WORDS DESH KAPUR / IMAGES SAM JONES
The Good Will Out 25th Anniversary Tour.
FOR ALL YOU GOOD GOOD PEOPLE!!!!!
Embrace celebrate the 25th anniversary of their debut album ‘The Good Will Out’ with a 13-date UK tour and here we are at The Academy in Manchester to see them play their in seminal album in full, along with their greatest hits
Released in 1998, ‘The Good Will Out’ became one of the fastest selling debut albums by a British artist, certified Gold on day of release and charting at number 1 in the UK album chart. The album achieved Platinum status in the year of release and has gone on to sell over half a million copies in the UK alone.
The album spawned three Top 10 singles, ‘All You Good Good People’, ‘Come Back To What You Know’ and ‘My Weakness Is None Of Your Business’ together with two other Top 40 hits, ‘One Big Family’ and ‘Fireworks’.
So it begins. The band walks on stage, looking very relaxed and a little blown away by the roar from the sold-out Academy crowd. This band really is loved.
And tonight it’s one big sing-along, right the way through from the first notes of “All You Good Good People” to the last notes of “The Good Will Out” and the all songs in between from their first album. These songs are truly loved.
The interaction with the audience is relaxed and friendly, just like old mates having a party and do you know what, I think that’s exactly what it was.
I sometimes wonder if Embrace didn’t get the critical accolades they deserved. They are a very, very good band that have written some of the most iconic songs of the nineties. Danny McNamara’s vocals are very underrated; sometimes he has a vulnerability to his voice, which is quite special.
Embrace are one of the true great bands to emerge from the nineties. The songs have stood the test of time and the on tonights showing the band has too, still making relevant music now.
So the love-in came to an end and Embrace came back on for the obligatory encore of some of the classic tracks from other albums, and everyone left happy and content. As for me I went home and ordered the album on vinyl, to add to my collection.
SET LIST
1/ INTRO
2/ ALL YOU GOOD GOOD PEOPLE
3/ MY WEAKNESS IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS
4/ COME BACK TO WHAT YOU KNOW
5/ ONE BIG FAMILY
6/ HIGHER SIGHTS
7/ RETREAD
8/ I WANT THE WORLD
9/ YOU’VE GOT TO SAY YES
10/ FIREWORKS
11/ THE LAST GAS
12/ THAT’S ALL CHANGED FOREVER
13/ NOW YOU’RE NOBODY
14/ THE GOOD WILL OUT
ENCORE
15/ WE ARE IT 1
6/ REFUGEES
17/ DRY KIDS
18/ GRAVITY
19/ ASHES
FOLLOW EMBRACE
My life is a soundtrack, i track my life through music, photography is my passion, my escape, my expression. Without both i have pieces missing, thankfully i’m blessed and get to combine both.
Born in Manchester, lived in Australia for 22 years where i was heavily involved in the Australian Music Industry, firstly in bands (Singer) and then managing bands (all original), I moved back to the UK, Wales specifically 10 years ago
