Taking place at Union Chapel, the location was perfect, a beautiful, enchanting church, as an excited sold-out crowd was beginning to fill the seats for night 1 of 3 sold-out shows for Manchester Orchestra, an indie rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. As singer Andy Hull remarked, “Wow! We haven’t done anything yet!” as they came out to a standing ovation.

The following 90 minutes were spent going on an emotional journey with the band, the raw emotion in Hull’s voice was transcendent. The set took us as an audience on a journey of pain and heartbreak throughout the years. Even though there were 900 odd people it felt very intimate like he was singing to me. There was even some audience interaction that resulted in them performing a song they previously did in 2010 about their love for rapper 50 Cent!

I hoped they would perform the song I Can Feel A Hot One, and when the guitar riff started I could feel myself welling up already! It was just beautiful, it was an acoustic set that was perfection. Not only in the songs they chose but also in the venue too.

The good news for anyone who missed Manchester Orchestra’s UK shows is that a live album recorded during these shows is coming at some point in the near future! .

Photo: James du Plessis

Words: Jake Douglas