This Will Destroy You + Gleam @ The Rainbow, 29th April, 2016
I’ve been very deprived of live music over the last 6 months so it was good to get back into the swing of things with a trip to The Rainbow to go check out Post-Rock stalwarts This Will Destroy You . The last time I saw the Texan based band was in Vancouver a few years ago so I was looking forward to be destroyed by that almighty wall of noise once again.
Having had a slight memory deficit with forgetting how far up The Rainbow was I missed the first support band. I did get a chance to see local Brummie band Gleam though, they’ve been described as anthemic shoegaze which sums up their live show very well. A highly enjoyable set that was very well received by the crowd with some big guitars and big vocals, I can see them doing very well.
The main reason we were all there though was to take in the majesty that is This Will Destroy You live. The room is full with what must be a near sell out crowd and as the band take the stage a hush descends over the room, bracing themselves for the onslaught of post rock goodness that is about to happen in front of us.
Now I’m a massive fan of the post-rock genre and sometimes months go by without me listening to anything else, I just love how the bands create these huge soundscapes and TWDY are masters of the craft. In terms of the stage set-up its a very low key affair, one of the guitarists stays seated to the side of the stage for the duration of the set whilst the bassist and other guitarist sport some nifty head torches rarely acknowledging the crowd. It doesn’t matter though, their music is almost transcendental throwing up images of dystopian universes and apocalyptic wastelands.
They open with ‘Dustism’ off their 2014 record ‘Another Language’, its a slow burner like many of their songs are and you can just stand and let the waves of music wash over you. The set mostly consists of songs off ‘Another Language’ which I have never really managed to get into but hearing the songs live is a different matter, the layers of sounds and the brutality of the drums and guitars has me nodding my head and unable to stop my foot tapping the beat out on the floor.
‘Grandfather Clock’ is keyboard heavy and effect laden and is almost a palate cleanser for the ears, they follow it with ‘Killed the Lord, Left for the New World which is a beautiful piece of ambient music, the beat of the snare drum is reminiscent of a military drummer rallying the troops for battle. The band are nearing the end of the set and they start rounding things off with ‘New Topia’ a song which is both beautiful and brutal. They bow out with the anthemic ‘A Three Legged Workhouse’ followed by my favourite ‘Quiet’ which is anything but. The crowd show their appreciation for what has just unfolded before them and I leave The Rainbow with my ears ringing, my ear drums paying the price for my love of all things post rock.
Reviewer: Hannah Sebestjanowicz