It was difficult to tell who was the main headliner at last night's show at the Uptown. Sure, Brand New was the last to take the stage and got the loudest crowd response. But the group was outperformed by Atlanta's Manchester Orchestra. Either way, both bands rocked hard and gave emotional performances.

The night started with Sybris, a quartet from Chicago. The band's lead singer, Angela Mullenhour, reminded me of a happy-go-lucky Bjork. Her vocals walked the line between the cathartic and the dainty. Unfortunately, she was the only saving grace for an average band playing gloomy tunes.

Manchester Orchestra followed and tore it up. I was fully expecting singer Andy Hull's crackly howls and the band's huge sagas to sound worse live, but I was pleasantly surprised. The band started with the slow-building "Pride" and went right into the fast-paced new single, "Shake It Out." All the while, keyboardist Chris Freeman put on a show of his own. The dude convulsed and banged his head like he was the drummer for Slipknot. Oh yeah, he played a second set of drums on occasion, too.

Manchester Orchestra's set was basically a performance of its sophomore album, "Mean Everything to Nothing," in a different order. "The River" provided a powerful finale in which Hull's vocals were especially moving.

Then came the 40-minute wait for Brand New. When the group finally came out, lead singer Jesse Lacey and Co. treated the audience to a few old favorites from 2003's "Deja Entendu" such as "Sic Transit Gloria... Glory Fades," "Jaws Theme Swimming" and "Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don't."

After about six songs, Lacey announced the band would play a few songs from the new album, "Daisy." I'd say about 10 or 15 percent of the audience promptly left. Those who stayed were treated to a great performance of "At The Bottom" near the end.

All in all, it was a pretty good show. However, I wouldn't be surprised if Brand New opened for Manchester Orchestra someday.