Embrace is a huge band . . . in England. They have been around for quite a while now, and have been around longer than Coldplay and have released many more albums than Coldplay. Yet, they are lumped into that "Coldplay" category along with other U.K. bands such as Keane, Thirteen Senses, Snow Patrol and Feeder. So, it is surprising to hear that their second ever U.S. show happened at Popscene of all places. I mean, this is a band that co-headlines summer festivals and sell out huge arenas in England. Yet, here at Popscene, they were not able to attract the same fan fare. I arrived at Popscene early with friends, two of whom are natives of America's Greatest Ally, and we were all shocked to see that at 9:30 p.m., there was nobody lined up to see this band. Needless to say, my friends were all thrilled because how many times can you say that you saw Embrace in a small club while they were at the height of their success?
Embrace came on shortly before 11:30pm before a semi-packed crowd filled with U.K. ex-pats. The problem with Popscene, usually, is that their sound system is shit and the stage is too damn low to see the band. Even standing a mere 7 feet from the stage means that you can't see the band. Either that or the boys from Embrace are short men, which is also possible. The sound in the first song, a track off their new album Out of Nothing, sounded like crap. Richard McNamara's guitar easily drowned out brother Danny's vocals.
The second song was their classic hit "All You Good Good People" and the sound at this point was adjusted accordingly. This time, Danny's voice was heard loud and clear and the majestic guitar that accompanied this song was truly amazing. This was an odd choice for a second song, especially since it runs for 6 minutes, has an extended jam session, and has an ending so final that it's probably best suited as the final song for an Embrace set. Nonetheless, the song got the kids hopping around and football looking hooligans yelling their throats out.
"Gravity" was also played, which Danny described as a song "written by a friend of theirs who had short hair who now has long curly hair" (i.e. Chris Martin of Coldplay). Beautifully done, with the keyboards being the dominant instrument in this song. It could have easily been a Coldplay song. Hence Embrace being in that "Coldplay" category was only fitting.
Many more songs were played, a majority of which was from their new album with a splash of other tracks from the rest of their discography mixed in. They played a substantial set of songs, with another two for encores. I have only heard maybe four songs from this band prior to going to Popscene ansd after seeing them, I am hooked on this band.
Beer Rating: 1.5 Beers
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