons with the collective ethos of
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. The music itself breaks no boundaries,
but the key is its simplicity: it’s reduced to the emotional essentials. As
Neyla explained: “The current sound that is now The Lumineers has evolved out of a
whole lot of writing, experimenting, and ultimately stripping down a lot of
elements to let Wes' lyrics breathe and tell the stories they were intended to
tell.” Wes indeed has a fine voice, and his charisma is central to that strong connection
with the audience.
The Civil Wars take simplicity to even greater lengths. Their music is comforting country folk, and listening at home the catchy melodies and
mellow harmonies delight, but hardly challenge. Live, however is a different
matter. I've seen them in progressively larger venues, from a tiny bar in Manchester
just over a year ago to a mid sized venue and this, their largest ticketed gig to date. Their success is testimony to hard work: Barton Hollow was released last year without major label
support, and even the recent birth of Joy’s son resulted in only a brief pause
in their tireless touring schedule. The album has now gone Gold, selling over
half a million copies in the USA, whilst they also won a pair of Grammys this year.
The set tonight reflected their contribution to the Hunger Games
soundtrack, which has further raised their profile.
The Civil Wars' act is incredibly nuanced, turning on the slightest
detail, inflection and pauses. Gigs at this venue are often marred by
audience noise, yet there was barely an extraneous sound: the audience was
spellbound. Their act has developed over the past few months: Joy’s movements were a
little more deliberate and exaggerated to project in a larger auditorium, and musically
the songs have been refined and distilled their further.
JP gently joked with the audience, whilst conveying genuine appreciation for the support they receive and thanking us for ‘telling your friends
about us and dragging along your spouses to this concert’. His interaction with
Joy is of course the essence of their magic, and despite the often melancholy
nature of their songs, the experience remains uplifting. I was fortunate to be near the front, and so Joy's emotion as she reacted to the lyrics was a delight to observe. As ever, their singing was technically
perfect and as they concluded with their Billie Jean cover, we all left the theatre moved and once again amazed at the emotional power of great live artists to change the way the world feels to us.
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