Embrace are out on the road for a series of outstore record shop gigs ahead of a full tour later in the year. They were in Oxford on the 6th of June.
Truck Records are once again the reason why we are at the Oxford Academy 2 to catch a fantastic band in a small venue. It is too early for everyone to pick up their copy of the great new album Avalanche tonight. Instead, after the show Embrace manned the merch store until everyone who wanted to buy something, or say hello, had the opportunity to do so.
Right from the off it is really clear that the band are very pleased with how Avalanche has turned out. Lead singer Danny McNamara is certain it is one the best things they have ever made. We have been listening to it for several weeks before the gig and you can see why they have such faith in it. It is a strong offering and has a number of songs that match nearly anything in their output.
They play eleven tracks in total, seven consecutive tracks from Avalanche, then four more from the rest of their back catalogue. They start with the first two tracks from the album in the right order, as both were released as singles it gives the crowd a chance to sing along. Both ‘Stop’ and ‘Road To Nowhere’ are bold, striking tracks.
There is a lot of banter from the band tonight. In one early exchange Danny talks about spending Christmas with his brother Richard, describing it as a “Proper Northern Christmas Dinner.” Richard is not sure how to take that and asks what that means. Danny answers that margarine was used to make the mash which relaxes Richard who nods approvingly.
Danny introduces ‘Get Out Of My Own Way’ as a song you have to be a proper Embrace fan to enjoy. He quickly jokingly adds, “So if you don’t like it you aren’t a proper fan, alright.” He also introduces ‘Emily,’ explaining it is about his four-year-old daughter of that name.
‘Coming Home’ is a proper team effort with Richard taking over the lead vocals at the end of the song that he mostly wrote. It almost strays into territory occupied by The National. This is a rich, emotional album, with a raw honesty poking through.
Danny also pauses to properly introduce Pure O. He explains that he had a prolonged period of bad mental health around the age of twenty that at the time doctors had tried to label as PTSD. Danny said he had been talking to someone recently who had said it sounded like something they had been diagnosed with called Pure O. This is a more unusual form of OCD. It is the heaviest track of the evening and sounds as great live as on the record.
‘Pure O’ concludes the tracks from Avalanche. The crowd have been enjoying the new material but as most had not heard the last few tracks before the atmosphere noticeably perks up as they break into 2014’s ‘Refugees.’
From there it is monsters all the way. ‘Gravity,’ ‘Ashes’ and they finish with ‘All You Good Good People. Music has strange and profound effects. Despite not listening to it much of late ‘All You Good Good People’ takes me right back to a time and place at university when it first came out. Reading Indie Life love new bands and new music, but a bit of nostalgia can be quite fun once in a while as well.
After a strong eleven songs it is over. It has been a huge amount of fun. The band were in a very reflective mood. Danny McNamara discussed how at fifty-five he is conscious of how every moment matters, how important it is to live your life fully and not be a passenger. Avalanche is certainly a vital piece of work, one of the best albums the band has ever put out. Oxford has been thoroughly entertained.
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