Phoenix
Academy 2, Manchester
Tuesday, October 27th 2009
The lyrics to this years single and set opener Lisztomania pretty much summarise Phoenix’s year. The words “# Think less but see it grow / Like a riot, like a riot oh! #” epitomise not only their meteoric rise in popularity Stateside, but also predict the mass stage invasion the band incur at the end of tonight’s show.
The best thing about Phoenix is their complete unpretentiousness. They have never strived too hard for recognition, nor ever wanted to fit in to any particular scene. Happily mingling with fans in Kro beforehand and in Big Hands afterwards, the Versailles quartet bring their brand of effortless synth-pop to town in stunning fashion.
Most of the latest album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is showcased, although with a set at over ninety minutes we’re also treated to plenty of tracks from their consistently brilliant back catalogue. Career highlights Lisztomania and Long Distance Call kick things off, setting the tone for the evening as the crowd turns the venue into a sonic dance floor. Love Like A Sunset is an autonomous beast and is far more effective live than on record in its persistence, while stripped down versions of Everything Is Everything and Air’s Playground Love are a welcome lull in tempo, allowing for breathing space.
The audience is electric as Thomas Mars walks precariously atop of the monitors stage front throughout, venturing into the crowd on a couple of occasions, and ultimately provoking the stage invasion during set closer 1901. One can only hope the explosion in interest in America won’t ruin them, but for now it is very rare to catch a band at such an exciting stage of their career.
words: Stephen Grindrod
archive picture: Andy Fairclough
Stephen Grindrod is an English teacher originally from Manchester but currently living in Spain where he drinks the cheap beer and eats the free tapas at an alarming rate. In his free time, and there´s a lot of it, he reads, watches films, plays/writes folk/country songs on guitar and ukelele, writes short stories (he´s too unimaginative and impatient to write a novel), and occassionally contributes to the Motel, frequently submitting his work long after the deadlines have passed.