Manchester Orchestra

To celebrate and support the release of their fourth full-length album, Cope, Atlanta rockers Manchester Orchestra are set to return to Australian shores.

Despite this being the fifth time they’ve toured here. “We still get excited every time and we know nobody will be disappointed with this show,” says lead singer, Andy Hull.

In a change of pace the band decided to self-produce Cope. “We all felt that we were at a certain point where it was necessary to branch out and try to create something large on our own,” Hull continues. “It definitely had its hurdles but overall it was a great experience.”

The album was produced in their private studio, which they built themselves in a refurbished house. Hull describes how both of these events both challenged and complemented each other.

“I use the analogy that every record is sort of like building a house in that it takes time, patience and a good attitude. This time though we found ourselves literally building a house. Although it was quite challenging, ultimately the whole process was incredibly gratifying and rewarding. [It was great] to stand back and say, ‘Wow, we just did that’, and I still get that feeling every time I go to the studio.”

By having this new sense of freedom the band was once again able to explore and develop their sound to produce a record that is vastly different from their previous release, Simple Math.

“Every record we’ve ever released sounds different from each other and that’s something we’ve always strived to do. We don’t ever want to repeat anything we’ve done before. With our third record we went pretty far off into the deep end experimenting with different instruments [in order] to go as far sonically as we could at the time, yet our fans still seemed to enjoy it, so that was reassuring. With Cope we wanted to continue to push the envelope and make the type of rock album that seems to be missing these days, so this is hard-hitting and brutal with every track,” says Hull.

“[The shows are heavy, loud, intense, high-energy performances that are a lot of fun,” he explains. “We have a great time performing them.” For support, fellow American Kevin Devine will be making the trip down under.

Hull suggests that fans may also be in for a special treat with a performance by his side project with Devine, Bad Books. (JA)

Nov 15, Metro Theatre, 624 George St, Sydney, $51.89+bf, ticketek.com.au