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Battles - 22nd January 2008 - The Zoo, Brisbane |
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by Dan Osmolowski
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Tue:29-Jan-08 |
Battles are a band that critics struggle to define; post-rock, math rock, nu-prog rock, future funk, experimental rock, even post-post-rock. If your first experience with this American four piece was in the live setting, then you would only need to use one well-worn noun: ‘rock and roll’.
The majority of tonight’s set is, understandably, taken from the band’s debut album, Mirrored; one of 2007’s most warmly received records. In a recent online poll of 452 critics, it ranked just outside the top ten in 11th spot, behind established heavyweights the likes of LCD Soundsystem, Radiohead, Arcade Fire and Spoon. Now all of this means nothing, of course, because for every hardcore fan of the band you will find someone else to suggest that they are overrated, boring and self-indulgent. It’s a fair bet, however, to say that not a single soul packed into The Zoo for their sold-out Brisbane show was of this opinion.
Spread across tonight’s stage are an assortment of accoutrements that any music tragic would drool over: pedals and effects processors are ‘carefully’ strewn about the floor, stacked on amps and strapped to keyboard stands. A laptop for every member (bar drummer John Stanier, who straddles a surprisingly stripped-back kit) rests ready to strangle each chord, note and melody within an inch of its former self – it really is a miracle that all this gear doesn’t spontaneously combust or simply fail and send the gig into disarray. Regular set opener, ‘Race: Out’ begins as guitarist Dave Konopka twiddles some knobs and the rest of the band soon join him in the first aural assault of the evening. The mix is murky early on but no one seems to mind as the band’s favourite ‘toy’, the echoplex, gets a work out during ‘Tij’; the pace is frantic and Battles’ presence is formidable as a wall of sound hammers the punters square in the forehead. However it’s not until ‘Tonto’s’ killer riff - midway through the track - that the penny fully drops and the power of Battles is laid bare for all to witness.
From there on in, Battles continue to justify the hype, ‘Atlas’ and ‘Leyendecker’ forming an incendiary one-two punch. The former rides high on Tondai Braxton’s helium vocals and the rhythm section’s pneumatic percussion while the latter brings on feelings of physical sickness as Stanier’s thumping kick and piercing snare cut a swathe through the rest of the band’s efforts. Watching the ex-Helmet drummer relentlessly thrash his drum kit inspires awe for how he gets through one song, let alone an entire gig in the Queensland heat without collapsing in a mangled heap. Indeed, Stanier hops off his stool and waves a premature farewell to the crowd at the conclusion of ‘Race: In’, mistakenly hoping for some respite from the self-inflicted onslaught. His exit is blocked, however, as the rest of the band kindly inform him that there is one more song left in the set; B EP’s ‘Dance’ bringing the set-proper to a close with an impressive combination of beat-boxing and staccato bass.
After a short break, Braxton announces the encore to be Mirrored’s “ballad” in the form of the swirling ‘Bad Trails’; instead of featuring the album’s muted percussion, Stanier kneels, lays his floor tom down and proceeds to pound on it in a relentlessly metronomic fashion. Even in this ‘relaxed’ mode, Battles disprove the non-believers in the only way they know how: to play dynamic, confronting, aggressive and original music in a totally self-effacing manner.
Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the new ‘rock and roll’.
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