Arcade Fire, MEN Arena, 31st July 2011 10/10

I've encountered narrow minded people recently who make moral judgements about the relative worth of music genres. I'm only concerned about its merit, regardless of cultural background. I've previously attended classical concerts all over Europe, including premiers of new works, yet I can say with some confidence that Arcade Fire is in the top rank of all contemporary music. If you're curious to explore recent classical works, you could start by seeking out the American composer John Adams, but I haven't experienced anything close to the atmosphere of this concert in classical music.

First though was the support act Noah and The Whale, a British indie folk act who've taken a more pop-like direction in their most recent album Last Night on Earth, after the previous more reflective First Days of Spring. Songs from both were played here, and I had high expectations following an enjoyable gig in Liverpool earlier this year at a mid sized venue. Sadly, the act was woefully ill-suited to the Manchester Evening News Arena, being too subtle and intimate for such a vast space. With the exception of a few die hards standing in the front row of the stalls, the audience failed to respond with any real enthusiasm. The real issue where I was sat, high above the stage, was the sound: boomy, the reverberation blurring detail, and a thunderous bass drum obliterating Charlie Fink's lyrics.

Programming this act in Europe's largest concert venue is utter lunacy, and will have done nothing to win new converts to the Noah and The Whale. Despite this, on my first visit to The MEN Arena, the staff were exemplary in their helpfulness (in stark contrast to the O2 Academy in Manchester). My one criticism apart from the programming is the lack of video screens, with the exception on the one on stage.

When I saw Arcade Fire for the first time at Coachella, they played the entire Suburbs album in a memorable set . This time, we were treated to a broader chronological range, including numbers from Funeral and Neon Bible, and the little known recent 'Speaking in Tongues' issued on the deluxe version of The Suburbs album. One of many highlights amongst the 17 songs over 90 minutes was Haiti from Funeral, which can be seen below. Appropriately, one pound from each ticket was donated to a Haitian charity.

Another single from the 2005 album Funeral was Neighbourhood 3 (Power Out), and I came away with a greatly increased appreciation for this album, although I'm still of the option that The Suburbs is their greatest work to date due to the brilliant structuring and cinematic sweep throughout its duration.

Wake Up, again from Funeral, caused the crowd to go wild with its powerful drum beats, and front man Win Butler came down from the stage with his microphone.  For me though, it was the closing Suburbs which was most moving, with its lush strings, melodic piano, and air of nostalgia.

I'm in danger of reciting the set list, but the final item I'll single out is Intervention from Neon Bible, introduced by Win as 'a church song... kind of'. The thundering organ suited this cathedral-sized space perfectly, but it was not mere spectacle, since the lyrics are fascinating ('working for the church while your family dies'). It's been seen by some as a commentary on Bush's neo-conservative, interventionist foreign policy, yet I see it as much as about religion as war. I learnt from this fascinating interview with Win that he's studied theology, and he's an intelligent, deep thinker.

So why was this gig quite one of the finest I've yet been to? The moment Arcade Fire started to play, the audience was electrified, and I was mesmerised. They are technically flawless, but what's so special is the extraordinary energy radiating from the stage, everyone bouncing in unison in response to the rhythm and the band's dancing. Win explained that they didn't have to do this gig, but they chose to do so because they wanted to, and everybody believed them.

This eight piece band are multi-instrumentalists, switching from instrument to instrument, the textures including violins, piano, accordion and an array of drums. There's incredibly taut ensemble playing, and despite the  variety of mood between the pieces it coheres beautifully. Time passed incredibly quickly during the set, and I was heart broken when it came to an end. This skilfully composed music is often emotionally intense, dark and sad, yet paradoxically smiles emanated from the band's faces, and they communicated a profound optimism to all present.

I'm certainly far from the first person to recognise Arcade Fire's genius, but there are still those who have yet to see the light, evidenced by the fact I bought a T-shirt with 'Who the Fuck is Arcade Fire?' emblazoned across the front. Those with closed minds who believe classical music is somehow morally superior will remain ignorant, but if you've read this far, I'd urge you to buy a ticket to their next gig, and in the mean time download the albums. Life doesn't get much more satisfying than this.