January 22nd 2008

Arriving outside the University of Manchester Student Union on a rather rainy Tuesday night at about half past seven it seems apparent that the entire crowd for tonight's gig in Academy 2 has already turned up with the que weaving its way far down Oxford Road. The inside of the 900 capacity venue is decidedly drier, and by looking at the crowd you really wouldn't be able to tell you were there to see a man who is supposedly about as "emo" as it gets. Sure, there's the odd person in a Fall Out Boy t-shirt but the crowd seems somewhat maturer than was originally expected.

So, onto the music. Before going to the gig I'd heard Tournaments were supporting, who i was assured were a good upcoming British band definitely worth watching. For some reason i decided a beer would be a better idea and had a pint of Foster's (It's just been Australia day after all)- not the best kind of lager, but not too shabby none the less.

Having finished my drink, we headed into the Academy 2 again to search out a good place to stand. Whilst not a bad venue so to speak, at times the Academy 2 can seem like a watered down version of the far superior Academy 3 but tonight the venue seemed just right. Stepping out onto the stage Chris Carrabba received a round of applause that normally only follows a truly fantastic set - the crowd obviously glad to see him after years away from the UK except for a support slot on the recent Maroon 5 tour and brief sets at Reading & Leeds Festivals in 2006.

Opening with the rarely played 'A Sharp Hint of New Tears' Chris started his solo set the way it would continue. After years of absence from our shores many fans were hoping for something a little bit special. Chris told the crowd they would hear plenty more old songs and carried on the set with 'The Good Fight' and 'The Swiss Army Romance'. Chris hit all the high notes perfectly - often holding notes until the applause from the crowd mid song threatened to drown him out. The sound of just his voice and an acoustic guitar had a clarity to it that is rarely matched by any live musician. Every song was a huge hit with the crowd and each prompted a massive singalong. Between song banter was humorous and Chris came across very confidently, not only speaking too, but conversing with the crowd who were all too eager to ask for their favorite song or to say hi to the other band members back home.

Chris moved onto some more recent material from Dusk and Summer as well as new

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