Night Three - Manchester Academy One - 29th January 2008 - Explosions In The Sky
Well, it was night three, and it was time for the highlight of the 5-by-5 spectacular: Explosions In The Sky.
The first pleasant surprise was a virtually sold out Manchester Academy One for a band that when it originally booked to play last year, had been given Academy Three to play in (a fraction of the size of number one). It would appear people have been catching on in serious numbers to the idea of post-rock Texan instrumental outfits.
E.I.T.S. is an unusual evening to attend in that you don't hear a single lyric - not a word spoken in musical anger all night, and frankly, it's refreshing and uplifting. What we're dealing with in E.I.T.S. is a seriously accomplished and highly talented set of musicians who through soaring guitar capabilities allow an individual within their crowd to quietly, silently even, ascend to the level of ether-rock (two nights of ether - it's like a Michael Caine movie about being a doctor on the Eastern Seaboard - answers on a postcard to that sneeky 'name that movie' link!). Reminiscent of the divine Mercury Rev on occasions, similar switches switched that a certain Robby Krieger can switch in me during a good show of his too, Explosions are a band committed to shutting you up and making you listen, not in concentration, but in breathed relief to finally be listening to some music that you know is aimed at grown-ups who know better.
I was massively impressed by these blokes who seem to play for pleasure and the kind of pleasure that comes from picking up a musical instrument and seeing just how far they can prod and poke it into bleeding out something never quite heard by human beings previously.
Come back soon Explosions, I could spend many an hour in a musical foetal position, letting your sounds flow over me.
No comments:
Post a Comment