Paraorchestra with Brett Anderson, Charles Hazlewood & Gwenno: Death Songbook, Aviva Studios Manchester, Review

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Fri 26 Apr 2024

A concert with a title like Death Songbook may have sounded like a hard-sell but there were hardly any empty seats at the 1,600+ Hall at Manchester’s Aviva Studios .

With the members of the Paraorchestra in place, Brett Anderson walked on stage wearing a dark shirt and light-coloured trousers and launched into The Killing Moon by Echo and the Bunnymen.

"Are there any Suede fans here tonight?" he asked, after a few songs. The cheer that went up was confirmation that seeing the band’s lead singer was what had brought so many to the former Granada Studios on a Friday night.



At times I felt that Brett Anderson’s flamboyant, falsetto style detracted from the essence of the songs. His vocal performances were most impressive when he was accompanied by a solo instrument - a guitar or by Charles Hazlewood on piano, on Brutal Lover, a song they had co-written.

Charles Hazlewood is the Artistic Director of Paraorchestra - which was set up with the aim of being more inclusive of musicians who identify as disabled, playing alongside those who don’t.



Having seen Charles Hazlewood and Paraorchestra present a chatty, informative concert about the Minimalist genre a few years ago, at Bridgewater Hall, I would have liked to have heard more from him on the night. But as the Death Songbook unfolded it became apparent that it was made up mainly of 1980s and 1990s numbers, by acts including Mercury Rev, Japan, Depeche Mode and Colin Vearncombe (1962 – 2016).

It wasn't a wide-ranging historical overview of how composers and songwriters have been influenced by the subject matter of mortality. It was more a personal selection of songs, with a death-related theme and a celebration, as Brett Anderson said towards the end of the show, of how we must affirm life because "we don’t have much time."

It was great to see him welcome Gwenno to the stage, for the middle section of the show. She was a member of the short-lived but much-missed The Pipettes. Wearing a green dress, she duetted with Anderson, in a voice that was less about volume and more about precision.

Gwenno was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize for her 2022 Cornish-language album Tresor. Brett Anderson won the award with Suede in 1993.



But overall, it was a Brett Anderson solo show, held together by his lithe charisma. Paraorchestra provided a driving accompaniment, in new arrangements by Charlotte Harding. The woodwind instruments were used particularly effectively, to add musical colour.

Before the main act, we heard from The Breath . I have always enjoyed their performances at Tib Street’s Matt & Phred’s live venue. I was pleased to see that they lost none of their impact in a larger space, with Stuart McCallum’s intricate guitar playing and Ríoghnach Connolly’s soaring vocals and witty introductions

Paraorchestra with Brett Anderson, Charles Hazlewood & Gwenno: Death Songbook!
The Hall, Aviva Studios, Water Street, Manchester, M3 4JQ Friday 26 April 2024

Avivas Studios opened in 2023. For future events click here.



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