concert review: Winston Audio, Audrye Sessions, Fun, Manchester Orchestra @ BOTH 19 May 2009

Last Tuesday night at Bottom of the Hill was one of the greatest nights of live music I had ever had the opportunity to experience. It’s quite rare that you have a wide array of bands, and a large quantity of them at that (four) who all deliver super solid performances. I was completely deaf the next day, as I was sitting on the speaker throughout Manchester Orchestra’s set, but that only served to remind me of the incredible listening experience that I had the previous night.

I went to the show to see the very first opening band, Winston Audio, whose debut The Red Rhythm I cannot get enough of. The band blew me away on stage, and I could see people in the audience quickly catching on to why I have been gushing about this Georgia based band for months now. They encapsulate everything that is pure and good about rock n roll: they are loud, abrasive and not afraid to express their frustration by yelling and banging things. However, they took a breather with the acoustic “Nothing to Hide”, only to reassume their unabashed swagger midway through the song. My only complaint was that their six song set (which you can watch on my YOUTUBE page) was far too short, but to be expected for the very first opening band of a long night of glorious rock n roll music.
5/5

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Next on was Audrye Sessions, a local band from Oakland that I quite like. I had seen them before, headlining GAMH, and while I enjoyed their set, something about it was a bit off. Their lead singer Ryan seemed overly aware that they needed to keep things short and sweet, and he seemed to be not quite there for the performance. This, combined with the slightly too loud amps, caused their performance to be my least favourite of the night, but it was still a great set, including a new song called “Bone Dry”. I also posted videos of Audrye Sessions’ entire set on YOUTUBE.
3.8/5

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Next on was a band called Fun, fronted by Arizona’s Nate Ruess, previously of The Format. Having heard a bit of this band’s music online, I was expecting to be disappointed, but was happily surprised otherwise. I could not think of a more appropriate band name than the one which they have chosen for themselves; their set was oozing with child-like wonder and melodies galore. The band played both their own new songs as well as a few of The Format’s, which people in the audience happily sang along to. The band’s debut album is set for a release on August 25th, keep your eye out for that and the accompanying tour dates.
4.3/5

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Finally, the headlining band, Manchester Orchestra came on stage. Like their label mates Winston Audio, this band also hails from Atlanta. I had listened to both of their albums a few times through and didn’t quite understand what everybody was getting all excited about. I thought they were good but nothing out of the ordinary. Their live set more than converted me. Manchester Orchestra is one of those bands that you truly need to experience live, as their music is quite the religious experience (and no, that wasn’t intended as an allusion to their slightly Christian lyrics). My favourite part of their performance was watching their drummer go wild on his set for the entire night, he left me flabbergasted and super impressed. Actually, I mean one of their drummers, as the band cannot limit their percussion to one guy. This, of course, causes their live shows to be explosive and captivativg. Modern rock music doesn’t have as much soul as it did before, but bands like Manchester Orchestra hold down the fort and keep things worthwhile. Highly recommended.
4.5/5

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