Deerhunter – Concorde 2, Brighton 25/05/09

As the rain comes down on the last of the Bank Holiday stragglers on Brighton seafront, in an old ballroom under the cliffs a transformation is going on on the stage. On one side a victorian lamppost shines, while the amplifier on the other side sports a rather fetching owl. As smoke billows and blue lights flood the stage, it feels like the audience is being transported to some far flung corner of Narnia. Somewhere in that corner lie Esben and the Witch. If School of Seven Bells can be said to be ‘dream-pop’, then Esben and The Witch inhabit the opposite realm-‘nightmare pop’ if you will. Sinister and brooding, they harness dark electronics, shoegaze guitars, military drums and haunting vocals that Beth Gibbons would be proud of. For an unsigned band to sound this accomplished is quite some achievement, and they have already built up quite a following in their hometown, particularly those who remember the earliest Bat for Lashes shows. Pick up a copy of their self released 33 EP while you can.

Sian Alice Group have a tough act to follow and although they take up the gauntlet bravely they don’t quite manage to surpass what has gone before. Working on repetitive grooves and with a clear debt to early shoegaze and, specifically Jason Peirce, their blissed out sounds begin to wash over the audience rather than engage them. Top marks for frontwoman, er, Sian Alice Ahern’s triangle work though.

Deerhunter have somewhat of a rawkus live reputation, with frontman Bradford Cox frequently appearing on stage in sundresses or with his face covered in fake blood. Then there’s the legend that during a particularly out there New York state show he received ‘oral pleasure’ mid show. Tonight marks the end of their UK tour, so pretty much anything could happen. As the smoke machines go into overdrive the tension in the packed room is palpable-the crowd have waited a long time for this (this show is re-arranged after a cancelation earlier in the year.) A huge cheer erupts as Cox and his cohorts take the stage and begin their noise-pop onslaught. Reverb builds upon reverb, volume upon volume, guitars swoon and dive over the propulsive rhythm section, driving ever forward. Cox’s vocals sway in and out of the mix, barely there. But then that’s not the point. This is a headlong rush in to a hazy wall of sound. To the fans, this is the dawning of a weird era. Strobes flash, lights change colour and the band plow ever onwards. After a while however, it all begins to merge in to one long tripped out lightshow, like a fireworks show with free tinnitus for every viewer. Returning for an encore Cox apologizes for not talking to the audience more during the show, clearly having been lost ‘in the moment’. He then announces that, as this is the last date of the tour Sian Alice Group will join them onstage to jam. This doesn’t bode well. What follows is a 15 minute improv version of “I Wanna be Your Dog”….replete with squawking trumpets, triangle and white noise bursts. It’s self indulgence of the worst kind, and it seems to spark a mass movement towards the exit before the three chord trick gets bashed out for the final time. As I head for the exit a lone voice shouts “Way to ruin the show, Bradford”.