Manchester Orchestra swept through Brighton on the crest of a wave following the success of A Black Mile To The Surface, their fifth in a series of majestic albums. Facing up to the challenge of how to replicate the finely-woven and hugely cinematic sweep of the album’s themes into a live show is no easy task and it is made trickier by the need to satisfy the longer-standing fans who have been with them since their early post-hardcore days. On the evidence of this show, the solution appears to be simple. Strip everything back, including the lighting and even the audience/band interaction, and allow the songs to do all the talking.

Following a support slot from Boston’s Slothrust (pronounced sloth-rust), a glorious combination of DIY-garage punk with elements of classic rhythm ‘n’ blues seeping through. Fronted by Leah Wellbaum, songs took handbrake turns and often ended up in a completely different genre to where they started – always accompanied by the sledgehammer drumming of Will Gorin, who could conceivably have pummelled his way through the floor of Concorde 2 if he had been allowed more time. Taking full advantage of a late running time and playing to a near-capacity audiance on their first show in Brighton, Slothrust were the perfect entree for what was to come.

As Manchester Orchestra kicked off in near darkness with their latest album’s opening trio of ‘The Maze’, ‘The Gold’ and ‘The Moth’, the already-heightened emotional response to these tracks was elevated to a near-hysterical response from the crowd – even from the front of stage, the passionate singing from the crowd came close to drowning the band out. With frontman Andy Hull and lead guitarist Robert McDowell frenetically charging at each other throughout, it was nice to see that the band were just as hyped up. After that beginning, it was time for any new fans to be taken through the history of a group who have permanently sound-shifted through their decade-long recording history. ‘Shake It Out’ sounds even more like a Biffy Clyro song live than it did on record, before ‘Pale Black Eye’ arrived, displaying all of its hard-edged Southern rock charms.

With the lights never quite rising enough to pick out faces and zero conversation between band and audience, there was a largely impersonal feeling to the show. In many ways, it made the entire night more intimate and forced the crowd to concentrate on the music without any flashy visuals. The on-stage intensity more than made up for it, and elements that may have been missed at other gigs came to the front. Drummer Tim Very, a man who looks like he would have given the Spartans a tough time in a scrap, was relentless, putting on one of the finest drumming performances this venue has ever seen.

The only minor criticism of the show was that the integration of A Black Mile To The Surface’s narratives into the existing setlist didn’t quite feel as natural as it could have done, losing some of the emotional heft. However, to just give a straight-down-the-line live rendition of the album would have risked dissatisfying the older fanbase and is a challenge that many bands have faced at this point. Manchester Orchestra wisely decided to take the audience on another journey altogether, concentrating on their current sounds but offering thrilling glimpses of the past along the way. As one of the most visceral shows at Concorde 2 for many a long night ended with a short encore, this elusive band slipped off-stage and back into the shadows, leaving behind the gasps and roar of a delighted audience.

Jamie Macmillan

Website: themanchesterorchestra.com
Facebook: facebook.com/ManchesterOrchestra
Twitter: twitter.com/ManchesterOrch