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It seems unusual that The Calling would return to Manchester only a few months since their last appearance, though the move up in venue size would seem to signal that the band are growing in popularity. A good three hours before the doors are due to open, fans are already waiting in anticipation for Alex Band and his backing musicians – the other half of The Calling, Aaron Kamin detests the touring life and is very strictly a studio member of the duo.
As soon as the lights dim a piercing wall of screams erupts to greet the charismatic lead singer on stage. A rocking intro goes straight into ‘One By One’, with the second song ‘Adrienne’ really getting the crowd going, being only one of four songs from debut album ‘Camino Palmero’. The sound mixing problems that were present at the Academy a few months earlier have been ironed out, and every song is performed impeccably. Band is an engaging front man and works the audience effortlessly whilst dancing around the stage, sending girls wild by pointing at them, but he is passionate in his singing and never misses a note. Particularly impressive are his vocals for ‘Anything’, while ‘Things Will Go My Way’ is an arms-in-the-air anthem.
A real highlight comes in the form of the rocky ‘Why Don’t You and I’, which is a collaboration Band did with Santana, and not for the first time of the evening he performs guitar duties on the mesmerising ‘Stigmatized’. The main set is finished with ‘Wherever You Will Go’, which has the audience bouncing and singing back every word. A three-song encore sees a respectable cover of U2’s ‘Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses’, though it is not recognised by many of the younger people in attendance, and ‘Dreaming in Red’ once again has hands swaying. Ending the night, ‘Our Lives’ sums up the attitude of The Calling – be positive and enjoy yourself, which it appears most both band and audience did during a very clinical performance.
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