Cage The Elephant - The O2 Ritz Manchester 20.02.2016

Straight away it is worth noting the demand for this show was so high that not only did it sell out, but the venue had to be upgraded. This is incredibly impressive but having never heard of Cage The Elephant before, are they deserving of the attention.

Short answer is yes.

But first lets talk about tonights support, Chrome Pony. The four piece hailing from Nashville warm their audience with some good old Rock & Roll. Instantly I draw on similaraties between them and T-REX. Their sound and style reminisent of America in the 80's. When I close my eyes I picture light blue record decks and brown flowery wallpaper. Like being lost within the world of the film 'Advertureland'.

Lead singer Tyler Davis's voice isn't by any means the strongest but is fitting for the genre. Overall they offer up a more than adequate 45 minutes set. While they might not tick all the boxes, they achieve what every support band aim to and have readied the crowd for tonights main act.

Now for Cage The Elephant. What entails after a few seconds of calm as they enter the stage can only be described as organised chaos. Lead, Matt Shultz, moves around the stage like a man possessed. Never stopping in any one spot for more than a second, he makes full use of The Ritz's vast stage.

His vocals are on point, made even more impressive by the fact he's never caught out trying to catch his breath or missing a word in favour of the next twist of his body. Their music dominates the room as clear hints of Blues melds with the more classic Rock & Roll. Strong guitar licks and graceful syth combine with Shultz's vocals to create a sense of euphoria for their fans. Their hands raised as high as the body will let them, swaying with the music. It's an impressive sight to behold.

The most interesting thing for me is having never heard of this band before, It becomes clear I am a minority. Tonight this sold out room is alive with the bouncing bodies of avid fans. Everyone singing along and losing themselves into the craziness unfolding on stage.

While I am not a massive fan of this genre, there is no denying Cage The Elephant have earnt their sold out show and venue upgrade.

I don't think I've ever felt this out of breath watching a show before.

Cage The Elephant - https://www.facebook.com/cagetheelephant/?fref=ts

Chrome Pony - https://www.facebook.com/cagetheelephant/?fref=ts