Review: Breathtaking show from Brett Anderson and Paraorchestra is "what Aviva Studios was made for"

While we all wait with somewhat bated breath for the completion of the £365m Co-op Live arena, music fans can take heart that Manchester’s previous newest opening, the £242m Aviva Studios, is bedding in nicely to the city’s cultural life.

Set up as the home of bold arts organisation Factory International, the venue's aim is to offer up something a little different, more ambitious, often a little more challenging, than your regular big ticket acts at the bigger arenas in town.

And it was simply made for gigs like this one - the breathtaking beauty of Brett Anderson and Paraorchestra delivering a rare treat on Friday night.

READ MORE: Review: Adrienne Lenker is mesmerising at Aviva Studios

Suede frontman Brett has collaborated with Paraorchestra, the musical collective formed in 2011 to showcase the talents of disabled and non-disabled musicians together, on the new album Death Songbook. It features a range of haunting covers of songs, as the title suggests, all with the theme of death within them.

Not that you'd describe this as a morbid gig in any way shape or form. While everyone sits politely for the opening rich drama of Brett singing Echo and the Bunnymen's The Killing Moon, there's a rush to the stage by the second when Brett himself encourages his fans to "come on down if you want" to the front.

"Don't be shy, your mother wasn't," he quipped as the more dedicated fans decided to relinquish their oh-so cosy yellow seats inside The Hall here for the chance to gawp up at Brett at the stage front. Not that this particularly delighted the Aviva Studio's security team, who at times tried to disperse the fairly small crowd at varying intervals through the show.

They even asked Paraorchestra's founder Charles Hazelwood to make an announcement at one stage that orgaisers were urging people back to their chairs for "health and safety". It was greeted by the impsih Brett shrugging, looking at his adoring fans and archly saying: "We didn't hear that".

While Paraorchestra boasts some 50 members, it's a smaller ensemble performing alongside Anderson on this mini-tour of just two dates to celebrate the album's release. We should feel very lucky that Manchester was one of them.

Britpop's founding frontman Brett, aging like a ridiculously fine wine at 56, cuts the dashing figure at the heart of stage, grey skinny jeans and black shirt clinging to his lean form. He introduces each song with a bit of a chat with the crowds, things like “I don’t know what this song is about but it’s a nice song so I thought I’d include it” before launching into the sombre organ intro to Nightporter by Japan.

What makes this gig particularly memorable is the discordant melody of the orchestra - things like metal chains dragged over the cymbals and drums to give the effect of the fairground ride on the big screen during Nightporter. Indeed the percussion section as a whole worked magically to tangle a ripple of sound around every song.

Naturally with the theme of these songs there are emotional moments. The loss of Brett's mother was the inspiration for She Still Leads Me On from Suede's most recent album which is given an early, celebratory outing in the show.

The Next Life, from Suede's debut album, was also in her honour, and his stunning delivery is one of this show's many standout moments.

He's joined on stage by Welsh singer Gwenno, a vision in green, for another moving section in the show. The intensity of their duet on Mercury Rev's Holes was quite simply electric.

The sizzling tension is pierced when they follow it with their duet of Depeche Mode's Enjoy the Silence where we are all cheerily encouraged to sing along.

Brutal Lover, written by Brett and Charles especially for Death Songbook, is also another haunting goosebumps moment.

Suede fans get to see the Brett they know and love when he transforms back into the hip shaking, fringe flicking frontman for old 1990s B Side He's Dead.

Bringing the show to its close, Brett delivers a powerful final message about what the show is ulitmately all about.

"This has been such a fun project and I've absolutely loved it," he says. "Even though the material is quite bleak, it has been life-affirming in so many ways. And what a brilliant concept the Paraorchestra is, it's a beautiful and inclusive concept."

He concludes: "Life is a wonderful thing and death just teaches us how wonderful it is."

They return to stage to receive their standing ovation, with Brett apologising that they "don't have enough songs for an encore, so here's The Killing Moon again". He could have ripped back through the entire setlist all again and we'd have lapped it up.

Setlist

The Killing Moon

She Still Leads Me On

Nightporter

Unsung

The Next Life

The End of the World (with Gwenno)

Holes (with Gwenno)

Enjoy the Silence (with Gwenno)

Brutal Lover

He’s Dead

My Death

Wonderful Life

ENCORE

The Killing Moon