Embrace - UEA
Wow! What a night.
As a huge Embrace fan, I have waited eight years for this event, an opportunity too once again see one of my very favourite bands live and on my home turf at that. The fact that they are in Norwich this evening is indeed making the occasion even more special for not only me, but many other people judging by the turn out and reaction that they receive during the gig and at the end of the performance.
It certainly proves that they haven’t been forgotten as it’s a very lively evening and the audience is feeling it. Lead singer Danny McNamara has them in the palm of his hand throughout the near two hour set. It’s great to have them back. Even though they haven’t been around since the ‘This New Day’ album in 2006, with five albums released since 1998 prior to the new album being released there was just about enough in the cupboard to keep their followers occupied while they took their extended sabbatical.
The new self-titled seventh album ‘Embrace’ has songs in its possession that are right up there with the very best of their back catalogue and they kick proceedings off with the quite brilliant new song and album opener ‘Protection’. Plenty of the previous hits and old favourites are performed such as ‘Come Back To What You Know’, ‘All You Good, Good People’, ‘The Good Will Out’, ‘Save Me’, ‘Yeah You’, ‘Ashes’ and the Chris Martin penned song ‘Gravity’ alongside some classic album tracks like ‘Over’ and ‘One Big Family’. This is just brilliant; it’s just like an Embrace fans musical anorak heaven.
Lead singer Danny McNamara proves that he is still the best rock ‘n’ roll whistler in the business as he continues to pump up the crowd in between and during the songs. ‘Quarters’, ‘Follow You Home’ and ‘Self Attack Mechanism’ are showcased from the recent album and come over well.
They close with the classic song ‘Fireworks’ from their debut album and recent single ‘Refugees’.
As they departed, they promised to be back a lot sooner next time around, so let’s hope that they keep to their promise, as twelve hundred or so Embrace followers and I simply can’t wait another eight years! They have proven this evening that they can still wow an audience, and that they still have it. Yes, there is indeed still plenty of good will out there for this band. It is indeed a very polished and slick performance. Wow! What a night.
