TV ON THE RADIO @ MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 17/11/08

Being short at gigs is definitely the worst thing that can ever happen to anyone. I am short, so when I entered Manchester Academy slightly late and found a room full of perfectly proportioned persons before me, I nearly wept.
Especially as it was TV on the Radio who were playing, who I was very excited about seeing. Dubbed 'the band for thinking humans' by probably absolutely no one, they have recently been the name on all of the right people's lips after releasing their eclectic latest album 'Dear Science', which showcased their layered combinations of everything from afrobeat to disco, and having lingered on the fringes of mainstream stardom for a number of years now.

Arriving on stage (I was alerted to this by the reaction of those who could see more than just the back of people's heads just before I got myself into a better position) amidst a swirling whirlwind of noise, they threw themselves into 'Young Liars' from their first EP of the same name, with singer Tunde Adebimpe bounding across the stage with limitless energy, guitarist Kyp Malone perfectly harmonising with cool ease and brains of the band, Dave Sitek, attacking his guitar like a tremolo fiend. The frustratingly static audience thankfully weren't going to put them off, although they did start to put me off. No one was really moving, and my attention was then drawn to a clown in front of me who was doing that thing where you try to show off that you know the words by listening to what is being sung and about a second later singing what you heard. It really is very off-putting.

My attention was returned though, as the band launched into latest single 'Golden Age', with its groovy LCD Soundsystem-esque bass line, synth interjections and Malone's falsetto and sometimes fantastically disjointed vocals which eventually got feet shuffling. From here they played the storming crowd favourite 'Wolf Like Me' which displayed perfectly how they somehow manage to write songs that are at the same time so simple but also so busy and full of ideas, and then changed the tempo with 'Dirtywhirl', notably showing off their whistling proficiency at the climax of the song.

In the final half of the set, the New York quintet lent heavily on their latest LP and fantastically performed 'Shout me out', 'Dancing Choose,' 'Red Dress,' and 'Love Dog', with the only noteworthy problems being a distinct lack of saxophone and horn parts which are found on the records and adds a lot to the band's distinct sound, and the omission of my personal favourite song 'Blues From Down Here.'

And so to the encore. By this time people were actually moving, especially when the support band were called on stage to play percussion in the controlled chaos of 'Let the Devil In' which led nicely into old favourite 'Staring at the Sun.' This I didn't believe would be a good set finisher, however it was released like a caged animal with a huuuuge drumbeat that could only be replicated in a live setting, and finally the good people of Manchester realised they had witnessed something special.

What with the density and complexity of TVOTR's music, it is clear that it will always be difficult to transmit exactly what is on record to the stage. However, with a raw energy, endless ideas, challenging lyrics, and one of the most interesting vocal pairings I have ever heard in Adebimpe and Malone, it would be extremely difficult for them to fail.

By Graham Allchurch
Photo by Annette Lee