Live Review: Manchester Orchestra, Apes, Kevin Devine

A long-time collaborator, support act and close mate of tonight’s headliners, Kevin Devine charms an early crowd clued up on the magic of his old school troubadour performance method.

Between The Concrete And The Clouds, the title track from his 2011 album, is made all the more poignant in solo mode where his naturally emotive vocal and poetic lyricism can command full attention, though closer, Brother’s Blood, is truly something else, a sweet, bluesy number at the outset, though as Devine shifts far from his microphone to tunefully scream the raucous ending, the room gapes.

Shifting gear, Melbourne four-piece APES prepare us for the aural onslaught to come with a balls-out set of rock that feels a little paint-by-numbers initially as clichés abound across riffs, lyrics and structures. Settling into a groove with a bit more of their own swagger across Pull The Trigger, closer Helluva Time has the room absolutely primed.

As he is known to do, Manchester Orchestra frontman Andy Hull begins with a sweet, lilting vocal, lulling all into the false sense of tenderness found in Pride’s intro before the band unleash their almighty force. They’re one of the loudest outfits you’ll see, and they back it from the start by physically putting in as though every song is their last on Earth. Shake It Out is a notable crowd favorite, guitarist Robert McDowell and bassist Andy Prince duelling as Animal-like drummer Tim Very puts it all on the line. As the set works towards the moment everyone anticipates, the abrasive lead single, Top Notch, from their current album, Cope, the band tease us into it in semi-acoustic form, seemingly inching towards a massive booming moment of epic proportions. Alas, it never comes.

Though this leaves a slight sting of disappointment, there’s little to fault in how Manchester Orchestra operates. Closer, Simple Math, shows the varied shades of the Atlanta outfit perfectly – sorrowful, intelligent, capable of emotive harmonies, great heights and massive lows, all the while playing like mad dogs possessed. The encore is unexpected; taking centre stage, Devine begins the sweet intro of You’re A Mirror I Cannot Avoid with Hull on backing vocals. Any fans of the outfit will know this is from the Bad Books side project they share with guitarist McDowell and keyboardist Chris Freeman. It’s touching, tear-inducing, and even when they finish the encore with a comical take of the Fresh Prince Of Bell Air theme that may otherwise come across as flippant, somehow these guys just come off as heroes.