As published in Straight Forward

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As you will know if you read my reviews regularly, my gig nights usually begin with an evening walk into town. I have seen Manchester in all seasons and all states and, for many, the coming of October and the cold nights is their signal to wrap up in blankets and close-up shop. Manchester on a Thursday night in October is quite a calm place, for a city.

I typically feel a bit anxious before gigs: standing in a room packed full of people and loud noise. It is kind of what you expect, but my brain doesn’t like feeling like a sardine, apparently. The O2 Ritz is a 1500 capacity venue with a large open dancefloor, a balcony section, and a basement bar for especially busy club nights or festivals. However, I wouldn’t be getting a comfy stool and top-down viewing position this time. I had received intelligence that the show had only sold around 400 tickets and, as I walked towards the classic venue, there was only a small line out front. Because of this, the balcony wasn’t open, which is done so that the crowd can be concentrated on the dancefloor with the goal of looking like the venue is fuller than it really is. While I have worked many ‘dead’ gigs, and even more full ones that have an awkward atmosphere to them, the energy in the room this night was a stalwart sort of excitement: an older generation than myself were determined to enjoy themselves on a night out, despite the odds.

The event only had one support act, and I think that Alex Henry Foster and the Long Shadows’ name about made up for that on the gig poster, in both literal text length and actual musical capacity – they were great. Supporting The Pineapple Thief as part of their European tour, Foster and the Shadows are from Montreal and, after an epic instrumental intro piece featuring synths, guitars, drums and percussion and – I think – an oboe, Foster gave a very humbling speech about the return of live music, saying that they had been questioning whether it was the right time to come back, but that he as pretty sure they “needed it as much as [us] guys”, and the pretty relaxed crowd transformed into cheers of unity and joy – the first time of many.

Foster and the Shadows’ music was a mix between progressive rock and ambient alternative with a sprinkling of spoken word and even shoegaze, and their sound revolved around tension and release with long sections of instrumental build. The rhythm section were extremely patient and consistent and played repetitive sections for long periods of time before bringing the dynamics up for big choruses or down for bridges, playing the same motifs but with different intensity or fills depending on the necessity of the section.

The guitarists, of which there were three at some points, were there to trade noise. In smaller venues, big bands are at risk of losing coherency, becoming a wall of sound in which melodic instruments are lost. However, at The Ritz, the 6-piece ensemble had tonnes of room to build that wall, and all the modulation and synth effects – and the oboe – contributed their own little pieces to the compositions which formed ambient, circular soundscapes. I saw the guitarists pass around a violin bow, a signature move of famed Jimmy Page, which is a subject debated by musicians as to whether it is actually a viable technique. The Shadows, however, made it viable, as they drowned the room in reverb and feedback.

Another interesting element of the performance was their use of two drum kits. Positioned either side of the stage, the first track started out with the right drummer playing conventionally, and the left side acting as a percussionist. They then swapped as the right guy pulled out the third guitar of the band, and the left jumped onto the kit. This culminated in when, in a later song, both drummers played a simple but driving hat-and-kick rhythm perfectly in sync and brought the performance up to new heights. This swapping between open and driving rhythms really defined the bedrock of their sound.

Foster, the vocalist, provided a dramatic storytelling experience as his lyrics, combined with ambient vocalising from the keyboardist and backing vocalist, created a haunting theme and tonality. They were a great act to walk in to, creating long, flowing pieces of music that helped to build hype for the main act. Alex Henry Foster and the Long Shadows were a perfect opening act and made me really excited to see what The Pineapple Thief would bring to the creative mix.

Big, anticipatory rumbling noises were the theme for this show, and The Pineapple Thief followed suit but with a stronger emphasis on more typical song structure, whereas Foster and the Shadows played longer pieces. The Pineapple Thief (or thieves, I suppose) describe themselves as progressive rock, and their use of ambitious chord sequences, long solos, and complicated drum parts – something that I will talk about more, soon. Typically, a three-piece, they also brought along a synth player who performed various backing roles, including a marimba arpeggiator. Their sound heavily featured many classic rock conventions, with the occasional heavy riff section, and a lot of reverb – think Biffy Clyro, but with lighter vocals. I found that the guitars were mixed a bit quietly and couldn’t always make them out, but when the members played their ripping solos it cut through a lot more. This could have detracted from the performance if the drummer wasn’t filling every space available, almost becoming the centrepiece of the band.

And so he was, as I later learned that he was none other than Gavin Harrison, world renowned session drummer, featured on Drumeo and known for his limb independency – which, for none-drummers, means he can play different rhythms on each of his limbs at once, it’s very impressive. This probably explained why the first thing my eyes were drawn to was his enormous drum kit, with five toms and just about every cymbal you could need – including five or so tiny splashes tuned in key with the tracks so he could also provide melodic input. And boy did he play each and every one of them, all the time.

Each member did vocals, and the bassist provided a high harmony which took me a while to realise was coming from him. Many of the tracks had minor tones but seemed to resolve happily, with up-tempo choruses and bridge sections in which vocalist Bruce Soord really spoke to and connected with the audience.

In a few songs, Soord brought out an acoustic guitar, not to do the typical rock band move of doing a ‘quiet’ song, but used it instead of his electric for bigger rock tracks. In some cases, he used an acoustic emulator to make his electric sound like one, and in the final song he swapped over for a big ending section.

Many of the tracks featured builds leading up to solo sections and Harrison used his many tools to emphasise this. Strobes mounted on industrial pylons flashed and arced as rhythmic sections transitioned into open chorus melodies. Stratocasters will understand what I mean when I say the lead guitarist had that lovely, crisp single-coil riff sound. At one point in the set, Soord played a lead solo on the acoustic, and I was left impressed at their sonic experimentation and openness to using all their gear to its full potential. Their energy was good, but not so much that it didn’t feel comfortable that the crowd wasn’t moving very much; I found it easy to relax and concentrate on the spectacle in front of me.

One track later into the set particularly stood out to me, as the bassist placed his guitar down in front of him and the three frontmen joined together under white spotlight in acapella for a an emotional tribute to everyone in the room. Similarly to Foster’s speech earlier in the night, Soord gave another in which he demanded “put your hand up if this is your first gig back”, and to claps and cheers at least half of the audience responded. While I have talked about how important energy and performativity can be to a live set, I felt a sudden revelation of humility at the fact that many of these older people, who could have been considered ‘at risk’ from recent events, have managed to finally get to see something which, to me was just another day at the office, but to them was a significant moment in their free time.

The Pineapple Thief brought the night to a close drenched in ominous red light, with a heavier, riff-based Phrygian track, before doing the classic ‘walk off stage for five minutes, come back on and play two more songs’, which worked in their favour as the crowd demanded “one more song”!

Special thanks to Emma Waite and all the Ritz staff for organising and working for yet another spectacular night.

TOM F-H.
October 2021