Mnahcester Orchestra reivew from ages ago

A relatively successful Oxford band I am fond of claimed that their shows would contain '5 minutes of the loudest and 5 minutes of the quietest music you've ever heard;' now sadly disbanded, I was worried that such a spectacle may never grace my ears at a live show. Luckily, Manchester Orchestra are the band to fill this dynamic void.

I entered the Bodega Social Club with seconds to spare, and was instantly subjected to the sonic assault of “Wolves At Night”; loud part of the set: check! I see this kind of sonic variation to be one particular hallmark of a great live band, and such versatility coupled with the strength of 19-year-old Andy Hull's voice- altering throughout between screams and barely audible whispers while never missing a note- meant the crowd were wrapped around the fingers of this group of men from Georgia.

The fragility of Hull's vocals was no more apparent than on “Sleeper 1972”. The audience was reduced to complete silence due to sheer awe at the tenderness of Hull's performance, allowing the (presumably) rare spectacle of Hull stepping away from the mic to sing the finale of this track acoustically.

Foals at London Astoria, 17/03/09

Ending their largest UK show to date a week before the release of their album seems like a recipe for disaster. Although some of the as yet unreleased album songs met a slightly cooler reception than fan favourites and live staples “Hummer” and “Balloons”, Foals show that they are truly in their element when they play live. The addition of the “horn section of death” to The French Open and Cassius left no doubt in my mind that the whole gig was going to incredible, and my expectations were met.

Highlights included the instrumental outro of “Heavy Water” and the math-rock riffage of “Two Steps Twice”, which succeeded in making every member of the Astoria clap along before breaking into frenzied dance...but NOT in a nu-rave way of course!