In support of the latest instalment of the Amory Wars, Coheed and Cambria return to Manchester with their unique brand of Sci-Fi prog/punk music along with Thrice and Touché Amore.
Touché Amore began the show with a high-energy set of post hardcore/emo songs that help break up the long dispelled stereotype of emo music comprised of being self obsessed brooding. Lead singer, Jeremy Bolm’s passionate screams over some surprisingly intricate guitar work and drumming made for a pleasant surprise and kept expectations high for Thrice.
Thrice continued the show and they had a much more conflicted set. They successfully switched up the energy with whiplash turns, balancing hardcore-inspired riffing and long-drawn-out sections of clean guitar work. Thrice’s set is fairly contained despite the nature of their music, their interactions with the audience are minimal and their set is designed for die-hards that know their music inside and out. The rest may feel somewhat alienated as their songs tend to blend together a bit.
While the songs had a tendency to blend together, Thrice is an immensely capable band that are nothing but consummate professionals that play with laser-focused precision that is very easy to get lost in, especially during the ambient borderline Deftones sounding sections.
The opening piano melody of ‘Unheavenly Creatures’ fills the room along with the deep, intimidating voice of their latest narrator, Vaxis, who provides valuable context all while setting up the show. “It starts with them and ends with me, Their son, Vaxis” bellows throughout the room as Coheed and Cambria take to the stage for the bombastic and intricate riffing of ‘The Dark Sentencer’. Spanning eight minutes and being the only song representing Unheavenly Creatures, it makes for a perfect opener.
Coheed and Cambria are unrivalled when it comes to concise yet epic prog rock songs and ‘Vaxis II: A Window to the Waking Mind‘ is a phenomenal example of their powers and they translate to a live setting flawlessly.
‘Fire to Embers’ reincorporates the piano melody and before the gigantic drop accompanied by drums and guitars all while 2000 people scream “We all go up in flames” at the top of their lungs before leading into ‘Beautiful Losers’. It’s in these five minutes that Coheed demonstrated that they have all the pomp and circumstance of Dream Theater with the accessibility of their contemporaries in the pop-punk scene.
While the band can be concise and contained, they are no stranger to the eight-minute epic and ‘In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3’ is a perfect balancing act of Coheed’s skills as songwriters. The track not only keeps attention with its massive scope but also its simple sing-along sections that could be heard from the car park.
Towards the end of the set, the lights went down and once the lights came back on, Claudio Sanchez was armed with his signature double-neck guitar. In the history of rock music, this guitar has only ever been utilised better by Jimmy Page himself. Once the drums kicked in, the entire crowd lost its collective mind and took over the vocals as Claudio knows that he never has to sing a single lyric from this song ever again.
The same can also be said of rock club favourite, ‘A Favour House Atlantic’ which may not have the same mainstream appeal that ‘Welcome Home’ has but among the die-hards, it is an essential song in the Coheed canon.
Finishing off the set was ‘The Running Free’, a surprisingly lesser-heard song in the band’s touring history, which is a shame because the song is perfect for a live setting. It has a phenomenal guitar riff and melody and massive chorus and it was a mistake to leave it off of Coheed’s setlist for so long but has now been rectified.
Coheed and Cambria have been a glorious addition to the modern prog scene and continue to add to their impressive catalogue and can back up all that grandiose storytelling with an incredibly engaging live show.
Visit scenic Manchester and witness the glory of Manchester Academy’s 5-star car park with your own eyes.
