Band Of Horses - Academy, Manchester - February 1st 2011 (Live Review)
Thursday, 03 February 2011
Written by Mark Booth
Another album and an upgrade in venue for Seattle's alt-country residents, Band of Horses. 2 years ago, I was present to see Band of Horses at a sparsely populated, somewhat flat outing on the Cease to Begin tour at Manchester's Academy 3. Judging from the more mature audience populating the sold-out 2,300 capacity Academy 1, last year's 'Infinite Arms' has garnered a new breed of punter to the BOH cause.
Tonight, that album's shift in pace to a more bucolic, dare-I-say Radio 2 friendly sound was largely overlooked by the band as they rattled through the spikier moments of their back catalogue, even opening with a new song that would have sat snugly on 2005's sublime debut, 'Everything All the Time'. Ben Bridwell on lead vocals was in fine voice as 'Islands on the Coast', 'Is There a Ghost' and 'The Great Salt Lake' were all given early airings. Even rarely heard cover of 'The End's Not Near' was dusted off for the new ears in the room to digest.
They paused only briefly for Bridwell to report on how much fun they were having, though that was apparent as he and keys player, Ryan Monroe regularly stole bromantic glances during immaculate harmonies that elevated the band from my previous disappointing brushes. Eradicated almost completely were the set lulls where Band of Horses' more tedious, whinnying ditties threatened to discredit their rights to the alt-country throne. Happily, some of 'Infinite Arms' more enjoyable moments are visited, including 'Northwest Apartment', 'Compliments' and 'Laredo', the latter of which treated to a visceral, stop motion slideshow by photographer and long-time collaborator, Christopher Wilson.
The pause finally comes 13 songs in for the band to introduce, in Bridwell's own words, the “increasingly annoying feature of the tour”, titled “Du Jour of the Day”, where we discover – through a very funny video which I won't ruin – that the band have charged themselves with an interpretation of a different song for every date of the tour, using the melodica as a centre-point. Manchester's “Du Jour” was to be Steely Dan's, 'Dirty Work' for which they invited members of the too-toothsomely-sweet support band, Mojave 3 onstage. The support band fare better with their more illustrious friends, providing gorgeous harmonies for the refrain, “I'm a fool to do your dirty work”.
So far, so good, but unfortunately that feather-light strain of Band of Horses soon rears its head for what would have been a perfectly acceptable resting stop with 'Evening Kitchen', only for it to be spoiled by the earnest spectacle of Bridwell shimmying over to share Tyler Ramsay's microphone. It was an unnecessary and jarring and move that instigated a mini-revolt to the bar for us more cynical (read: pedantic) pups. Still, the Radio 2 crowd seemed to yum it up.
The boys were soon back to their blistering best with signature anthem, 'The Funeral' providing the shot in the arm the set needed and with fellow 'Everything All The Time' stalwart, 'Monsters' closing the set I left admittedly surprised at what a good time I'd had. In a scene overpopulated with pouting barrel scrapers, there's something remarkably refreshing about seeing a group of dog-eared men the wrong side of 30 shamelessly having a ball.
Setlist:
1. New song
2. Islands on the Coast
3. NW Apartment
4. General Specific
5. End's Not Near - The New Year cover
6. Cigarettes, Wedding Bands
7. Is There a Ghost?
8. Great Salt Lake
9. Laredo
10. Marry Song
11. Factory
12. Compliments
13. Older
14. Dirty Work - Steely Dan cover
15. Evening Kitchen
16. First Song
17. No-one's Gonna Love You
18. Ode to the LRC
19. The Funeral
Encore:
20. Detlef Schremp
21. Song with Mojave 3
22. Monsters
23. Bartles and James - abridged.
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They paused only briefly for Bridwell to report on how much fun they were having, though that was apparent as he and keys player, Ryan Monroe regularly stole bromantic glances during immaculate harmonies that elevated the band from my previous disappointing brushes. Eradicated almost completely were the set lulls where Band of Horses' more tedious, whinnying ditties threatened to discredit their rights to the alt-country throne. Happily, some of 'Infinite Arms' more enjoyable moments are visited, including 'Northwest Apartment', 'Compliments' and 'Laredo', the latter of which treated to a visceral, stop motion slideshow by photographer and long-time collaborator, Christopher Wilson.
