REVIEW: EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY AT BRISTOL O2 ACADEMY (20/11/11)
Words are arbitrary. They pick and choose an emotion and speak it with a vocal simplicity which deters from the musical talent of its forbearers. Sometimes lyrics can propel a song into the magnificent. Other times their absence can add a genuine ambience, drawing attention to all the other things which make live music exciting.
This is true of the Explosions in the Sky gig whose abundant use of lighting was both extravagant and atmospherically engaging. Before Explosions mounted the stage, their friends and touring buddies The Drift from San Francisco, California eased themselves onto the platform. As a perfect support act their potentiality for success is clear as they perform their dubbed down, indie instrumental music to a packed out audience. The handsome trio hypnotise their audience with their quirky use of instruments. The use of the miniature bells over the drum kit has the audience lapping up the melodies as if they were a cat with a fresh bowl of cream. The foggy presence of the smoke machine adds to the harmonious atmosphere that The Drift are creating and quite skilfully controlling.
It is clear that The Drift will be leaving their status as a support band behind them after this tour and their performance was in league with the music of experimental Jazz band The Portico Quartet . After the lulling purr of The Drift I found myself fighting back the tendency to yawn.
However, if there was a band that could cut up the yawn into a hundred tiny pieces, it would be headliners Explosions in the Sky. With their intricate guitar picking and hard-core instrumental sound, Explosions wake up their waiting audience immediately. It is the sort of music you could imagine the Hells Angels crunching their beer cans too as the aggressive guitar sores through the arena. Hailing from Texas the Quartet creates a performance, lighting heavy and enmeshed with a smorgasbord of colour.
Though I think at times the sound became a bit droned out and on the rare occasion boring, the overall verdict is positive. The lads alongside a brilliant support band ensure the night is filled with moody vibes and hysterical guitar work.
Words: Kayleigh Cassidy
Photo and video: Yatin Amin
