Deafheaven
22nd February 2019
Galatos, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review & Photography by Sarah Kidd.
Last night Californian post-metal five-piece Deafheaven touched down at Auckland’s Galatos, coming off the back of a sold-out Wellington show the night before which had generated rave reviews of their performance.
Wellington based support act Tuscoma have also been pulling some rather favourable reviews of their own; last night’s performance no doubt adding to the ever-growing haul. The duo consisting of Kurt Williams and Joe Wright (formally known as Hollywoodfun Downstairs) are like a full-fledged assault on the senses, one that makes you lick the blood from the cut on your lip and go straight back in for more.
Wright is the machine behind the drum kit, the wall of percussion he produces so precise and clean that you can discern each thrilling and cleverly constructed part. Wright and Williams are like two halves of one whole, Wright often watching Williams over the top of his cymbals in order to marry together points within a song in perfect symmetry. The powerhouse behind both the mic and the guitar, Williams – his long-sleeved uniform of black almost drenched by the time the set ends – is utterly vociferous is his performance. Wild eyes and bared teeth loom from underneath a veil of hair, his fingers feverishly working the strings as he screams into the microphone.
While fans of Tuscoma’s work would have recognised both ‘Aerial Views over Barcelona’ and ‘Groma’ from their 2018 album Arkhitecturenominus, much of their set may have sounded like unfamiliar territory. This was because many of the songs that the set comprised of were brand new, some – as later divulged by Williams – only in their second week of infancy. It’s a bold move by Tuscoma, a move that paid off judging by the reception to tracks such as ‘Nothing is Forever’, Aperture Unknown’ and ‘Ever Normal?’ by the crowd. Tuscoma once again proving to be a compulsory addition to any list of must see live bands.
As the stage was quickly turned over, Drab Majesty’s ’39 by Design’ serenaded the crowd from the surrounding speakers; a rather befitting choice of music considering that the dark wave duo had not only recently opened for Deafheaven at their sold-out New York, Brooklyn Steel show but had delivered a sold-out performance of their own here in Auckland just last month.
Despite the fact that Deafheaven consists of five members, each of whom is an integral cog in the mechanism of their live performances; it is hard to tear your eyes from vocalist George Clarke. Cloaked in murky blue lighting, he reaches out to those in the front row, the light glistening off his above the elbow black latex gloves. In stark contrast his sleeveless white Pet Shop Boys t-shirt pushes back against the darkness, his form becoming a pivotal visual beacon. Straight into ‘Brought to the Water’ from their 2015 New Bermuda album, Deafheaven exploded across the stage, each element from the kick drums to Clarke’s shrieking vocals meshing together to create crescendos of sonic waves that at times unexpectedly broke off into separate rivers of their own.
The black metal band that isn’t, Deafheaven’s sound has been influenced by genres such as blackgaze – one that is often associated with French band Alcest (who have also visited our shores recently) – and screamo, melodic instrumental breakdowns often punctuating epically long tracks. Their latest album Ordinary Corrupt Human Love has been receiving critical acclaim, many stating that this is the record where Deafheaven sound most comfortable within their own realms of being who they want to be, resolute in their beliefs of defying pre-conceived notions of genre. This secureness resonates throughout their live performances, each band member’s delivery from the guitars of Kerry McCoy and Shiv Mehra through to the drum lines of Daniel Tracy done so effortlessly and with a sense of internal fulfillment. Continuing with work from New Bermuda ‘Come Back’ drew the fans in with its haunting guitar chords, before unleashing chaos upon their heads, Clarke leaning out over the stage and leering at them while clawing at the air before him.
In between these early opening tracks Clarke would curl himself around the microphone stand, his torso undulating with the surrounding dark ambience that Deafheaven create so well. Thanking both the Auckland fans and Tuscoma, Clarke introduced the Grammy Award nominated ‘Honeycomb’ from OCHL, audible cries of ‘yes’ echoing throughout the room, a small but voracious mosh pit soon opening in front of the barrier.
While their sets may not consist of many tracks – seven to eight being the standard – due to both their length and the intricate musical journey they take the listener on, fans are guaranteed to be left well sated – tracks from the Sunbather album like the icing on the cake.
Having proven that from tumultuous times can come the seeds of magic, their growth as a band has been validated across both their albums and their shows. Continuing to push their own boundaries and rules of conformance, expect even bigger things from Deafheaven in the future.
Were you there at Galatos for this intense blackened post-metal gig? Or have you seen Deafheaven perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
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