Arcade Fire at the Apollo, Manchester, 8th March

Two years ago I saw Arcade Fire perform at Sheffield Leadmill. Containing a mixture of jawdropping vocals, screaming violinists, sparklers and play fighting it still remains my all time favorite gig. Since then Arcade Fire have managed to secure the following of most of the world, tonight tickets sold out in under seven minutes and as the queue into the Apollo lengthens there's a smell of excitement in the air. After their recent residency in London which involved the band busking on the Church steps, covering rock classics and impulse acoustic renditions there is no prediction of what the band may do tonight.

Yet as they begin with 'Intervention' the pounding organ is not played at maximum volume like on record but is instead a murmur which builds and builds until lead singer Win Butler is left belting "I can taste your fear!" Then moving into ‘Anarchist Television Blues’ it takes both band and audience a while to come into their own. As Arcade Fire swap and tune onstage the audience is hesitant, almost impatient for the gig to heighten. As the band play ‘Black Mirror’ Win’s vocals take an aggressive stance despite his shaky voice and it appears it is not until the continuous favorite ‘No Cars Go’ that both audience and band connect. As the crowd scream every word the band remain relatively relaxed onstage compared to their previous hazardous performances. After all it seems tonight the band have taken a more professional approach. With ten players spread onstage, however it always appears impossible for the band to remain completely calm, as they show constant enthusiasm for the songs played.

Throughout ‘Crown of Love’ one player continues to play a tambourine for the full 4 minutes, not just to the beat however but also to create a full scale dance routine revolving around the tambourine on the right of the stage. Secondly guitarist Richard can barely go a minute without shouting enthusiastically behind a megaphone, and it is each individual’s performance which makes the Arcade Fire one of the best live band’s around. Encompassing two brass musicians to play on their latest tour, old songs such as ‘Haiti’ and ‘Tunnels’ become almost larger than life and with darker songs, like the duet of ‘Bad Wave/Bad Vibrations’ the songs are everlasting and sometimes felt in a different light. ‘My Body is a Cage’, the song many thought should have been dropped from the album, here is heard to be striking, almost like a march and as the heavy drum beat crashes the song has a huge impact.

As the set finishes on ‘Power Out’ the crowd suddenly opens, swelling, overflowing as the band’s rhythm section tries desperately to remain focused. It doesn’t last however as they break into their own style almost creating combined rhythmic movements unaware. Then as the song slowly moves, changing into the beginning pounding of ‘Rebellion (Lies)’ the room erupts as the band remain the stable structure for Win’s impulsive actions. As he flits between vocals, first entering late he appears fidgety as he paces the stage almost running. Unsatisfied with the audience’s connection with the band he disappears towards the bottom right and a flood of people rush onto the stage. Here the song was expected to fall apart, but instead of grabbing for attention, pulling the lead singer, the thirty people present instead dance towards the remaining audience, leaving the band to make the remainder of the song as magical as possible, barely missing a note. As the whole room shouts “Lies! Lies!” you can just see Richard’s big drum assail thirty feet into the air with the whole band now lost in a sea of people.

Ideally as the band leave to rid of all audience members, this should have been the end of the gig. Yet as they return opening with ‘Tunnels’ there is a feeling Arcade Fire are not finished. As they continue with ‘Ocean of Noise’ and the set draws to a close there is a hope that the band are building to something bigger, greater but instead they disappear. As the audience chant and cheer the house lights abruptly kill the atmosphere, followed by soft booing over whispers of “What happened in ‘Wake Up’?”

Either way it’s proven the Arcade Fire cannot be beaten. Despite making one of the most anticipated and breathtaking albums of the year it is the band’s live performances that show the real growth. Their mass arrangement of instruments and choir vocals can be subject to many pitfalls yet as they join together their constant enthusiasm and onstage performance is impossible to contend with. Throughout the stage invasions and abrupt endings Arcade Fire yet again manage to leave you in a state of overpowering astonishment, lets hope it never ends.