Eleanor Colligan 

The second thing I noticed upon walking into the Manwolves concert at Thalia Hall was that the hall was bathed in blue smoke, making the excited crowd before me appear ethereal in constraint with the red stage. The first thing I noticed, though, was the fact that there was a trumpet player on stage. I’ve personally never been to a concert with a trumpet player, so I was immediately curious what I was in store for (spoiler alert: I was not disappointed) 

The band started off with one of their oldest hits, “Shkleepy,” from their 2018 album “A Safety Meeting.” The crowd, filled with old and young people alike, was alive and ready to dance to the jazzy song. The trumpet added a fun, unpredictable quality to the music, keeping the audience engaged. After playing more genre-bending songs, the band played “Ghosts In the Graveyard.” Though a stark contrast from the earlier songs the crowd was moshing to, the transition to a slower  song was seamless, and I really enjoyed the change of pace. 

After playing more songs from their 2021 album “Sleeping In,” the Manwolves announced they were going to conclude their set with throwback song “These Days,” of which the audience proceeded to show they knew all the lyrics to. 

Upon deafening demands of an encore from the crowd, the Manwolves quickly got ready to perform again, first encouraging the crowd to chant for musician Ruby Laporta, a frequent collaborator for the Manwolves. After a moment Ruby appeared, gracing the stage with her dreamy vocals while performing her and the band’s song “Internet Child.” 

Even though at times it was hard to make out the lyrics, the energy and funkiness the Manwolves brought to the stage is something I won’t soon forget. Also, now I firmly believe that trumpets should be in all music groups.