Third Time's The Charm: A Place To Bury Strangers @ Leeds
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Artist:
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Album:
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Track:Deadbeat/Ocean (Live on Radio K)
A Place To Bury Strangers (w/ Ten Kens)
The Cockpit, Leeds, UK (5 Dec 2008)
Last night I finally had the chance to see A Place To Bury Strangers headline a show, in the third set of theirs I've seen within the year (the first since my move from US to UK). There isn't much that I can add to my earlier raves (here and here). But this episode in Ollie Ackermann's continuing quest for a guitar sound like no other was the most amazing of the lot so far, largely I guess because the band had the sound mixed to their specification as headliners. Contrary to the popular mantra, while APTBS are loud, they aren't exceptionally loud. It'd be more accurate to say that their live sound is ubiquitous and pervasive. It's as if every molecule of air around you carried some guitar overdrive, reverb, delay, or oscillation, some tight snap of snare drum from Jay Space, some dollop of robust distorted bass from JONO Mofo. To me (an analytically oriented music geek), the better sound was nothing short of revelatory: I was able to appreciate better than ever how many things there are going on in Ackermann's guitar playing and how meticulously thought-out and regimented his guitar sound is. The slow, aching guitar lines of "The Falling Sun" emanating from a stage swathed only in darkness still echo in my diaphragm. While I feel that songs are of less importance than sound to a band like APTBS, I was glad to hear tunes, such as "Deadbeat," which aren't familiar to me from their self-titled album. The magical set climax, preceded by a long, intense, solitary gaze at the audience by Ackermann and focused around abusing a Fender Jaguar to the point of ripping the strings out and sawing the remaining skeleton of a guitar with the strings to generate squalling, howling feedback noise while a blindingly white strobe light pulses on and smoke billows from a smoke machine, was simply outstanding this time; not quite like anything I'd ever seen before apart from earlier APTBS shows. (The conditions mostly outstripped the capabilities of my aging digital compact, which I now regret not having upgraded to SLR yet; see below.) As my companion noted, I've only very rarely looked as exalted at a gig.
After purchasing my second APTBS T-shirt, I had a quick chat with Ackermann, just to thank him and to say that the awesome sound made this show even better than the previous ones I'd seen and that I can hardly wait for a new album. (A super nice guy to boot, keeping much of his intensity for the stage.) On that note, we moved on to get a much needed come-down drink, feeling ecstatic.
Comments (12)
Your review is phenomenal. I couldn't agree more (or put it better myself). I spent half of the show with my mouth hanging open, and the other half shaking from head to toe. I love the first picture. He looks exactly like he sounds.
Thanks for this report, 1234(chainsaw)
I dig their sound and overall approach as well.
Read what I had to say about my first show experience with them - here:
http://mog.com/DaveCromwell/blog/198805
Cheers,
DC
Sounds fantastic.
You are just so much more hardcore than me Mr Chainsaw.....
I'm on the softer side of the sonic spectrum lately, but that doesn't mean that i don't crave the sort of wild turbulence produced by APTBS. Terrific coverage, Pekka (always a pleasure when you grace MOG with your insights) - and what a perfect choice for the MOG player. Great Googly-Moogly! That rips!
This makes me very excited to see them as headliners, after seeing them once as support band, and again at a festival.
Cheers for the review, Pekka!
Anna, DC, Darla, Neill, Dale: Thanks, guys! I've been fortunate to see several brilliant shows in the past couple of weeks (Fucked Up, Jay Reatard, The Dirtbombs, APTBS,...), so I wanted to write up a couple of them to make up for the long MOG absences caused by a busy schedule. I'm glad if I managed to convey even to some extent how good this show was.
Mike: Although most of my recent gigs have been on the more loud and ferocious end of the spectrum, the nights at home have witnessed plenty of softer stuff, like Barbara Lewis, Ann Peebles, Betty Wright, Billie Holiday. Any good new finds at your end?
Ah good to hear a positive review for Mr. Ackerman. I remember him when he was a but a wee lad playing in countless incarnations of Skywave, with Paul Baker another brilliant guitar player. Glad he is doing well
Rob: Yeah, Skywave were excellent. Baker & Fedowitz now play as a duo under the moniker Ceremony, who are no less brilliant than APTBS and please me just as much as. See the MOG love they've received here.
Sounds like they do a great live show; I've only just gotten their album and have loved it!
They headlined the ICA in London on Monday:
www.urbanlandfill.co.uk
Soory for the late-ish response. Other than digging on She & Him (soft) and The Duke Spirit (hard) and rampaging through the usual files, I've been in a holi-daze. I'm st the start of my 12 Days of ChristMash, so, whether you're naughty or nice, you better watch out!