First up, apologies to support act GFOTY, because I didn't get to see you. There seemed to be quite a few people having ticket troubles on the door, but that's another story. So go check out GFOTY on the Facebook.
Animal Collective were originally due to perform at Manchester Academy 2, but because of great ticket sales, it got bumped up to the larger capacity 02 Ritz, which then ended up selling out, so a good move on the promoters part. Considering their latest album "Painting With..." received very divisive and lukewarm reviews, the fact that this concert has sold out is surely a great testament to the amazing legacy and body of music that Animal Collective have created. This doesn't even count all their solo works!
Before they even took the stage, you could firmly tell that you were in the domain of Animal Collective, with the colourful and elaborate set that graced the Ritz stage. There were giant male and female statues, and lots of trippy, colourful lighting and a kaleidoscopic video backdrop to ease the audience into the acid trip they were about to take! With Deakin sadly absent, Panda Bear, Geologist and Avey Tare took the stage to huge applause. Geologist wore his trademark forehead strapped flashlight. Last time I saw them play, Panda Bear played the drums, but this time they got a helping hand from touring drummer Jeremy Hyman. The core trio had an array of synthesisers and pedals in front of them.
As is tradition when Animal Collective tour, they usually like to stick to the album they have just released. When I saw them at Warehouse Project in 2012, they played their previous "Centipede Hz" album in full (incidentally one of the most criminally under-appreciated albums of the decade so far) so I expected to hear the majority of "Painting With..." live. Though the album has received less than favourable reviews, I really enjoyed it, showing the band tackle a more Pop-oriented direction (or at least their version of Pop), but hearing them perform the tracks live only made my appreciation of "Painting With..." increase. Being such an experimental band, it feels like the songs have evolved since their studio incarnations. The group kept the core dynamics of the songs, put explored different effects and synth sounds. Tonally, the spectrum of their sounds were stretched much further, and combined with the psychedelic lighting and videos, it lead to an extremely trippy and hypnotic experience. They also jammed out quite a lot of the songs, and this is where the drummer really shined, stringing together erratic time signatures and bridging together songs without breaks. Whilst the AnCo trio felt a little bit static on stage, barely moving from their spots, the drummer helped to add the momentum and liveliness to the performance.
Though Animal Collective weren't as physically energetic and crazy as when I last saw them rock out The Warehouse Project, what really shined this evening was the incredible vocal harmonies of Avey Tare and Panda Bear. The two work each other so perfectly, often switching between double harmonies and call/response vocals. New songs "Lying On the Grass" and "Summing the Wretch" delivered sublime vocal trade offs. When they played "Daily Routine", one of their greatest songs from 2009's breakthrough album "Merriweather Post Pavilion", the crowd went nuts, and Panda Bear really went crazy on the mic, carrying his voice to every corner of the Ritz. Another huge highlight was their performance of "Floridada" just before the encore. Some people love this song, some said it was the worst they've ever written, but from where I was standing, almost everyone was bouncing up and down and going wild!
Unfortunately after the huge energy of "Floridada", Animal Collective went off stage and came back for an encore. Usually an encore is the most exciting part of a concert where a band bring out the best songs, but this was a rather muted affair where the energy went down and they noodled into wishy washy trippiness for a little too long. Considering the last time I saw them they closed their show with a knockout punch of "My Girls", "Brothersport" and "Peacebone", my expectations were very high, and sadly I ended up leaving the show rather disappointed. My advice for anyone thinking of seeing Animal Collective live is that, yes they will put on a great show with sounds ahead of any of their peers, but absolutely make sure you like their latest album, because you are probably going to hear the whole thing and not a lot else. For a band that have such a rich body of colourful, eclectic and mindblowing music, it seems sad that Animal Collective can so easily turn their back on that legacy. I heard a lot of people after the show groaning that they didn't hear any of their favourite "MPP" or "Strawberry Jam" songs, and to be fair to them they have a right to be upset. Regardless Animal Collective deliver one of the most unique and forward thinking sounds out there, and as the sold out crowd can testify, AnCo is an experience that just cannot be missed! 8/10.
April 13th 2016 at 02 Ritz, Manchester. Photography by Mel Hamilton.
