War on Drugs - The HiFi, 11 December 2014

Final post of 2014 had to be the War on Drugs. This was the first show announced, so it was at a smaller venue than the others and seemed to have more of the hardcore fans in attendance. The performance of the band was a lot better than the first show, as was the sound. Granduciel seemed to be enjoying himself a lot as well, even throwing in a Bill Fay cover that wasn't on the setlist (nitpicking: I would have preferred to hear one of the Bob Dylan covers they played at a couple of other shows on the tour).

Unfortunately, things went a little down hill for the encore. Quite a few people in the crowd started to leave, so the audience was a bit thinner by the time the band returned. Granduciel asked for requests and people yelled various things, presumably he didn't hear anything he wanted to play so suggested Comin' Through which was on the setlist, but someone booed, which annoyed him and they didn't play it. I think the boo was just because it wasn't the song the person had yelled for, but it didn't go down well. They played a few songs, but after Brothers (which was the last song on the setlist), Granduciel said thanks, threw his guitar down on the amp and walked off.

It was a bit of a disappointing end to a great show, but the set is still very worth listening to, and the sound quality is really good.

In Reverse
An Ocean in Between the Waves
Arms Like Boulders
Under the Pressure
Baby Missiles
Disappearing
Burning
I Hear You Calling
Buenos Aires Beach
Red Eyes
Eyes to the Wind
Lost in the Dream

The Animator
Come to the City
Black Water Falls
Brothers

https://mega.co.nz/#F!dUdAwAga!N0oHA6908yZnEBiG0vOv8w

War on Drugs - 170 Russell, 8 December 2014

So happy to see these guys return (as they noted, for the third year in a row), and that their new album has seen their popularity go through the roof. Although there were clearly quite a few newer fans, they were all into the music (unlike lots of other shows where people seem more interested in talking through the show). The setlist obviously leant pretty heavily on Lost in the Dream material, but their first two albums (both of which are great) were represented.

As usual the band was incredibly loud, but the new recorder does a good job of adjusting, so the sound is pretty good. There are a couple of guys nearby that talk a bit, and some girls that really really want to hear suffering, but they aren't so loud or obnoxious that it undermines the recording. Of the two shows I went to, I'd say the show at the HiFi was the better, but this is still a really good show from a great band.

Burning
Arms Like Boulders
Under the Pressure
In Reverse
An Ocean In Between the Waves
Disappearing
The Animator
Come to the City
Buenos Aires Beach
Red Eyes
Eyes to the Wind

Baby Missiles
Lost in the Dream
Suffering
Your Love is Calling My Name
Black Water Falls

https://mega.co.nz/#F!8ANSBQRC!XD6cTaMD6nzlNq7t6iChCA

Kevin Devine - Corner Hotel, 13 November 2014

I said that Kevin Devine didn't really appeal to me, but listening back to this he's starting to grow on me. Too late to go back and see him on night two, but I'm getting too old to stand for that long anyway.

This was the very first thing I recorded with my new unit and the volume is a little low. It isn't anywhere near as bad as if I made the same mistake with my old unit, but it could have been a tiny bit better. As you can see from the photo, he sometimes tends to sing while standing away from the mic, this sounds kind of cool and comes across relatively well on the recording, but if you're wondering why he sometimes sounds a bit faint, that's why.

Anyway, this is obviously a pretty short set since he was first up on a three-band bill, but he does a good job of playing a bunch of songs and being engaging, without assuming people are there to see him (although some clearly were).

Bubblegum
Just Stay
Now: Navigate!
Little Bulldozer
Private First Class
Cotton Crush
Brother's Blood

https://mega.co.nz/#F!JF10GbCR!IAznodVdafmEx1A4JqOe7Q

Manchester Orchestra - Corner Hotel, 14 November 2014

Night two of Manchester Orchestra didn't quite reach the heights of night one. They seemed to have got the message from night one (or maybe just wanted to mix things up) and dropped the long quiet encore with Kevin Devine. But the crowd were pretty obnoxious, constantly yelling out song requests or general stupid comments, which clearly didn't go down well. I didn't see the written setlist, so I don't know if this was planned, but the show only ended up being an hour and a quarter, and I wouldn't be surprised if they dropped some songs so they could get out of there.

Having said all that, they barrel through quite a few songs, and the set isn't bad so much as not as good as night one.

Pride
Shake It Out
Pensacola
Pale Black Eye
Every Stone
The Mansion
I Can Barely Breathe
I've Got Friends
Everything to Nothing
Cope
Simple Math
I Can Feel a Hot One
42 (w/ Kevin Devine)
Sleeper 1972

Top Notch

https://mega.co.nz/#F!NMVyzRbZ!uaVc5vY-hPTIDr4uOgHpZw

Apes - Corner Hotel, 14 November 2014

Second night I skipped Kevin Devine since he didn't really grab me, but made sure to catch Apes again. These guys are a really great new band, sounding a little bit like the Stooges.

They played an identical set, but when you haven't even released an album, you can't really blame them for not mixing things up. All the songs are really good, but the single Pull the Trigger sounds like something that could generate some radio play and grow their fan base (but I say that about lots of bands so what do I know). These guys are definitely worth checking out.

Seven
Bones
Black Lung
Got Some
Strange Tastes
Goin On
Pull the Trigger
Helluva Time

https://mega.co.nz/#F!1F8gnJbS!7JXTo9yE7682cOQLrTVciQ

Manchester Orchestra - Corner Hotel, 13 November 2014

Unfortunately my old recorder has been havingsome problems, so I've had to replace it. This was the first show with the new unit, and although it's not quite as convenient as the last one, the sound quality is better and it has some features that should prevent some of the bad recordings I got in the past.

Manchester Orchestra put on a pretty good triple bill with Kevin Devine and local band Apes (I'll put those sets up soon). The show itself was slightly odd. The set was amazing and the band seemed to be enjoying it. But they totally lost the crowd for the encore. It probably hurt that they didn't really play any 'hits' and the songs with Kevin Devine were pretty slow. People ended up just leaving, and those that stayed started talking a lot, which comes through in the recording. This is still a good set, but the encore stops me from recommending it more strongly.

Top Notch
Shake It Out
Pensacola
Every Stone
The Ocean
100 Dollars
I Can Barely Breathe
I've Got Friends
Colly Strings
Everything to Nothing
Cope
Simple Math
I Can Feel a Hot One

Wolves at Night
42
You're a Mirror I Cannot Avoid
Pyotr (aborted)
Where Have You Been?
The Fresh Prince of Bel Air

https://mega.co.nz/#F!JQNyXYDY!_4WjicRmMV4bkAIpPO0pAA