Cage The Elephant
– THE RITZ, MANCHESTER –
Bone rattling bass lines and spine tingling guitar riffs echo throughout the heart of The Ritz and threaten to burst the eardrums of anyone within a five-mile radius. In an explosion of rock and roll chaos, the whole night proves to be one giant tailspin towards a mind blowing finale.
After three highly acclaimed studio albums, many have felt that Cage The Elephant’s fiery nature is on a timer; expecting it to slowly fizzle out yet the young rockers just keep on burning. With the release of their fourth studio album Tell Me I’m Pretty, the band have added a hint of slick edginess to their previously boisterous nature. That’s not to say they are any less bashful than before.
Greeting the sweaty masses with new hit ‘Cry Baby’ they prove that whilst their music may have matured, their live performance is still one filled with raucous energy. Almost instantly, the well known sprung dance floor of the Ritz is turned into a huge trampoline, with not one person remaining firmly on the ground for more than a few sweet seconds.
Crowd favourite ‘Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked’ is pulled out midway through the set, certifying a gritty sing-along. Following with another new track, ‘Portuguese Knife Fight’, the fans are kept engaged and alert with no room for a break. Bounding across the stage with his microphone stand rattling left, right and centre, Matt Shultz has the crowd mimicking his every stomp. Beads of sweat pouring from every forehead in sight, the energy in the Ritz is electric.
The dirty, grunge like sound to Matt’s vocals ripple through the jagged licks and edgy transitions ringing out from Brad’s guitar. Mix that with the booming bass and intricate drumming and you get an explosion of shattering excellence.
The calm after the storm comes in the form of a blissful encore, featuring personal favourites ‘Cigarette Daydream’ and ‘Shake Me Down’. The lighters come out, as do the phones, to capture wistful memories of this hypnotically beautiful scene. Despite the lull in chaos, the crowd still manages to form a mosh pit, throwing elbows and bodies all over the place.
Now the time has come for the dramatic finale, the apocalypse, the be all and end all. ‘Sabertooth Tiger’ begins to play and Shultz’ takes a plummeting leap from the stage into the arms of hundreds of adoring fans. Welcoming him with their screams of joy, he carries on. Wading through the sea of hands, he performs like a true rock star with all of his mind, body and soul. As the song draws to a close he stands tall blowing kisses of appreciation in all direction and muttering his final goodbyes.
After a night that left me in pure awe, I haven’t a bad word to say. This group of lads continue to better themselves with every sensational thing that they do. Cage the Elephant teeter on the edge between brilliance and insanity, which leaves the mind well and truly boggled.
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I am Sylvie an 18 year old music enthusiast from the midlands - with a heart for writing and adventure. Currently I am a budding music journalist who is studying for a degree in music journalism at the University of Chester.
