It’s hard to describe just how great it is to finally see a band you’ve been listening to for years.
Neutral Milk Hotel have been creating a hell of a buzz for the last few years when it was revealed they were going to reunite with the line-up that recorded possibly one of the most influential indie albums ever recorded, In The Aeroplane Over The Sea.
When you see a band as revered as NMH it can be a bit of a gamble some bands tend to want to play deep cut rather than playing their big hits (and I use that term loosely here) and pandering to their fans.
This is something I was a little concerned about but my fears are soon alleviated when the band opened with ‘The King of Carrot Flowers Pt.1, 2 &3’.
For a folk rock band I’ve never seen a reaction like this, I’ve seen a lot of bands that supposedly cause a ridiculous reaction from crowds but I’ve never seen something quite like tonight.
Towards the end of ‘The King of Carrot Flowers Pt.3’ the place goes crazy; the only band I’ve seen get a reaction that equalled it was when Pixies played the SECC in 2009.
The place calms down slight once the band finish ‘Holland 1945’ and started playing ‘A Baby for Pree’.
Jeff Mangum and the rest of the band have the crowd eating from the palm of their hand throughout the performance, there are points when you can hear a pin drop and points when you can barely hear the band for the crowd singing along.
Some of the older songs, while fantastic, don’t get quite the same reaction as material lifted from ITAOTS, although ‘Naomi’, ‘Ferris Wheel On Fire’ and ‘Song Against Sex’ all serve to get most of the crowd going again.
The encore finishes perfectly with the band playing B-side ‘Engine’, which has most of the crowd either singing or bouncing around for what would be the last time of the night.
While the band may be underground and could be considered unsuccessful during their initial lifespan (commercially speaking at least) this gig proves that even songs recorded nearly 20 years ago by a small band based in Athens, Georgia can still drive a crowd into a frenzy.
Words: Phil Allen
