Manchester Orchestra

A second heartbeat rattled bones and gave crowd members’ knees a mind of their own Wednesday evening. Carrboro’s Cat’s Cradle hosted bands Biffy Clyro, The Features and main act Manchester Orchestra.

Opening act Biffy Clyro grabbed the floor with songs including “The Captain” and “Many Of Horror,” which proved to tug familiar strings. Close quarters gave people a chance to get to know their neighbor, sharing a mutual enjoyment for the band, but distaste for the lack of air conditioning, obviously shown by the band members’ choice to go shirtless. Lead singer and guitarist Simon Neil practically ate his mike as other band members shook free pools of sweat in head-banging passion. The group left the stage with a round of applause and a spoken “gracias” in gratitude of their appreciation after playing their latest hit “Mountains” from their new album Only Revolutions.

Michael Gordon, a UNC Chapel Hill law student, was in absolute rapture when he found out Biffy Clyro was in town. As a dedicated listener to the local British radio station, the frequently-featured band’s arrival was a pleasant surprise. “A lot of the bands rarely come to the U.S.,” he said, referring to the radio’s eclectic variety.

The space continued to multiply in between transitions as The Features began to set up. Lights dimmed and the crowd rejoiced; the flash of cameras providing the only illumination until strobes of red and blue brought forth new life. Weaving and threading through willing ears, basic guitar, bass and drums merged with melodic piano chords and the crash of tambourines.

In comparison to the frequent screams of Biffy Clyro, The Features, a raw emotion more in pursuit of revealing a lingering story than crying in agony with their screams, especially prominent in “Some Kind Of Salvation” and their newest hit “Lions”. An underlying bass beat gave sympathy to still hips, making the audience ache for a little wiggle room. Ending the show with “Big Mama,” the haunting chords of Mark Bond’s keyboard and Rollum Haas' drums left the crowd wanting more.

With screams of adoration and waving arms, Manchester Orchestra mounted the stage with an instrumental storm announcing their arrival. Softly approaching the highlight of the evening, they began with “Pride,” the floor singing in unison as they reached the climax.

Turning the floor into an ocean, waves of bobbing heads and swaying hips harmonized with the beat as the pace continued to climb. “Now That You're Home” proved to be a favorite as an eruption of lyrics ripped from the Cradle, revealing an appreciated artist.
Lead singer Andy Hull commented on the uproar, claiming “I guess that’s when we’ll realize when we suck-when our new songs suck.” Impressing the fans came easy, closing with “Where Have You Been?” Ending with an emphasis on percussion, touring members joined on stage, their rhythm practically in sync with the beat of a humming bird’s wings. Shaking the breath out of you, the beating of seven men made the Cradle quake like the result of an approaching stampede.

Worth the throbbing feet and ringing ears, the evening proved to be a success, leaving the audience filled to the brim with their share of entertainment until the next wave of bi-polar, dream sequence musical madness makes its way to Carrboro.