Having seen
Maybeshewill go from playing in a small club in Luxemburg for 20 people to a
fully packed venue as an opener for The Dillinger Escape plan, it wasn't so
much of a surprise as it was a thrill to see the band finally earn their place
as a headlining act on this tour.
Last night, the band was supported by 2 opening acts for a night dedicated to
the sound of post-rock.
The first
band on the bill was the Scottish band Flood of Red.
This Glaswegian act delivered an eclectic form of post-rock, occasionally dabbling
in some post-hardcore sections and even some short instances of post-metal.
Their overall sound were comparable to that of Maybeshewill, with the addition
of a talented yet timid vocalist whose Thom Yorke-like vocals were unfortunately
a little bit too low in the mix. Still, the band delivered a solid, dynamic
half hour of post-rock with a nice twist.
The second
band to hit the stage was a French band from Rennes called Totorro.
The instrumental 4-piece plays a more stripped down yet more dynamic form of
post-rock that is more post-hardcore and math-rock inspired. Alternating
between dreamy atmospheric landscapes and syncopated riffs played at breakneck
speeds, Totorro pull off a set that is equally beautiful and adrenaline packed.
The band
played their show with a great deal of precision and dexterity while at he same
time displaying some great stage presence.
 |
| Maybeshewill, joined by members from Flood of Red |
Finally, it
was time for our headlining act to step onstage, with quite a show to follow up
to. I had high hopes for my 3rd time seeing them, and luckily for me, none of
the members intended to let their audience down.
From the very first song, Maybeshewill hit us hard with their sweeping melodies and
hart-hitting build-ups. The bands' soundtrack-like compositions effectively
pulled us into a truly engrossing experience. One only had to close their eyes for
a second to be swept away to the sonic landscapes of each track. What truly
brings these songs to life are masterfully composed build-ups that pick up like
the rising wind and the climaxes with wailing guitars, beautiful keyboard melodies
and crashing cymbals that sound
like a high tide crashing unto the shore. The bands' intelligent use of
electronics and samples also complement the compositions in a very nice way,
adding more emotionnal depth to them.
The sound onstage, while not perfect, was very solid. Aside from a few muddy
parts that lacked clarity in some of the more intense moments of the show,
there isn't much to complain about. The low-end instruments like the bass guitar
and bass drum had a nice strong punchy feel to them, albeit at the expense of
some of the high-mid frequencies occupied by the clean guitars.
The bands' stage presence was fantastic all throughout the show, with every
single band member putting everything they've got into their performance.
In short, what we got was over an hour and a half of top quality post-rock
delivered by top quality musicians.
Overall,
last nights' show at Le Petit Bain was one that should not have been missed by
any post-rock fan. For those who missed out on the event, I highly recommend
you check these three bands out and keep an eye on their upcoming tour dates in
the future (I know I will).
Robin
Flood of
Red
Official website
http://flood.dark-city.co.uk/
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/floodofred
Bandcamp
https://floodofred.bandcamp.com/
Totorro
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/pages/TOTORRO/117966698228573
Bandcamp
https://totorro.bandcamp.com/
Maybeshewill
Official website
http://www.maybeshewill.net/
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/mybshwll
