Blog — Page 267 of 277

The Unicorn is suffering from a severe lack of air con tonight, the tension in the air made all the palpable by the insane levels of heat and the anticipation for the very first UK performance by French black metal quintet The Great Old Ones. 

First though, are London based grind/tech/what the fuck is going on chaps Oblivionized who kick off tonights proceedings with a sub-fifteen minute aural assault. Wild groove and screams make up a good portion of the short time the trio spend on stage, but the lack of bass or a second guitar tends to give the music a little too much space on the stage. There's only so much one guitar and a drum kit can really do, but Oblivionized are not to be thwarted and time will only improve this set-up. The band are tight and work incredibly well together and this slight curiousity will likely give them that extra advantage over other bands of their ilk.

Next, Dutch black metal group Terzij de Horde take their place on the stage and vocalist Joost Vervoort extols such passion and fire, falling to the floor and reaching to the heavens for mercy. Terzij de Horde are glorious tonight, the highlight coming when they play their track "A Chosen Hollow" off a recent split with fellow countrymen Starve. It's a stark and moving piece that bodes well for, hopefully, more new material this year. Terzij de Horde cut their mesmerising tones with intense movements of speed and passages of sheer delight and it's obvious that those who didn't know of them before have come away from this experience with a new favourite act.

Finally, The Great Old Ones arrive on stage and within mere seconds have opened up torrents of pure, unadulterated magic. Playing songs from their debut Al Azif, a record so beautifully rendered through shades of H.P. Lovecraft worship and post-black metal moments of joy and horror that it quite rightly, is starting to be seen as one of the most affecting debuts of recent times. From the sublime "Jonas" to the grandly epic "Al Azif," The Great Old Ones show that they are desperately in control of their sound and their performance is as stunning in the live arean as it is on record. Long may they continue to call upon the Ancients and let us hope that they grace these shores and more in 2013. 

The view that Scene Point Blank has been afforded for tonight’s performance is beautiful, and the sea of heads below on the floor is all the more astonishing seen from the balcony area of the iconic Kentish Town Forum in London. Neurosis make a much welcomed and desperately sensual appearance as part of the All Tomorrow’s Parties series of events that are now held throughout the year and this time around they are joined by the industrially crushing tones of the mighty Godflesh.

Neurosis appear on the back of the slowly fired sounds of Honor Found In Decay, a record that saw them bring to the table a somewhat gentler side to the Neurosis palette whilst simultaneously overwhelming their audience with true and clear concepts of desolation. Godflesh are here to engulf those present with majestic beats and cries of pure disaster and Justin Broadrick shouts his way through a set list of wild and imposing pulses of sound and clamouring wails of guitar and drum machine.

Godflesh (8) suffer some regrettable sound issues at the beginning of “Love is a Dog from Hell” and those problems seem to continue and follow the duo through most of their layered set. Broadrick never sounds quite loud enough, although even from way up here, it looks as though he is savouring every tortured second. The screen behind Broadrick and bassist G.C.Green flits from disturbing and uncomfortable religious imagery to stark images of breakdown and Godflesh tailor their monumental rhythms to fit the disquieting atmosphere that curls around the Forum in shadows and throbs of motion. “Like Rats” is a massive and obvious fan-favourite and the band drop it into their set early which serves to heighten the tension as to what may come next. Godflesh are far from disappointing, which is made evident due to their time being cut short by their own hand as many attendees are still waiting to even get into the venue at the time Godflesh were billed to start. It’s a noticeable delay but “Streetcleaner” is as delightfully huge as “Crush My Soul” is wonderfully frenetic. “Christbait Rising” rages, “Weak Flesh” destroys and Godflesh dominate.

Neurosis (10) take to a stripped back stage, the band shrouded in darkness for much of the time having recently parted ways with their visual artist Josh Graham. Steve Von Till and Scott Kelly twist their words around harsh and often beautiful lines of guitar, their voices rough and edged with a distinct and powerful knowledge and the newer songs from Honor Found In Decay weave their way around older classics with a deadly and bittersweet melody. The vast sounds of “Times of Grace” punctuate the deep and affecting aura surrounding the band, their audience moving as one entity, completely entranced by the moments of pure and brilliant catharsis emanating from the stage. “At The Well” is gorgeously rendered and swirls with a heart-breaking melancholy, the lamentations falling from great height with sadness and utter hopelessness until it becomes almost too painful to continue. Neurosis are desperately heavy tonight and the repetitive passages of noise soon dig deeply into the subconscious. “We All rage in Gold” melts whilst “Given to the Rising” closes the evening on disgustingly drawn out screams of feedback. Neurosis leave the stage to cries of total agony – at their departure and at the dreadfully overpowering noise that flows from the instruments left to their own devices. Neurosis are supremely commanding tonight and prove once again that they are masters of their doomed destiny. Extraordinary. 

Minus the Bear and Cursive have been on tour for the past few months in support of their 2012 releases. Minus the Bear put out Infinity Overhead in August, while Cursive has been supporting I Am Gemini since February. The second leg of their tour is coming to a close but not before we had a chance to check out the show.

San Antonio's, Girl In a Coma, have been opening the show on this second leg of the tour. I didn't get to see much of their set, but they were energetic and fit for fans of Sleater-Kinney and Screaming Females. Up next were Cursive. They opened their set with I Am Gemini's, "This House Alive." They immediately jumped right into "Sierra" from their critically acclaimed, The Ugly Organ--at which point many attendees reacted with much excitement. I know I was excited. Often times, Kasher, will exaggerate the vocals--especially on older songs--but this was a pristine performance. Make no mistake though, he did do it later in the set. "Rise Up, Rise Up" made its way onto the setlist before another from their latest album, "Warmer, Warmer."

They decided to jump back to Domestica with "The Casualty." It's nice to see a band jump that far back into their catalog as a supporting band. I was pleased when I finally got to hear the band perform one of my favorites from, Mama, I'm Swollen--"Caveman." It was another one of the better performed songs from their set. They continue to promote I Am Gemini with one of its stronger tracks, "Drunken Birds." Cursive appease the fans in the crowd with "Art is Hard." The only downside was it was one of the songs where Kasher decided to overdo the vocals with a more guttural performance. After taking a shot, they go on with the show by playing the fast-paced "From the Hips." Of the songs they played, it seemed they enjoyed themselves most on this one. Maybe it was the shot or maybe they just love the song, haha. Either way, it was the most enjoyable moment of their set. Unfortunately, it was countered with one of their weaker songs, "The Sun and Moon." After playing The Ugly Organ's, "The Recluse," Kasher put his mic stand into the crowd--with himself following--and ended their set with fan-favorite, "Big Bang"with Kasher playing in the middle of the crowd.

After some time, Minus the Bear came out for their fastest selling show of the tour. Despite the many chances I've had to see Minus the Bear over the years, this was going to be my first time. Unfortunately, I wasn't too familiar with most of the material. However, it was great to hear a couple favorites of mine like, "The Game Needed Me" from Menos El Oso and "Absinth Party at The Fly Honey Warehouse," from Highly Refined Pirates. It was a bummer to notice not many people getting that into it. It was a Saturday night and the show was sold out. However, most of the crowd was standing around and hardly singing along. Minus the Bear put on a great show, but if that's how the fans are at their shows, I'd probably be more inclined to see them again in a venue with some seating. The tour is almost over, but if you're in the Northwest, you've still got a chance to catch it. It's a stacked line-up with some great musicians, so don't miss out.

Murder by Death have just begun to tour for their new album, Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon, by supporting pop-punk troop, Say Anything. It's an interesting combo and Murder by Death certainly come off as the runt of the tour line-up. However, they managed to pack their set with more fast paced befitting tracks from their catalog for the Say Anything fans.

I missed Tallhart, but made it just in time to catch Ohio's, The Sidekicks. I've been keeping an eye on this band since I heard their side of a split they did with Tigers Jaw. Not to mention, the band's been receiving more attention this year with their critically acclaimed, Awkward Breeds. It was nice to finally see them perform. They put on a fun and energetic set, and the crowd seemed to be into it.

Next up were Murder by Death. It wouldn't be my first time seeing them as a supporting band, but they were a bit more out of place on this tour. They opened their set with the new single, "I Came Around." I thought it was a solid introduction to the crowd of people who had never heard the band before. Much of their set consisted of singles and new tracks--following up with "Ball & Chain" and "Sometimes the Line Walks You (including the "Radar Love" interlude)." I don't know if it was the acoustics or them, but it sounded like they were a little off at first. They tightened things up as the set went on.

Frontman, Adam Turla, attempts to get a little crowd participation going as he introduces the next song, "The Curse of Elkhart." He demonstrates how the audience can get involved by singing the backing wails sung during the chorus. Fortunately the crowd decided to join in. Murder by Death then broke out Red of Tooth and Claw's lead single, "Fuego" before jumping into Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon's ardent track, "Hard World." Turla announced that they hadn't played the song very often, but I hope they get a bit more attached to it as it's a great song in a live setting and bound to become a fan-favorite. They continue to promote their new album with "Straight at the Sun" before jumping back to In Bocca Al Lupo's classic, "Brother."

Up until now, Murder by Death have ignored half their catalog. They decided to go back to Who Will Survive... for one track and play "Until Morale Improves, The Beatings Will Continue."  It's not much of a surprise that they pulled Like the Exorcist tracks out of their set, although it would have been nice to hear "I'm Afraid of Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe." Surprisingly though, they hadn't played a single track off their last record, Good Morning, Magpie. Just before they reach the end of their set, they play one more off Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon--"My Hill." It wasn't a song I expected them to play for the pop-punk crowd, but they didn't seem to be turned off by it. Even if they were, I'm sure they were brought back when they closed the set with "Comin' Home."

It was a solid set of songs that really get the point across of what Murder by Death are about. It would have been nice to see them stray away just a bit from singles, but there's no misunderstanding over why they didn't. Even without the theatrics of a headlining set, Murder by Death still put on an entertaining show. I hope they acquired some more fans and will continue to pick up more on the road. Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon, is out now (you can check out our review HERE). Pick it up. Learn the songs, and join them on tour and have a great time!

It's rare that you attend a show that feels like it has the weight of history riding on it, but seeing At The Drive-In play what is likely to be the final show of their reunion tour, 12 years after they originally split, certainly felt in that category.

The queue outside London's semi-legendary Brixton Academy on August 28th was the largest I've ever seen it at the venue, snaking all the way around to the murky street behind the club. Security was tight, with men and women being separated off for checking and random searches. Stumbling inside, the venue was already packed to the back walls with half an hour still to go before stage time.

A lot was riding on this show: while the band had already played the Reading and Leeds festivals the previous weekend, this was their first club show on UK soil in over a decade and the crowd were baying with excitement. Internet rumours had already warned me of the possibility that guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez might appear less-than-interested onstage, with cynics branding the tour "at the cash in". There was an air of anticipation and restlessness, then, when the boombox banner finally came floating down over the stage and The Flight of the Valkyries started over the PA.

Striding onstage to a hero's welcome came the five piece, Tony Hajjar warming up with some deafening rolls across his drumkit. Brixton Academy, for all its history, isn't famed for its sound quality, and even in these opening notes the sound felt overly laden with presence and reverb. Still: this was At The fucking Drive-In. 

Kicking off with - what else - "Arcarsenal", perhaps the definitive album opener, the crowd instantly became a maelstrom of whirling bodies. Almost immediately somebody climbed up and began crowdsurfing down the front: don't they know anything about this band? I wondered. If enigmatic frontman Cedric Bixler-Zavala noticed, he didn't say anything.

This opener was followed up in quick 1-2 punch fashion by a furious "Pattern Against User". I was struck by the absurdity of Bixler's lyrics for perhaps the first time in my decade plus of listening to the band - while it's no revelation that his wordsmithery has always veered on the wrong side of absurd, it takes things to an entirely new level to hear a drunken moshpit veteran bellow lines like "the opposition / can't feel the tentacle reach / suction cup the numb arms of the elderly" directly into your ear canal.

As this second song finished and everybody paused to wipe their sweating brows and figure out where their left shoe ended up, I stopped to wonder whether I was actually enjoying myself. In the early 2000s I was an avid collector of At The Drive-In bootlegs, having missed my chance to see them live first time around. I was intimately familiar with the standards of their live shows and could bore you to sleep with my opinions on, say, their performance of "Sleepwalk Capsules" in Bochum, Germany during 2001. This show wasn't like those shows.

Omar, as I'd feared, had spent the duration of the first few songs barely even facing the audience or acknowledging the crowd (a crowd which had, not to put too fine a point on it, paid over £30 ($47) for these tickets - breaking my own personal rule of never spending more than £20 ($31) on tickets for a show, for moral reasons). While it was a welcome change to hear him actually nailing the songs on his guitar, as opposed to some of his more chaotic live performances during the band's heydey, he could not have looked any less interested in what was going on. To Cedric's credit, he did what he could to throw himself around the stage and perform mic-stand acrobatics. Carrying the entire weight of the stage performance on his own must have been a real effort, particularly with the energy vacuum of Omar sucking all of the spontaneity out of proceedings in the corner of the stage.

A pleasant surprise came next, however: "Lopsided" from 1998's In/Casino/Out was beautifully rendered and hushed the somewhat aggressive crowd, whose need to thrash around markedly dropped off when pre-Relationship of Command songs were played.

(Photo by taylesrose)

Cedric mixed in some stage banter during the show, making British pop culture references to TV soaps and Doctor Who. He even had a brief onstage rant: against, er, people focusing on Facebook trivia. While I agree with the sentiment, it was a far cry from the man who used to rail against stagediving and "meathead" moshing. You grow old and you calm down...

Sound was muddy at times, with the intricacies of many of the RoC-era songs suffering from, perhaps, the sheer size of the Academy's main room. Some songs gained extended jam outros or middle sections, clearly a hallmark of the later bands spawned by the split. These were amongst some of the more interesting parts of the show as the band seemed to reimagine these songs for the first time in a decade, rather than simply go through the motions of one last hurrah.

While the setlist (below) was RoC-heavy, we also got the stark, raw beauty of "Napoleon Solo", rendered more poignant with Bixler's new vocal style, presumably informed by years of singing (not shouting) in The Mars Volta. This did have the effect of rendering some of the later-period songs a little less strongly, with the much-vaunted "Cosmonaut" (clip below) losing a little of its urgency as a result.

After a quick break they returned to the stage for another double punch: "Catacombs", followed by, of course, "One Armed Scissor". Guitarist Jim Ward introduced the final song with a brief eulogy to the band's career, explaining that they considered this show "the final show of the Relationship of Command tour", leading some to speculate after the show that this signified the end of the band's reunion. He finished by proclaiming his love for the rest of the band as "more than life itself", and with a lump in his throat, thanked us for coming out. Omar barely acknowledged the warmth of this heartfelt outpouring, although Cedric managed to beam with, perhaps, pride as his longtime compatriot closed the show.

Twitter reaction after the show ended was mixed: some fans claimed it was the greatest show they'd ever seen, while others proclaimed their sadness that it wasn't the band they'd once loved. 

Myself, I'm unsure. I think the notion that a "classic" band should be expected to reform a decade after their apex and continue on as normal is problematic. If Omar and Cedric had flung themselves around onstage like it was the Jools Holland Show all over again, critics would've described them as poor imitations. Nobody wanted to see a poor man's pastiche of a fabled At The Drive-In show, but equally, people expected to see a band enjoying themselves and celebrating a discography of genre-defining music. What I felt I got was a band finally, fatally, persuaded into stepping onto the comeback trail. For all Omar's apparent disinterest, he was presumably interested enough to be paid to play the shows. 

(Photo by Rahul Kukreja)

 The price of a ticket doesn't pay for the artist to become a performing monkey, but it does buy an experience, a shared occurence, a moment linked between artist and audience. Nursing my pit bruises as I walked home from the show, I wondered whether I'd had that experience. I'd heard some of my favourite songs performed with the best musical standards possible after 12 years on the shelf, sure. What I didn't get was a sense that I'd done the right thing by shelling out to see one of the bands I never thought I'd get to cross off my list. 

They say you should never meet your heroes, but maybe those heroes should take some responsibility, too.

Setlist

• Arcarsenal 
• Pattern Against User 
• Lopsided 
• Sleepwalk Capsules 
• Napoleon Solo 
• Quarantined 
• Enfilade 
• Rascuache 
• 198d 
• Chanbara 
• Metronome Arthritis 
• Pickpocket 
• Non-Zero Possibility 
• Cosmonaut 

Encore

• Catacombs 
• One Armed Scissor