Long gone are the days of Anathema taking the form
of a death/doom metal band, to the extent where debut album ‘Serenades’ could
easily be mistaken as a wholly different band. However, a significant portion
of their heavy metal fan base has remained loyal throughout their progressive
evolution. It’s immediately clear when walking into Manchester Academy 3 just
how popular Anathema are, as the packed crowd draped in Anathema t-shirts from
all eras eagerly await their arrival to the stage.
The set list is predominantly taken from the last
four albums, with latest release ‘Distant Satellites’ being the dominant focus, which perhaps may have
left some fans disappointed. Requests for earlier material are shouted out
intermittently provoking the response of “It’s going to be one of those nights
is it” from Danny Cavanagh, who makes the remark in a purely light hearted
manner. Danny shows his real charismatic side this evening, interacting with
the crowd throughout the duration of the set.
As aforementioned, ‘Distant Satellites’ takes
precedence over the set list, kicking off with ‘The Lost Song Part One and Two’
followed by the spine tingling ‘Untouchable Part One and Two’, bringing elation
from the crowd as Vinny Cavanagh and Lee Douglas pour their hearts and souls
into the vocals. However, it’s 'Anathema' from
‘Distant Satellites’ that steals the show for me, the fragility of the
beginning followed by the crushing impact of the guitar solo makes for a
memorable moment and set highlight.
Vinny utilizes the vocoder for the amazing ‘Closer’,
before the sound cuts out and engineers frantically run through the crowd
towards the stage. Sound problems are always an annoyance yet between the
comedy of a guy shouting out ‘Who has got 50p for the meter?’ and Danny
breaking into Pink Floyds 'Wish You Were
Here' inviting the crowd to sing along, it was the best handled technical
problem I’ve ever witnessed at a gig. Vinny returns to the vocoder and the
crowd return to having a wonderful time as if nothing ever happened.
‘A Natural Disaster’ shows off the incredible vocal
ability of Lee Douglas, who sings each lyric with utter precision. To the
delight of everyone Anathema concludes with ‘Fragile Dreams’ from ‘Alternative
4’ a song that is undoubtedly their biggest hit. What really comes across when
Anathema play live, is how massively talented each member is musically;
furthermore they play with such outstanding accuracy resulting in an
impressively flawless set. Seeing Anathema live is almost an experience rather
than just a gig, their music is so beautifully constructed and emotive you
become absorbed into the soundscape. A strong contender for best gig of 2014.
Words
by: Heather Blewett.
