In a packed-out arena of around 20,000 people, London Grammar successfully managed to start a party in the same 90 minutes that they brought people to tears.
'The Greatest Love' is indie-pop band London Grammar’s most recent album and was released in September this year, which didn’t give fans much time to get to know the tunes before the group went on tour.
But not extensively knowing the album takes nothing away from London Grammar’s magical live experience.
The gorgeous Hannah Reid on the vocals, drummer and multi-instrumentalist Dominic "Dot" Major, and guitarist Dan Rothman make up the distinctive sound of London Grammar. And their performance in Manchester last night was everything you’d expect from them - ethereal, emotional, perfectly orchestrated, and versatile.
This group has an incredible ability to transcend genres, smoothly blending 90s electronica with modern pop. And on show last night was this skill at covering almost every music genre there is, with a stroke of drum and bass in 'My House' as well as a rock moment during 'Metal and Dust'.
Listening to London Grammar at home, you might wonder how the live vocals can live up to the discography. But singer Hannah exceeds expectations. Her voice is magical and angelic, with exceptional range with a distinct and unique style.
Mid-way through the gig, the three band members disappeared off stage and reappeared a few moments later on a small stage in the middle of the standing crowd.
They trio performed a handful of songs acoustic with Dot, the multi-instrumentalist, taking the microphone to show off his vocals.
The band made us cry, they made us dance and they even made us laugh. During the acoustic section, a phone started obnoxiously ringing, spoiling an emotional moment, but the call ID turned out to be “fakest b****”, which introduced their next song.
During the nigh, Hannah Reid also brought support act Lauren Mayberry onstage for 'Lose Your Head', which took the audience through a time machine back to the 90s with throwback EDM tones.
After teasing the audience with a premature ending, the band finished the night with fan-favourite song 'Strong'.
The band formed in 2009 in Nottingham. Hannah and Dan met at the university and started playing together, and they met Dot around a year later. Now 15 years later the same group are still together.
In recent years the indie pop band has said they chose to cherish the creative process and have opted to move away from constant touring, which made this Manchester gig even more special.
