The sheer span of their set is impressive.

After Manchester OrchestraÔÇÖs first UK gigs in 3 years proved a success in┬áApril, the swift announcement of a following string of British dates in October and the┬áre-imagining of their newest record ÔÇÿCopeÔÇÖ came as a surprise.

According to the bill, Bad Books, a band made up of Manchester Orchestra, Kevin Devine and drummer Ben Homola would be opening the tour. If the theme of the shows so far was pleasant surprises then the appearance of just Andy and Kevin, guitars in hand, is another as the two friends harmonise their way through an intimate half hour.

Forging a sound some way between indie rock and more guitar-led┬ástomps, Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band certainly provided the energy needed to┬ápep up the fairly muted crowd. For the most part this fusion of riffs and more sombre┬ásing-a-longs lands on its feet.┬áWhat is undeniable is the amount of fun the band are having. A┬ásmile never leaves DevineÔÇÖs face.

The UnionÔÇÖs CF10 seemed like a downgrade for Manchester Orchestra and Andy Hull makes light of this midway through. “Tell a friend next time and maybe we wonÔÇÖt┬áhave to play in the fucking cafeteriaÔÇØ. Despite this, the band seem in good cheer as┬áthey power through some of their best past material and the most immediate cuts from ÔÇÿCopeÔÇÖ. The sheer span of their set is impressive, a few bars of┬áearly demo ÔÇÿLadidaÔÇÖ thrown in for good measure. Mirroring their recent┬áoffering, the band strip back a few choice songs, this paves the way for the┬ámost pleasant surprise yet. Nearing the end of the set the band left Andy to┬áperform ÔÇÿSleeper 1972ÔÇÖ from their debut record. As the last lyrics rang out it was easy┬áto see why weÔÇÖre so loyal Manchester Orchestra over here in the UK. They seem like┬áold friends telling nostalgic, heartbreaking stories.