Cage the Elephant at O2 Apollo Review

Performing with the same energy and adrenalin as their earliest shows, kindling the flame of excitement two decades after forming, is a rarity. Cage the Elephant has no problem doing so, as they show on their second night of the Neon Pill UK tour. They are a band that knows what the audience is there for. Hits, a few selections from the contemporary materials, and a stripped-back but still pumped-up showcase of their sound. O2 Apollo attendees in Manchester receive just that, and are as amped up as the band, if not more than ever. Make one more joke asking where the elephant is and you would find yourself launched over the balcony of this beautiful venue. Fail to stand for the encore and a man wearing double denim would no doubt launch himself over three rows. There is an intensity in the atmosphere, an excitement like no other.  

Tremendous energy is the cause of that. From the band to the fans to the opening acts, Girl Tones and Sunflower Bean, the latter a booming punk-like rock outfit with plenty of instrumental power. These are the well-timed moments ahead of Cage the Elephant, who hits the stage and from first song Broken Boy to show closer Come a Little Closer, simply does not stop. The most passive of listeners will know a handful of songs and if the mixing between instrumentals and vocals had been a tad sharper, the quality of Matt Shultz’s songwriting would boom through. It still does, on songs like Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked and Spiderhead, both receiving welcome cheers from the audience. Fresh material Neon Pill and Good Time, too, is well-received though just three songs from their latest album makes its way into the setlist. It is the fine line all artists must walk, between contemporary material and well-known hits.  

Many of those hits are reserved for the encore. What comes before it is a powerhouse performance from Shultz, who is keen to drag and slide his way around the stage after recovering from a broken foot. Rhythm guitarist Brad Shultz, too, is a delight. Stomping around the stage, diving from it and into the crowd, slamming his guitar on the floor and rendering it obsolete. He is the charming force which keeps Cage the Elephant progressing forward as a rock group with rooted punk energies. Their songs reflect this well, a series of wonderfully performed, instrumentally heavy material. They are a band with such a pumped-up energy that even those whose last encounter with the band was a few years ago can be taken along for the ride. Cry Baby and Sabertooth Tiger are welcome additions while Social Cues, their 2019 release, is given the same billing as Melophobia and Tell Me I’m Pretty, with five songs from each.  

Cage the Elephant is a blast. Their musical quality comes from the frenetic energy, and the off-kilter momentum which has carried the band and rarely ground to a halt over the last two decades. Their stage sharpness continues and, even when snubbing their latest release to fit in fan favourites, their dedication to a contemporary sound, to a fresh momentum from the band, is welcome. A quadruple encore set of Back Against the Wall, Shake Me Down, Cigarette Daydreams and Come a Little Closer is as volatile and exciting as it gets for the show. Perhaps the middle-aged man, clad in double denim and screaming at those behind him to “get the fuck up” had a point.