65DaysOfStatic + Loops Haunt + Nedry @ Birmingham Academy 2, 5th May 2010
Post-rock/Electronica/Instrumental, whatever you want to define them as 65DaysOfStatic are here tonight in Birmingham to treat the eager audience to a mind-blowing performance.
First up are Nedry. I literally arrived at the venue just as they were going off stage so can’t say much about them!
I did however catch Loops Haunt; one man, a laptop and a mixing desk are an interesting proposition. With no verbal introduction just a thumbs up to the crowd he heads straight into a set heavy on sampled beats and bass. Not something I would ever listen to normally and probably more suited to a club night environment rather then a gig. Suffering from a few technical glitches which he successfully shook off it took a while for the crowd to get into it but by the end there were a heads nodding appreciating the sounds emanating from the speakers.
Last of all it’s the turn of the Sheffield noisemakers 65DaysOfStatic and they are more than up to the task of closing the show. Tonight the music spoke for itself, devoid of any fancy backdrop just some fancy lighting 65dos showed Birmingham why they are one of the forerunners in the Post-Rock genre. Seamlessly mixing synths with jagged guitars and formidable drumbeats it was an intense hour or so of music.
Their latest album is aptly titled ‘We Were Exploding Anyway’ and that’s true for tonight as they put on a truly stellar show dropping new tracks ‘Crash Tactics’ and ‘Dance, Dance, Dance’ among others. It has to be said that crowd was fairly tame with only the middle section at the front going crazy but you get what you put into it when you watch a band, some like to move around and others like to take it all in. I found the middle ground and although may have looked slightly odd managed to enjoy the set immensely. Older tracks as expected went down much better with the crowd with the likes of ‘Radio Protector’ whipping up a storm.
Special mention has to go to drummer Rob Jones who was an absolute powerhouse behind the kit playing with such intensity I’m surprised he was still standing by the end. There were times when Simon Wright seemed possessed by his bass, which made for interesting viewing.
If you haven’t seen them before or haven’t even come across them I recommend you check them out live because as good as they are on record it is totally overshadowed by the intensity and ferocity of the tracks live. Plus it’s a well know fact that everything sounds better loud!
Review – Hannah Sebestjanowicz
Photos – Ian Dunn