Montreal’s finest purveyors of sophisticatedly doom-laden post-rock have a reputation for intense live shows that dominate the senses of their adoring cult fan-base.
This stunning audio-visual feast further cemented that if such a thing was needed.
Colchester roots enthusiasts Dead Rat Orchestra offered a charmingly idiosyncratic take on traditional drinking songs and shanties. Usually a trio but here a duo, harmonium, drums and howling vocals teetering on the edge of ridiculous combined wonderfully for a distorted, atmospheric take on folk music.
The headliners’ two-hour instrumental set begun with perhaps their greatest achievement, the truly immense onslaught of the cacophonous Mladic, accompanied with bleak imagery of urban, rural and moral decay from an old analogue projector.
A first half consisting of similarly domineering numbers in the form of We Drift Like Worried Fire and the insidious crawl of Piss Crowns Are Trebled soon gave way to a somewhat prettier, though just as intricate second half.
The shrilly beautiful Sleep soared to deafening heights, whilst fan favourite East Hastings provided an epic wall of sound for this memorable set’s calamitous climax.
A lengthy static hum as the crowd dispersed felt like externalised ringing in the ears, the satisfying after-shock of a truly spectacular display.
Five stars
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