Photographs: Ama Chana
Whilst most bands reunite for money, an ego-boost, or an ill-fated attempt to reclaim past glories, one gets the impression that when the prickly and perfectionist Kevin Shields decides to make a comeback, he’s got a damn good reason to. And whilst seminal noise-rockers My Bloody Valentine haven’t any new material on show just yet, tonight’s show more than proves they’ve not lost the scintillating energy that made them such a draw the first time round.
The fierce opening chords of ‘Only Shallow’ immediately dispelled fears their 14 year hiatus had softened them, and there’s little faulting any of their other picks from Loveless either- an extended ‘I Only Said’ was particularly breathtaking. Some folks complained about inaudible vocals, especially Sheilds’, but they’ve never been a prominent element of the MBV sound- and in all honesty, most of songs work just as well as pure instrumentals.
Their legendary reputation for volume held up to scrutiny throughout the evening, ultimately culminating in the twenty minute, tinnitus-baiting coda of ‘You Made Me Realise’: 128.9 dB of pure unyielding feedback that sounded like a jet-plane taking off in your face. At that kind of volume, sound ceases to be just noise but something tangibly physical; you could actually feel the vibrations wracking your body. I wouldn’t call a pleasant experience, exactly, but the sheer sense of sensory overload was nothing if not memorable and hypnotic in a way I can’t quite place…
Definitely one of the most striking experiences of my life, albeit one (for the sake of my poor eardrums) I’m not desperate to repeat any time soon!
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July 2nd, 2008 at 7:48 pm
This sounds incredible, and I am as jealous as hell that you got to be there (not that my ears would stand that sort of onslaught). I really looking forward to hearing the re-mastered version of Loveless, be good to see what they do with the second mix from the analogue tapes. Just the most incredible album.
July 4th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
that was just a beautiful and powerful and, oh yes, fucking incredibly tuneful gig. The Valentines were better sounding than ever and you kind of felt, or at least I did, that the holocaust section was closer than ever to the fractal feedback, patterns within waves, within white noise, within pummelling hard as nails rock music, that ol Kev hears in his brain. Honestly I think it is a wholly unique situation where everybody hears it differently and takes something personal from it. I was just lost in it all, happy as hell.
The younger members of the audience, oddly enough, were the ones complaining. Too many nights a t the Brixton Academy and not enough in the trenches in rooms without Health & Safety putting a muzzle on the raw kinetic, sex appeal of noisy rock music.
Oh yes, it was all fields round here when I was younger.
Trench foot and cannon boom.
Many died but we won.