Embrace (Live)

I think I need to address the ‘elephant in the room’ as it were, before I get into the main body of this review: Danny McNamara doesn’t have the strongest singing voice – particularly when performing live. This is something that I was already aware of before this gig. It’s something the band used to receive criticism for, but for me it’s not as much of an issue as it is for some others. As an aspiring musician myself I’ve not been blessed with the best singing voice, but I make the best use of it that I can, and consequently I’m able to view Danny with a strange sense of admiration. There are, after all, plenty of singers who have a tonne of natural ability, but do very little with it.

Nevertheless I was a little underwhelmed at times during the gig, as some of the songs didn’t quite hit the mark – in particular the newer material. This was an issue as the setlist opened with three songs from the new album, which dulled the momentum a bit – but things really picked up as the evening progressed. Richard performed the lead vocals for “Refugees” (just like on the album) and demonstrated a knack for hitting the high notes with more ease than his older brother. After this the band as a whole seemed more at ease, as the set moved into more established material: “Nature’s Law” and “My Weakness Is None Of Your Business” followed and really got the crowd going.

The live crowd in Bristol were voicing their desire to hear the latest single: “Follow You Home” frequently throughout the night. When the song finally came around, Danny urged the crowd to get out their phones and glow-sticks (a recurring motif throughout this tour) which allowed the song to be performed amidst a sea of red and white lights. The crowd wanted more after the song ended (the ‘oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh’ chorus kept re-emerging) and the band obliged by repeating the chorus a few more times. This would go on to happen again later in the night, at which point Danny said “We can’t keep doing it!” This type of spontaneity really helped to make the evening feel more unique, and at the request of someone in the crowd, the band made an unrehearsed attempt to perform “3 Is A Magic Number” which unfortunately fell apart.

The band have plenty of big anthems and choruses at their disposal, which really enhanced the set-list as it progressed, “Gravity”, “Ashes”, “All You Good Good People” are all big crowd pleasers, and then even more-so was “Come Back To What You Know”, for which the live crowd could almost be credited for taking the lead vocals! Then much to my surprise, as the main set was coming to an end, the band performed on of my absolute favourites that I wasn’t expecting, which was “That’s All Changed Forever”.

The main set concluded with the closing track from the latest album – “Thief On My Island”, which certainly has an element of finality about it, with its closing 2 minutes of distortion blasting (accompanied by a light-display to match). The band then re-emerged for the encore: “Quarters” (for which everyone was told to get up and dance), “One Big Family” and then finally the classic “The Good Will Out” with an extended vocal refrain at the end.

There were some mis-steps throughout the evening – perhaps the band are still a little rusty after such a lengthy hiatus – but the tried-and-tested big hits sounded much more assured, as I’m sure the newer material will gradually become. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a touch disappointed at times, but that’s mainly because I’m a big fan of the band and this was my first time seeing them live. Overall I still enjoyed my evening, I got a great new T-Shirt and can now add Embrace to the list of bands I’ve seen live. Also, Danny assured everyone that the band won't leave it eight years next time, which is an encouraging sign!