On a bracing mid winter Auckland night the Powerstation was heaving with anticipation at the arrival of US BlackGaze act Deafheaven and they didn’t disappoint.
Melding shoegaze, black metal and post metal into something bigger than its parts.
Drawing largely on their latest album ‘Lonely People with Power’, Deafheaven’s live sound envelops the audience and is far bigger than five men have any right to make.
From the opening tracks Incidental 1 and Doberman, the table is set with the dual guitars of Kerry McCoy and Shiv Mehra locking in and building a mesmeric wave of sound that undulates like a tide. The understated playing of Dan Tracy behind the kit knits into the sound with Chris Johnson’s bass playing the key connector almost acting like a conductor for the band.
‘Like a screamed whisper’ is the best way I can describe the work of vocalist George Clarke, who is relentlessly bouncing, cajoling and engaging the crowd. His vocal performance on the night was intricate, so many nuances contained within that strangled fury and dissonance.
The dynamics the band uses really highlight just how tight they are and the journey they take the crowd on is epic. The wall of sound has the Powerstation moving as one on an aural swell then without warning tracks like Amethyst and Magnolia take sharp left turns that blow the hair back and you can feel the collective ‘woe’ of the audience as they move with it.
Deafheaven live is an experience, something that happens too you and musically they move through their set like an orchestra constructs movements. The crew needs to be acknowledged as well, the lighting and sound were perfect and added to a complete sensory experience.
Props to opening act Erase Everything who performed with the understated ease of a kiwi supergroup.
Fronted by Bleeders main man Angelo Munro and with former members of Shitripper, Crap Date and Fever Lake, Erase Everything were an interesting choice for the bill given they’re sound is a different proposition from the headliner.
They delivered ambient melancholic dirges intertwined with hardcore tinged rock flourishes and a raw stripped back vocal style from Munro that echoed a nihilistic Eddie Vedder (of Elderly Woman, State of Love and Trust rather than one Scott Stapp ripped off) fronting a hybrid Flying Nun act with bits of The Bats, The Clean and Loves Ugly Children evident.
Do yourself a favour and checkout their EP Glass Souls.
Review by Riccardo Ball
Photos by Ginny Cocks
DEAFHEAVEN
ERASE EVERYTHING
