COUNTING CROWS

Manchester Apollo

IN spite of a low profile and lack of recent chart success in this country, Counting Crows captivated full houses on their sell-out tour of the UK.

Adam Duritz, with his usual black and dreadlocked hair resembling a cross between a Shakesperian actor and a Musketeer, fronted the band with a mixture of charisma and panache, along with an over-the-top display of his own melancholy angst. Following the strange opening - the psychedelic sounds of the Beatles' Sgt Pepper - they treated the audience to a mixture of songs from their two earlier albums and their latest release This Desert Life.

Highlights included the haunting Amy Hit The Atmosphere, Round Here given a new intro and medley of songs in the middle, Highlife and the new single Mrs Potter's Lullaby.

The set ended with Hanginaround, the last single.

To the cheers of the audience, the Crows were soon back on stage for an encore of Speedway, Long December and Walkaway.

SUE FOSTER

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