Somehow this tour had only been in the back of my mind as happening somewhere in late October somewhere in Hamburg. Since I had already been quite busy this month I initially didn't even consider going there - until I did. After I realized that I had spend less money on merch than expected so far, I got curious on Monday night. Where was it again? Uebel & Gefährlich? Knust? Ah, Grünspan - haven't been there since December 2017! And even though the venue would be crowded the following night I luckily still got a ticket at around 1 AM.
(Maybe that was due to Paradise Lost also playing in Hamburg the same night - or it was karmatic balance for me missing out on tickets for The Hirsch Effekt coming Saturday, which is very annoying, since they're playing right here in Ruralistan, actually only a couple of minutes from my workplace in Aukrug... damnit.)
Only three hours later - if you don't count sleep, commuting and office- I was already on my way to Hamburg, so I wouldn't miss the quite early doors open.
(Maybe that was due to Paradise Lost also playing in Hamburg the same night - or it was karmatic balance for me missing out on tickets for The Hirsch Effekt coming Saturday, which is very annoying, since they're playing right here in Ruralistan, actually only a couple of minutes from my workplace in Aukrug... damnit.)
Only three hours later - if you don't count sleep, commuting and office- I was already on my way to Hamburg, so I wouldn't miss the quite early doors open.
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| SLOW CRUSH |
Speaking of 2017. That was also the year I spontanously decided to change my Roadburn running order and found myself being enchanted by a rather unknown Belgian band on the smallest stage in the Cul de Sac.
Slow Crush have had quite a journey since then, but musically they didn't change their course. So finally meeting them again my perception of the quartet unsurprisingly hasn't changed much. The idea is the same, the execution got better, as the band has gained a lot of experience and confidence.
They are still so quintessentially just Heavy Shoegaze that I can't find much else to say about them. To be honest, the band name really does almost all the work for me. Their show was weighty and weightless, here, now and far away, floating in a faint beautiful dream. Wonderful.
Slow Crush have had quite a journey since then, but musically they didn't change their course. So finally meeting them again my perception of the quartet unsurprisingly hasn't changed much. The idea is the same, the execution got better, as the band has gained a lot of experience and confidence.
They are still so quintessentially just Heavy Shoegaze that I can't find much else to say about them. To be honest, the band name really does almost all the work for me. Their show was weighty and weightless, here, now and far away, floating in a faint beautiful dream. Wonderful.
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| GGGOLDDD |
My third time seeing Gggolddd in the flesh - and it has always been different. But since on this tour they were only playing songs from their incredibly moving and important allbum "This Shame Should Not Be Mine" plus their recent EP "PTSD", which follows the same electronic premise, the stylistic gap between the breathtaking "Shame" premiere at Roadburn last year and this recent show wasn't that drastic. There still was one though, because the Dutch band showed up with a sparse line-up of just four members. Switching instruments between synths, electronic drum pads and guitars brought some variety from song to song, but overall this was Gggolddd at their most minimalist (if you don't count unplugged performances).
It suited the material and once again put the presence of singer Milene Eva very much in focus, as she sang about her harsh personal experiences. I loved it, but I must admit that the show didn't resonate with everyone as much. And despite all the respect I feel for this band I hope that they will find back to - not necessarily the Post Everything Rock sound of before, but to a larger format nonetheless. Because as sufficing their approach is right now, their other shows were ultimately much stronger and I don't see very much room for further exploration of this small Electronica incarnation of the band.
It suited the material and once again put the presence of singer Milene Eva very much in focus, as she sang about her harsh personal experiences. I loved it, but I must admit that the show didn't resonate with everyone as much. And despite all the respect I feel for this band I hope that they will find back to - not necessarily the Post Everything Rock sound of before, but to a larger format nonetheless. Because as sufficing their approach is right now, their other shows were ultimately much stronger and I don't see very much room for further exploration of this small Electronica incarnation of the band.
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| CULT OF LUNA |
Ok, let's put it out there: Concerning Cult of Luna's studio work I have developed kind of a spoiled snobbish attitude. It's just not quite enough for me to sit down and listen to. Something's missing - and that something's probably for a great part Julie Christmas. Their collaboration and its live performance have raised the bar quite high. But of course the Norwegian wall of Post Metal powerhouse still is a very worthwhile live experience on its own, too.
In this tour package Cult of Luna were also a logical culmination, because it felt like you put the sound of both very different support bands Slow Crush and Gggolddd together - and then put their own ultra heavy hypnotic riff might, epic long track form and Johannes Persson's brutal growl on top of it.
Speaking of the frontman: For a band which always performs as silhouettes, with all the spots and stroboscopic effects pointed at the audience, his stagehand had to readjust his cable and mic stand quite often, because he messed it up during Rock star posing, haha.
Boy, have I been fucking spoiled this month! It sounds and also feels a little arrogant to notice that I've seen at least two - maybe three - shows recently, which were definitely even more colossal than this mountainous Post Metal asteroid. But if you don't have the comparison to Laibach's "Alamut" and Swans yourself and call me a delusional fantasist now - I get it. Because, man, what a force are these six guys!
Cult of Luna (without Julie) still won't be an album band for me soon though. Technically they bring enough variety with interesting rhythmic shifts (always convenient to have two drummers) and atmospheric layering, but apart from my favorite tracks of the night, there's still a lot of stuff, where the songwriting and the constant over the top aggressive yelling just doesn't speak to me much.
It's a huge, enormously impressive facade, which does a fantastic job of intimidating and overwhelming you if you experience it towering in front of you live, but I'm not sure if there's always actually a lot of depth behind it. Or in simpler words: It's just not for always and everwhere for me, so even though I highly enjoyed the show, I was also glad that it ended when it did, just in time before it became a task.
So that was my Tuesday night this week. Pretty awesome. Clearly one of the most well spent this year. Would gladly watch all three bands once again.
In this tour package Cult of Luna were also a logical culmination, because it felt like you put the sound of both very different support bands Slow Crush and Gggolddd together - and then put their own ultra heavy hypnotic riff might, epic long track form and Johannes Persson's brutal growl on top of it.
Speaking of the frontman: For a band which always performs as silhouettes, with all the spots and stroboscopic effects pointed at the audience, his stagehand had to readjust his cable and mic stand quite often, because he messed it up during Rock star posing, haha.
Boy, have I been fucking spoiled this month! It sounds and also feels a little arrogant to notice that I've seen at least two - maybe three - shows recently, which were definitely even more colossal than this mountainous Post Metal asteroid. But if you don't have the comparison to Laibach's "Alamut" and Swans yourself and call me a delusional fantasist now - I get it. Because, man, what a force are these six guys!
Cult of Luna (without Julie) still won't be an album band for me soon though. Technically they bring enough variety with interesting rhythmic shifts (always convenient to have two drummers) and atmospheric layering, but apart from my favorite tracks of the night, there's still a lot of stuff, where the songwriting and the constant over the top aggressive yelling just doesn't speak to me much.
It's a huge, enormously impressive facade, which does a fantastic job of intimidating and overwhelming you if you experience it towering in front of you live, but I'm not sure if there's always actually a lot of depth behind it. Or in simpler words: It's just not for always and everwhere for me, so even though I highly enjoyed the show, I was also glad that it ended when it did, just in time before it became a task.
So that was my Tuesday night this week. Pretty awesome. Clearly one of the most well spent this year. Would gladly watch all three bands once again.
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