The Front Bottoms opened for Manchester Orchestra at the Rams Head Nov. 12.
It’s rare to see a crowd demanding an encore from an opening act. Yet that’s what happened when The Front Bottoms opened for Manchester Orchestra at Rams Head Live Tuesday night. The Front Bottoms, delightfully fun, poetic and messy, stole the show.
Sure, Manchester played a fantastic set. Its performance was extremely tight, at some times sounding exactly like the record, plus or minus a few tweaks. The band played through its emotive and powerful set list with apparent ease, Hull effortlessly gliding between throaty shouting and soft crooning. The setup included dueling drum sets, which were fun to watch and added intensity to the loudest moments. Manchester Orchestra rocked the stage, even debuting a solid new song, and the crowd loved it.
But to me, the show could have ended with The Front Bottoms.
I’ll admit it — I’m a Manchester Orchestra fan, but The Front Bottoms really drew me to the show. There are few bands whose music immediately resonates with me. Some of my favorite artists are acquired tastes, requiring lots of time listening to and understanding their works. But with The Front Bottoms, it was effortless — the first song I heard, “Flashlight,” grabbed me and instantly converted me to a fan. It was something about the way its lyrics managed to be equally beautiful and blunt, the way the music felt energetic and messy that ensured I would be instantly attached to the band.
The show only amplified the energy of their songs, which were played so fast it felt like the whole show could derail at any moment — but it never did. The Front Bottoms owned the stage during the opening song, “Skeleton,” and won over the crowd just as they won me on my first listen. Near the middle of the set, the band played “Swimming Pool,” which devolved into a pretty cacophony of overlaid vocals and instrumental decrescendo before fading into the next song. At the first chorus of “The Beers,” three wacky, giant inflatable arm waving tubes blew up and bounced in time. The show was the perfect balance of silly and serious, fun and intense — which could be said of the band itself. And when it ended the last song, “Twin Size Mattress,” with lead singer Brian Sella singing about having a great time but being haunted by an inevitable badness — with the blow-up guys making a second appearance in the background — I couldn’t help but relate. I loved the performance, but I was sad it was about to end.
It was hard to transition from the speed and energy of The Front Bottoms to the slower, heavier intensity of Manchester Orchestra, but both performances were incredible. Both bands performed their hearts out and made it a show to remember.
