Yorkshire rockers Embrace are back with a bang, a new album and promotional tour.
Tonight sees the second Scottish leg of the tour at the old Corn Exchange, now better known as the O2 Academy, and a near capacity crowd of fans champing at the bit to see their heroes up close and personal.
With support from The Lottery Winners, the crowd were well primed for the evening ahead with the headliners, and they did not let their army of fans down. An eighteen track setlist included half a dozen tracks from the new record ‘How To Be A Person Like Other People’, their newest bunch of recordings since 2018’s ‘Love Is A Basic Need’. Lead singer Danny McNamara still sounding as soulful as ever, Embrace are one of the last great guitar bands of the 90’s music scene, and have a list of anthems as long as your arm.
Opening song for this evening’s show is the opener on the record, Death Is Not The End. An uplifting, rousing number to get the party started, if ever a track was needed. Followed by track two We Are It, both going down well with the Edinburgh crowd, it sets them up perfectly for the first mass karaoke of the evening, two early tracks from 1998. Come Back To What You Know and My Weakness Is None Of Your Business. Danny McNamara only has to start the first line and the crowd take over, big smiles all round. Both tracks from the debut album The Good Will Out and both top ten singles in the UK charts, fabulous music still sounding fresh today.
The band carries on working through the set with newer tracks such as Up and the title track How To Be A Person intertwined with older classics like Someday from the Out Of Nothing album, the bands number 2 single Nature’s Law from This New Day and debut single, another crowd pleaser All You Good Good People, which surely loosened a few tiles on the roof of the old building such was the noise of the backing singers in the crowd.
Three tracks would close the first act. Refugees, an absolutely beautiful version of Gravity, a song originally written and performed by Coldplay but given to the band who have made it their own, and lifting the mood again with set closer Ashes. The band left to a huge roar of approval from the Edinburgh crowd for a well-deserved break before returning for a four-track encore.
Last of the new tracks The Terms of My Surrender, 2000 single Save Me and finally two numbers from the 1998 debut album, Retread and the title track The Good Will Out, offering one last singalong with the audience helping out with the La-La’s at the end.
You always know what to expect with an Embrace gig. A good, honest band, great tunes, licks and vocals, some anthemic tunes lead singer Danny’s voice is perfect for, the accompanying band on point really make a terrific noise. The new music carries on the Embrace feel, and the older classics still sound fabulous performed live, and a singalong with the crowd doesn’t disappoint either.
You cant go wrong seeing the band in action, a great night of live indie music, and a top band who maybe don’t get the recognition their music richly deserves. Go see them and see what I mean.
Words and pictures: Stephen Wilson @steviewilson99