The release of Portugal. The Man’s eighth studio album Evil Friends last week, produced by Dangermouse, was a tall order following on from the success of 2011’s In the Mountain. In The Cloud.
It debuts the band’s new line-up with the arrivals of keyboardist Kyle O’Quin (formerly of Wild Orchid, Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground) and drummer Kane Ritchotte.
Manchester’s Night and Day Café was instantly captivated with the band’s fresh ‘poppier’ edge with an extended version of new single Purple, Yellow, Red and Blue blasting out a catchy chorus and riffs throughout. The crowd cheered as frontman John Gourley’s vocals reached dizzying heights with his soaring falsettos.
Much debate has been sparked by the radical new sound on the album, however fans cheered wildly as the opening bars of Evil Friends rippled through the venue.
The first minute of the song wouldn’t have sounded out of place on their sixth album American Ghetto, with its bluesy background and emphasis on vocals, however the band injected a change of pace, digressing into a pop sound until the cool, old-school, groovy guitar riff edged in.
The Band breathlessly blasted through a mix of old and new songs; Day man, So American, Atomic Man, The Sun, and Senseless with bassist Zac Carothers leaping across the stage swinging his bass guitar like a man possessed.
Midway through the concert, the atmosphere eased during Modern Jesus but this made it easier to pick out the sparkling electronics and catchy lyrics.
Despite the album sounding captivating and fresh, controversy from die-hard fans erupted towards the end of the concert, with negative remarks being voiced concerning Dangermouse’s involvement on the latest album, The most volatile being: “F*** Dangermouse, he’s ruined you.”
The band, however, kept their cool and amidst jibes from one individual in particular, impressively played out the classics; Got It All, When The War and new song Hip Hop Kids ending strongly with Creep In A Tee.
A raucous encore of the first single Purple, Yellow, Red and Blue ended the show and was met with rapturous applause from the majority of the Manchester crowd. After the concert the band warmly greeted ecstatic fans who seemed impressed and receptive to the bands new direction.
Picture courtesy of rockzoom_de via Flickr, with thanks.
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