by Katherine Eve
There is a very fine line between building up the audience’s appetite and letting their hunger pass unsatisfied, but the full capacity of the Academy is clearly abundant with loyal fans, as the arrival of The Coral 20 minutes late is still met with riotous applause. The aim of the evening is to promote latest album Roots and Echoes. To this end, The Coral refute lukewarm reviews and instead exude quiet self-belief as they launch into the set with four new tracks back-to-back.
The acoustics of the Academy afford clarity for the poetic lyrics, but we still swim in the guitar rhythms that drive the set. A notable complexity has returned with guitarist Ryder-Jones (he left midway through touring of The Invisible Invasion) playing off against Power’s keyboards and alternating solos with frontline guitarist Southall. Surprising strength comes in the live rendition of ‘Who’s Gonna Find Me’: we’re immersed in various layers of hooks and arpeggios and its hypnotic and disorienting vibes surface. ‘Remember Me’ grabs the audience instantly with its tribal drums and an anthemic chorus, though we’re still receptive to the sweetly romantic ballad, ‘Jacqueline’.
They have a plethora of hits to choose from and a quick succession of ‘Pass It On’, ‘Dreaming of You’ and ‘In the Morning’ satisfy the crowd’s longing for an injection of the quirky pop they are famed for. Somehow such songs seem reinvigorated and even stronger these days.
For some tracks anticipation is easily built by tuning up to a recognisable guitar riff, but on the whole, the live performance lacks drama: studio precision is adhered to; tracks are introduced by title; the audience are thanked on completion. This contributes to a somewhat muted atmosphere as the set wears on. For this reason it is wonderful to witness the energy of some free-flowing jamming and spontaneity in the encore. ‘Goodbye’ is the perfect opportunity for a psychedelic frenzy, complete with beating tambourines. We finally see the band enjoying what they do, and the crowd responds in kind.
