Kodaline, Manchester Academy 3, 26th March 2013 7/10

It's impressive when the first support act gets the crowd singing along to songs they haven't heard before. Yet singer songwriter Gavin James from Dublin (above) won over the audience with his self-depreciating banter, and the song he played unplugged proved his lyrical vocal ability. Yet, I'd come to this gig to see the second support act, In The Valley Below from LA on their first tour of the UK. They've just returned from SXSW and their Hymnal EP, to be released on 1st April, had won me over with its mix of blusy rock, folk, and pop syths. This boy girl duo was accompanied by a drummer and keyboard player, and like The Civil Wars have fascinatingly varied backgrounds. When they met, Angie Mattson from Michigan was a pop singer songwriter, whilst Jeffrey Jacob from Tennessee was a hard rock guitarist.

Yet infuriatingly, the balance rendered the vocals practically inaudible for all but the final two songs, by which time the audience had lost interest. This is sad, since there was far more musical ambition here than the other two acts tonight, and their creativity is evident in the on stage persona. This manifested itself in the retro clothing and their expressions as they got lost in the music, instead of trying to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Yet they made a poor fit stylistically and geographically with the other acts, and I sensed an element of unease on stage as they performed to a somewhat bemused audience. This was reinforced by Kodaline's decision to bring only Gavin James on stage to join them for the final song.

The power of You Tube as a music discovery tool is illustrated by the fact that Kodaline is the first band I've seen since Florence last year that the waiter at my regular pre gig restaurant was familiar with. Their single All I Want has gained two million hits on You Tube and been used in a Google advert, whilst the band has also been featured on Grey's Anatomy. Lead singer Stephen Garrigan quickly established a warm rapport with the audience, and received several marriage proposals from the young audience. Their debut EP was released as recently as September, and an album In A Perfect World is in the works. Yet the confident performance and tight sound betrays the fact that they'd been performing since 2005 under their previous name 21 Demands, and gained a hit in the Irish Chart in 2007.

Kodaline's appeal is based on simple, memorable melodies rooted in their Irish heritage: at times, with Garrigan on acoustic guitar and mandolin, the atmosphere felt closer to Mumford and Sons than rock. The band was relatively static on the small stage, but they led the crowd in some heart warming sing alongs, most euphorically the closing All I Want. Yet I found it difficult to put the originality of last week's The Weeknd concert out of my mind. This is formulaic music, songs frequently starting as a slow ballad and speeding up to a stadium ready, harmonised chorus, with looping bass lines and a light guitar groove. There's a genuine desire to please the audience, but little attempt to challenge or stimulate their creativity.

This was a fun, uplifting night out, and Kodaline can't be blamed for treading the commercially successful path of Coldplay 10 years ago. Within its boundaries, this music is extremely well executed, and clearly provides much pleasure. The fact that Kodaline is no Sigur Ros or Grimes creatively is unlikely to inhibit their commercial or popular success, and my comments in no way imply a value judgement about the merit of different genres.

Kodaline's Set List

• Lose Your Mind
• Pray
• Perfect World
• Mandolin
• One Day
• Brand New Day
• High Hopes
• After The Foot
• The Answer
• All Comes Down
• All I Want

Music Clips

Additional Photos

The Weeknd, Manchester Ritz, 20th March 2013 10/10

It's not often that I buy tickets for two further performances after seeing a disappointing set. There were special circumstances around The Weeknd's first 2012 Coachella appearance though: he had to advertise for musicians on-line just prior to the festival, and it was only his third major gig, so a tentative performance was to be expected. The expectations around Abel Tesfye, a 22 year old Canadian of Ethiopian descent, are also impossible for anyone to fulfil. Drake declared Abel to be the 'greatest thing to happen in music for a long time', whilst MTV declared him the best musical talent since Michael Jackson. He's toured with Florence + The Machine in America, but this is his first UK tour, and nothing prepared me for the hero's welcome he was to receive in Manchester.

When I arrived well over an hour before doors, the queue was stretching to the end of Whitworth Street, and the enthusiasm of the largely young crowd was already immense. Abel has a reputation for being reclusive, and is notoriously reluctant to give interviews. This seems to be due to shyness rather than a calculated attempt to maintain mystique, as his talk on stage was limited, slightly awkward, yet full of love. The Weeknd's meteoric rise can be attributed to the strategy of giving away his music free online, which led some to declare the birth of a new music business model (forgetting about Radiohead's In Rainbows). Since then, he's signed to Universal, repackaging the three original mixtapes as The Trilogy and announcing an upcoming album Kiss Land.

Abel didn't preview this new material, instead concentrating heavily on the first two parts of his Trilogy in the all too short one hour main set. As he started High for This, the atmosphere was utterly electric: the crowd hanging off his every syllable, singing along to every word of Life of The Party which followed. This led to a beautiful section where he deliberately skipped phrases in the lyrics to allow the audience to take over the singing. The stage was sparse, allowing him space to move display his fancy footwork, constantly moving to the front of the stage to the delight of his adoring fans. I think even he was surprised by this reception on his first time in Manchester, and his gratitude was evident despite that endearing inarticulacy. Erasing memories of that first Coachella performance, I'm happy  to report that Abel's magnetic energy on stage makes The Weeknd even more moving live than in the studio.

The tension sagged a little after the remarkable opening sequence, but this reflects the change in mood towards introspection across the trajectory of party, after party and hangover of Trilogy. Abel's been bracketed with the likes of Frank Ocean, Miguel and How to Dress Well as a pioneer of P R&B, and it's even been suggested he's invented a new genre of music. His influences are exceptionally wide, encompassing chillwave, soul, indie rock, soul, hip hop and the 90's trip hop sound of Portishead. More exceptional than this blend of genres is his tremulous falsetto voice, with a sense of vulnerability which evokes a sensuous yet sad mood. It has greater agility than power, but  his backing band sounded tight, producing lush synthscapes and a rumbling bass. This evoked the murkiness of the early hours of the morning with a richer sonority than on the original mixtapes.

Some have misunderstood the attitude portrayed in the songs, which discuss drugs and sex explicitly: on The Party and After Party he promises love and cocaine to a girl by suggesting that she "grab them shoes, I'll race your ass up on them stairs." Yet, this life style seems to be far from a source of unalloyed joy, and  he portrays himself as a victim; perhaps to imply that men have feelings too. Just as in Mozart, the ambiguity in the music shows the macho emotions implied by the lyrics to be false: there's a deep underlying ambiguity and pain. Live, his vulnerability and awareness of the fragility of humanity became clear: the atmosphere was one of empathy, not aggression. It seemed appropriate that a couple near to me embraced after the last encore; I sat for a few minutes after the lights came up, dazed, and reluctant to re-enter the real world.

The overall effect was surprisingly warm and tender thanks to his gift for melody, rich sonorities, and often slow tempos. Two female backing vocalists filled out the harmonies, whilst in Morning rock guitar riffs came to the fore, showing how far The Weeknd has progressed from a private solo mixtape project. His stagecraft has developed tremendously in the past year, and whilst aspects will be refined as he tours further, the command of the crowd is quite exceptional by any standards. I doubt I'll experience Abel again in a venue this size, and like the time I saw Adele in a mid sized theatre, I was stunned by the display of vocal agility. I suspect I'll be reminiscing about this show for a long time to come, and surely many of the privileged thousand people at The Ritz last night will have left believing that a new star has emerged.

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Manchester Ritz 16th March 2013 8/10

I'm writing primarily about the support act at this gig, since The Avett Brothers completely failed to engage me. Much of the audience seemed to be stimulated by their energy on stage, yet the hyperactive jumping up and down felt meaningless to me. Their music is indebted to bluegrass and folk, and if they didn't pre-date Mumford and Sons, I'd describe them as derivative. I found the set bombastic: even when Seth or Scott announced an intent to slow down, there was scant variety of mood. In contrast to Mumford, this exaggerated frenzy was unsupported by memorable melody, and whilst some found meaning in the Christian references in the lyrics, I ended up leaving a gig early for the first time. Americana and folk is within my core area of musical interest, yet I clearly have a blind spot where The Avetts are concerned. For the sake of balance, a national newspaper gave their London performance the night after this a glowing review.

However, I'm grateful to the North Carolinians for inviting what Grace Potter herself described as 'a bunch of hooligans from Vermont' to support them. I'd seen Grace Potter and The Nocturnals last year at Coachella, but this was their first UK appearance, and I'm happy that she promised to return here soon. The 40 minute set drew heavily from their fourth album The Lion, The Beast, The Beat which was released in 2012 and produced by The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach. Whilst their breakthrough came with the self-titled album two years earlier, the tightness of the performance reflects the fact they've been performing for over a decade. Grace Potter moved between her Gibson Flying V guitar, Hammond B3 Organ, and tambourine, whilst The Nocturnals here rocked bass guitar, harmonica, drummers and slide guitar.

Grace Potter established a warm rapport with the crowd, but her charisma was matched by the band so it was clearly a collaboration. The overwhelming impression was of a group of musicians enjoying themselves together, their sense of fun infectious. Grace herself has a considerable stage presence, at times almost sensual, and always highly expressive. Her voice, sometimes compared to Janis Joplin's, is powerful and bluesy, and her dancing phenomenal. The harmony may be rooted in the American folk tradition, but this had was powerful rock and roll with blues riffs. At one moment it can be gritty rock, and then incredibly moving and expressive.

Grace Potter is a sincere, hard working musician, building her profile steadily through touring. This passion is transferred brilliantly to the audience, and if you like rock with a country twinge, you must see her  act. She's one of those artists who proves the adage about music existing in a completely different dimension live.

Stornoway, Band on the Wall, Manchester 12th March 2013 7/10

The Guardian recently posted a somewhat depressing article about the challenges of the mundane life of a support band. However, Southampton's Pale Seas gave every indication that they were enjoying themselves, and there was a surprising energy in their dark, atmospheric dream pop. Drummer Zealah Anstey's technique reminded me of Haim, and it was telling that the audience already almost filling the venue was compelled to listen. I discovered Pale Seas only because of their support role last night, and I'm not surprised to find out that they've been signed to Communion Records. They're yet to release an album, but have some tracks on Soundcloud and are definitely one to watch. Below is their lead singer, Jacob Scott; they're a young band, some members still studying at university.

Brian Biggs and keyboard player Jon Ouin of Stornoway met at freshers' week at Oxford University: the name was chosen before they'd even travelled to the town on the Hebridean Isle of Lewis. Their break was to be the first ever unsigned band to appear on Jools Holland, in 2009, alongside the Foo Fighters. Last night's gig at an intimate and excellent venue in Manchester sold out quickly, and I was lucky to have secured a ticket released at the last minute. Comparisons with Mumford and Sons in the folk pop area are inevitable, but Stornoway are more laid back in style, less inclined to work their way into the popular consciousness through sheer energy and volume.

Brian has a laid back stage persona, telling humorous anecdotes between songs (even if many have a tenuous connection to the music).  He was most impressive in the thrilling unplugged acoustic performance of November Song which closes their second album, Tales from Terra Firma. It was released only this week and has received a largely positive critical reception. It has a more glossy pop sensibility than the 2010 Beachcomber's Windowsill, but the strongest songs are the more introspective such as The Ones We Hurt The Most, with delicate, introspective melodies. Here in its nostalgia, I detect a hint of the Celtic, which justifies their nomenclature.

Interest on stage was maintained by the regular instrument changes, and the addition of a fiddle player to the regular quartet was welcome, especially given her imaginative use of peddles. As well as trumpet, double bass and mandolin, a loop was created in Farewell Appalachia with an axe, tearing a newspaper and banging on a saucepan. A highlight for me (other than the two unplugged numbers) was the celebratory You Take Me As I am, which demonstrated their easy going, fun nature. Yet I found the musical content frustratingly inconsistent: for example The Great Procrastinator's flippancy didn't engage me emotionally. My reaction to Dawes, listened to on the drive home, made me realise I missed an Americana influence.

More pertinently, fantastic performer though Brian is, there was something just a little too slick about the show. It may seem churlish to suggest a lack of authenticity, but much though I admired it, I was moved only sporadically. The execution can't be faulted, but at times the music is on autopilot, feels saccharine, or simply lacks distinctiveness. This is probably a minority view: several of those present had attended their previous two Manchester gigs, and all those around me seemed to be enjoying myself. The use of instruments as esoteric as a saw and dulcimer and the enthusiasm onstage kept me entertained, but the music's sheer niceness failed to challenge. However, don't let this put you off experiencing them live yourself, or at least listening to their new album.

Top 40 Albums 1st Part of 2013

It's been a long time since my previous album round up and it's been difficult to select my favourites from a lengthy list. After a slow start, 2013 is proving to be stellar for new music.

Top 20 Albums

1) Atoms for Peace Amok (Electronic) 9/10


2) Daughter If You Leave (Indie Folk) 9/10


3) Local Natives Hummingbird (Indie Rock) 8.5/10


4) Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Push the Sky Away (Rock) 8.5/10


5) Matthew E. White Big Inner (Folk) 8.5/10


6) Jim James Regions of Light and Sound of God (Indie Rock) 8.5/10


7) Lady Lamb The Beekeeper Ripely Pine (Folk) 8.5/10


8) Villagers Wayland (Indie Rock) 8/10


9) Low The Invisible Way (Indie Rock) 8/10


10) Phosphorescent Muchacho (Indie Rock) 8/10


11) Nightlands Oak Island (Ambient) 8/10


12) Rhye Woman (Indie Pop) 8/10


13) How to Destroy Angels Welcome Oblivion (Electronic) 8/10


14) Tegan and Sara Heartthrob (Pop) 8/10


15) Stornoway Tales from Terra Firma (Folk) 8/10

16) Hey Marseilles Lines We Trace (Indie Folk) 8/10


17) On an On Give In (Indie Pop) 8/10

18) Veronica Falls Waiting for Something to Happen (Indie Pop) 8/10

19)  Erin McKeown Manifestra (Folk Rock) 8/10


20) The Revd John Delore Sweet Talk for Pretty Daughters  (Indie Folk) 8/10

20 Commended Albums
21) Widowspeak Almanac (Indie Rock)
22) Ivan & Alyosha All The Times We Had (Indie Folk)
23) Keaton Henson Birthdays (Indie Folk)
24) Dutch Uncles Out of Touch in the Wild (Indie Rock)
25) Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside Untamed Beast (Indie Folk)
26) Cloud Cult Love (Experimental Rock)
27) Foals Holy Fire (Rock)
28) Samantha Crain Kid Face (Indie Folk)
29) Air Review Low Wishes (Indie Rock)
30) Kites and Crows More for the Mender (Indie Folk)
31) The Stray Birds Self Titled (Indie Folk)
32) Caitlin Rose The Stand-in (Country Folk)
33) Josh Ritter The Beast in its Tracks (Singer Songwriter)
34) Love Echo I Promise You Always the Sky (Dream Pop)
35) Everything Everything Arc (Indie Pop)
36) I am Kloot Let It All In (Indie Pop)
37) Katy Carr Paszport (Singer Songwriter)
38) Serafina Steer The Moths are Real (Indie Folk)
39) Mount Moriah Miracle Temple (Indie Rock)
40) Yo La Tengo Fade (Indie Rock)

6 Top EPs
1) Alabama Shakes iTunes Session (Southern Rock)
2) Little Green Cars Harper Lee EP (Indie Folk)
3) Ulfur White Mountain (Post Rock, Ambient)
4) The Daylights Modern Fossils EP (Alternative Rock)
5) Chvrches Recover EP (Electronic)
6) Lily & Madeline White Arc Session EP 1 (Folk)

Lindi Ortega, Manchester Soup Kitchen, 4th March 2013 9/10

After the previous night's exceptional Sigur Ros experience, I was a little nervous about my response to this gig. The support act Zervas and Pepper, whilst charming, was on their first UK tour and still refining their songs for live performance. Yet, in the opening seconds of Lindi Ortega's set the atmosphere in the room was electrified. Her appearance is striking, and her glamour part of the act, yet this is of complete irrelevance given her remarkable vocal abilities. Along with the 80 other people present, I feel privileged to have experienced this calibre of music making in such a small space. Lindi remarked at one stage that we were a quiet audience, which may be true in comparison to some of the more uninhibited American crowds she's performed for, but we were spellbound.

Lindi is from Toronto, but now based in Nashville, and her repertoire is heavily rooted in the country tradition. She sounds as if she's been brought up in the Deep South, so fully has she immersed herself in her character. Lindi paid homage to stars of the past with covers such as Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues, Kitty Wells' version of Making Believe and the folk standard The House of the Rising Sun. Yet her own material is also richly varied in mood. A highlight for me was Heaven has No Vacancy, which Lindi explained was inspired by watching the documentary The Bridge. She attended Catholic school, and the song condemns the Church's lack of compassion towards suicide. As she movingly explained, the most troubled are those who are in greatest need of a place in heaven. Lindi engaged openly and sincerely with the audience, talking about times of darkness in her life as well as an ill advised tour romance.

The performance exuded confidence, her husky voice soaring with a strength of personality that isn't fully revealed on her two studio albums. I wasn't surprised to hear that she'd been performing under the radar for ten years before moving to Nashville: her stagecraft is impeccable. She was accompanied only by a slide guitar player and backing vocalist, and by her tour manager on the shaker and tambourine (substituted by a plucky audience member at the end). She played for over an hour and a half, the energy level never flagging, and I only rarely wished for the full band backing her at the London show. It's difficult to pick out highlights when it was such fun throughout, but I'd identify the title song from her second album Cigarettes and Truckstops and the witty Use Me, which she introduced as a public service announcement to atone for the preceding Little Bit High.

Like Terra Naomi whom I saw in this venue last autumn, her vocal ability creates a thrilling tension in the room. Lindi's voice of course sounds quite different, indebted to Dolly Parton, Stevie Nicks and Emmylou Harris. Some might expect this country folk to feel backward looking, but this 30 year old of Northern Irish and Mexican descent reinvigorates the genre, giving it relevance to a new audience. She sings movingly about tender emotions, but her rockability instinct provides a surprising energy. I'm told that she 'grew up shy and introverted'. Whilst she's learned to project an extrovert side to her personality on stage, her sensitivity brings a depth to her music that is compelling. She may have been given the gift of a stunning voice, but it's her humanity as she sings about heartbreak that creates such a powerful connection with the audience.

Sigur Ros, Manchester Apollo, 3rd March 2013 10/10

My first encounter with Sigur Ros made for a remarkable evening; one I will remember for years to come.  It combined a deep sense of nostalgia with amazing beauty and a sense of euphoria. Rather like JS Bach, the Reykavik band named after Jonsi Birgisson's sister Sigurros Elin is widely revered in musical circles, and I'd been waiting for over two years for an opportunity to experience them. After this, I'm exceptionally happy that I'll be seeing them again next month at Coachella, and in August at Jodrell Bank Radio Telescope in Cheshire, UK. Sigur Ros can stand not only alongside the greats of the historic musical canon, but amongst the finest of all western art.

The only two spoken words Jonsi uttered in the two hour set were 'thank-you', and in the parts of the gig where he was visible, he spent much of the time looking down whilst bowing his electric guitar. The audience was utterly silent, mesmerised, throughout, and barely moved their bodies. The lyrics were unintelligible too, sung in the invented language Volenska. There was no overt attempt to engage: It was a private experience taking place in each audience member's imagination, and thus uniquely personal. Judging by reactions of those leaving the show, and on Twitter, I was not the only person to recognise that something extremely moving and spiritual had taken place in Manchester.

The show confounded my expectations in several respects. Far from being purely introverted, it was extremely dramatic, despite the largely slow tempos, with thundering climaxes and high bass energy throughout (helped by stunning sound). It wasn't a showcase of the album Valtari (in fourth place in my albums of 2012) either: instead they delved as far back as Agaetis Byrjun and forward to three new songs, which should find their way onto the album which is currently being recorded in LA. That new material had less light and shade than I expected, at times being almost bombastic, marking a possible change of direction. The energy and stamina of the drummer Orri Páll Dýrasones was considerable though, and I was happy that the preconception that their music can be soporific was disproved.

Above all this show was theatrical. The first three songs were performed with the band behind a gauze curtain in semi darkness, accompanied by a Son et Lumière show. Initially the projections were reminiscent of the northern lights, but quickly transmuted into a forest, with giant sized shadows of Jonsi. Then finally all eleven musicians on stage were triumphantly revealed, including 3 violinists, french horn, trombone, drummers and keyboard players. The unifying theme was that amazing falestto voice, and the vast dynamic range between silence and the ear shattering was reflected in the lighting, from blackness to the blinding in the final encore Hoppipolla. To add to the drama, a large screen above the stage projected striking film images, which added to the other worldly feel.

What Jonsi has achieved here with Sigur Ros is a contemporary realisation of Wagner's Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art) with a blending of the visual arts, theatre, and music. I'd listened to a live relay of my favourite opera Parsifal from The Met Opera this weekend, and I was struck by the similarities in the emotional impact. The two hours of this show were equal in length only to the first act of Parsifal, but the blending of extended songs without the atmosphere being interrupted in between paralleled romantic opera. Even the two encores lasted 20 minutes. More profoundly, the transformation of the theatre to an utterly absorbing fantasy world to which I was transported recalls some of my finest operatic experiences. I'm now back in the real world, but this journey, like the greatest art, has transformed me, changing my outlook long after those final resplendent notes have faded away.

Setlist

• Yfirborð 
• Í Gær 
• Ný Batterí 
• Vaka 
• Brennisteinn 
• Sæglópur 
• Olsen Olsen 
• E-bow 
• Varúð 
• Hoppípolla 
• Með Blóðnasir 
• Glósóli 
• Kveikur

Encore

• Svefn-g-englar 
• Popplagið 

The Joy Formidable, Manchester Ritz, 28th Feb 2013 6/10

Recent gigs I have attended have been rooted in the folk tradition, so the Welsh rock of The Joy Formidable represented something of a cultural shock. There was nothing stripped down about this show, with an illuminated wolf logo to represent the album giving its name to this tour, and hyperactive projections on a huge screen behind the stage. The volume was shattering, and nobody could complain about a lack of bass energy. Dramatic pre-recorded music was used as the band entered the stage, and it felt choreographed for an even larger venue than this one. This must reflect their recent support for Muse, in stadiums, and their ambition to headline arenas.

The whole show was a celebration of extroversion. Ritzy Byran’s high energy dancing held the attention of even the most easily bored, as she moved around the stage freely, frequently hanging over the edge. Much to the excitement of fans, she came into the front of the crowd at the end of the encores, allowing them to touch her hands and guitar like a medieval pope. There’s no doubting her commitment, or ability to whip up an audience into a frenzy.

The music was thick textured, with layers of guitar, loops, pedals and stomach punchingly loud drumming. It's been described as 'stadium shoegaze', but there's nothing relaxing and little reflective about it. Ritzy’s smile was winning, and her relationship with loyal fans- one of whom she remembered from a gig in the tiny Night and Day Café in Manchester a few years ago- showed genuine engagement. She also showed impressive diplomacy skills in defusing a potentially unpleasant situation in the crowd and was a commanding presence on stage.

So as a show, this couldn’t be faulted, and I’m sure for most present it was a memorable night. Yet, crucially, I have reservations about a lack of depth in the music. Wolf’s Law, their second album, has had a mixed reception, and whilst it may attempt to explore a wider range of sounds than the debut Roar, it sounded monochromatic once the initial, shatting impression wore off. It was difficult not to think about the night before when Little Green Cars had shown the power of subtlety and dynamics, which transcended their lack of stage experience. I craved the innovation of Alt-J, or the rootsy warm heart of Dawes or The Lumineers.

This is a personal blog, not a professional review site, and so I make no claims of objectivity. The central emotion in music is love, yet this show seemed to engender aggression in certain parts of the audience, doubtless fuelled by alcohol. I've enjoyed the Joy Formidable previously in the more relaxed atmosphere of a festival, but I was in a different place last night to others. I'm hopeful that a return to Icelandic music (after Of Monsters and Men) at my next show will be more cerebral and in tune with my introversion. Yet, if you want to be stimulated and value the visual and visceral aspects of a gig as much as the music, you'll enjoy The Joy Formidable more than I did.

Setlist

• Cholla
• Austere
• This Ladder is Ours
• The Greatest Light is the Greatest Shade
• Little Blimp
• While the Flies
• Cradle
• Tendons
• Silent Treatment
• Maw Maw Song
• I Don't Want to See You Like This
• The Everchanging Spectrum of a Lie
• Forest Serenade
• Wolf's Law
• Whirring