Calexico, Albert Hall Manchester, 30th April 2015 9/10

As I drove into Manchester city centre, I encountered an unwelcome symbol of intolerance in the form of a poster van with a xenophobic anti immigration slogan, attempting to engender fear in advance of next week's UK general election. Calexico's song Bullets and Rocks exposes the folly of erecting borders, whilst the entire evening was testament to the cultural richness which flows when movement of people and exchange ideas takes place. Formed in 1996, and based in Tuscon Arizon, Calexico takes their name from the Californian gateway to Mexico in arid desert country. Last week, Laura Marling projected an image of Joshua Tree behind the stage at this venue, but Calexico's connection with the south west American desert landscape is more deeply rooted. The effect was cinematic: so evocative that it transported my mind to a utopian sunny, enlightened place, where barriers of all types have been cast aside.

The recently released Edge of the Sun has had a positive critical reception, though for me, the 2013 live album Spiritoso truly captures their energy. Yet, the new album has reached out to explore music beyond Latin America, as far afield as Greece, to wholly beneficial effect. Occasionally, on record, their Americana pop might  verge on the polite, yet it's hard to imagine anyone who's encountered them on stage ever considering them bland. Seven musicians on stage visibly having fun, responding spontaneously to each other's playing are the antithesis of Public Service Broadcasting's pre-recorded show the previous night. The use of brass, with virtuoso mariachi trumpet playing brought a smile to my face, but the guitar work from Jairo Zavala was outstanding too. Accordion, vibraphone, and harmonica gave a rich palette to the sounds, and the influence of jazz brought New Orleans closer, though Spain and Portugal were rarely far away either. This was reinforced by the charisma of Jacob Valenzuela's Latino singing.

Judging by the response on Twitter, Calexico's cover of The Smiths' Bigmouth Strikes Again resonated particularly strongly with this audience. For me though, a stripped down rendition of Fortune Teller from Algiers was especially mesmerising. The resonant acoustic brought a mellifluous warmth to the acoustic instruments and to Joey Burn's vocals, who is a above all a storyteller. As if to maximise the number of songs in the two hour set, Joey spent little time talking, but his gratitude and love for the audience was evident. The closing track from Edge of the Sun, Follow The River, was so affecting, epitomising the sense of hope Calexico embodies: 'clouds will be breaking, soon you’ll escape them/Someday we’ll find our place in the sky'. Yet, the evening was not to close on a complacent note: instead there was an extraordinary cover of War Machine, a new song from Bill Fay, hymn like in its indictment of the violence of the industrial military complex.

The delivery of this sadly so relevant message was reinforced by Montreal's The Barr Brothers, who'd earlier delivered an outstanding, but all too short support set. Whereas I'd experienced Calexico on their last visit to Manchester in 2013, this was my first encounter with the rootsy Canadian quartet. Andrew and Brad Barr are joined by a keyboard player Andres Vial and harpist Sarah Page, who was invited to join the band after her playing was heard through the Barr's apartment wall. She's classically trained, but the bluesy intensity of the band live surprised me, and I loved the vocal harmonies and psychedelic leaning. Yet, the collaborative joy of Calexico's main set will remain in my mind for longest. I met a dedicated fan at the front of the queue who follows the band on tour as extensively as her job allows. In fact, Joey came to the rail before the show to consult her on the set list. I emerged into the night with a complete understanding of the desire to experience this soothing, uplifting, and inspiring act over and over again.

Setlist
Falling From the Sky
Across the Wire
Cumbia de Donde
Splitter
Two Silver Trees
Miles from the Sea
Coyoacán
Maybe on Monday
Moon Never Rises (with The Barr Brothers)
Sunken Waltz
World Undone
Esperanza
Fortune Teller
Bullets & Rocks
Beneath the City of Dreams
Alone Again Or  (Love cover)
Puerto

Encore 1:
The Black Light
Roll Tango
Bigmouth Strikes Again (The Smiths cover)
Güero canelo

Encore 2:
Follow the River
War Machine  (Bill Fay cover with The Barr Brothers)

Smoke Fairies (8.5/10), Public Service Broadcasting (3/10) Manchester Ritz 29th April 2015

Public Service Broadcasting lies at the opposite end of the emotional spectrum to Sharon Van Etten: far from being an intuitive response to feelings, their show is pre-determined in almost every detail. This extends as far as the talk between songs, which is recorded in advance. Only one song contained vocals: the others were accompanied by archive speech samples. This formed a rigid framework to which the live musicians conformed; hardly a formula for emotional engagement. Yet, the sold out venue was packed and PSB's 2015 album The Race For Space reached no.1 in the Indie Album Charts in the UK. This may be explained by nostalgia, as PSB skilfully combines archive footage with electronics, clever stage design and lighting. However, it wasn't as visually immersive as watching a film at a cinema, since the video projection screens and retro TVs on the side of the stage were tiny in context of this large ballroom.

An audio visual expert and a percussion, bass and flugelhorn player joined the two core members of PSB, multi instrumentalist J. Willgoose Esq. and live drummer Wigglesworth. They were dressed in the manner of a 1970's school teacher, the four band members sporting matching spectacles. Their musical influences are wide: electronica, trip hop, rock and in the song Gargarin ,funk, Yet, I found it relentless and wearing: the volume was excessive, and the driving beats become monotonous; the whole lacked humanity. The tone was set by the geeky humour epitomised by the IT Crowd sitcom: for me, more subtle works of art that truly illuminate the beauty of science, not jokey animations. The predominantly male audience seemed largely passive: there was little by way of conventional stagecraft to provide engagement, and instead they relied upon props such a model Sputknik satellite. Yet, there was one spark of musical interest for me: in the song Valentina, Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies joined PSB on stage, contributing beautiful vocal harmonies in a tribute to the first woman in space.

Despite their role on The Race for Space, Smoke Fairies inhabit a completely district musical universe from the bombastic, pompous and calculating main act, bringing subtlety and atmosphere. This was my first experience of the duo from Sussex, and I was surprised by their live energy which was far from pastoral English folk in feel. The two school friends spent time in New Orleans, and the resultant blues influence is wholly beneficial, underpinning the importance of rhythm to their music. They may have supported Laura Marling in the US, but I found them closer in feel to Warpaint. Where PSB sounded relentless, Smoke Fairies slower tempi gave space to breathe, drawing you into an eerie, melancholy world. The lyrics are deep and introspective, whilst the musical influences extend beyond PJ Harvey far back in time to eerie medieval plainchant.

Their most recent, self titled full length album also embraces contemporary influences, making use of electronica, shifting their palette away from guitars towards keyboards. A highlight of the 45 minute set was its opening song, We've Seen Birds. Fortunately sound problems, not for the first time recently at this venue, didn't too seriously undermine the effect, as feedback and a hollow midrange are preferable to the affliction of inaudible vocals. Whereas there is a hint of blandness to some of their studio work, on stage the atmosphere felt almost sensual, thanks to the duo's extraordinary weaving, coupled vocals. The new album was released after a period of self-doubt, when they considered giving up the project, yet they've emerged revitalised as a live band I'm eager to experience in a headline show.