Neurosis - Koko, Camden, London - December 6th 2010 (Live Review)
Tuesday, 14 December 2010
Written by Ben Bland
There is no doubting that Neurosis are one of the most important and influential metal bands to have ever graced the world with their presence. Their extreme brand of aural terrorism is never going to garner mass appeal but that doesn’t stop the band from attracting a large audience to Camden’s Koko on a cold December Monday night. The band attract a diverse crowd, from obvious metalheads to people who look like they rarely attend gigs of a mainstream persuasion, let alone one with as defiantly underground a headliner as Neurosis. Perhaps this gives a good reflection of the level of respect the band has amongst different sections of the musical community, even if they are the average music fan’s worst nightmare.
It would probably be fair to say, however, that nobody looks more out of place in Koko at this gig than Daniel Higgs. Sitting onstage with a beard the size of one of the smaller EU member states and armed with a banjo, Higgs looks like Father Christmas after he’s hit a crash diet and a few bottles of shandy. One could certainly be forgiven, upon walking into Koko, that either the date on the tickets was wrong or that the venue was moved because of demand. Higgs’ bizarre meanderings fail to fit into any discernable musical category. It would certainly be incorrect to label him a mere folk or country singer/songwriter. His penchant for experimentalism, hinted at in his work as leader of the band Lungfish, is fully allowed to exercise itself through his solo works. The actual songs that Higgs sings go on for anywhere between two and fifteen minutes, occasionally being as minimalistic as to feature just the same few banjo notes and weird groaning noises instead of singing. The man himself seems to be having a whale of a time, especially during a Bible-bashing anthem wielded towards the end of his set. Indeed Higgs is having such a good time that a roadie has to come on to the stage to tell him that his time is up, prompting a rendition of ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’ to finish things off. Whilst it would certainly be unfair to label Higgs set a bad performance, it is incredibly difficult to judge. The man evidently has a talent for the downright weird side of music but whether it is enjoyable in the flesh, especially as the precursor to one of the heaviest bands on the planet, is debatable.
Of course some would argue that Neurosis really aren’t that heavy at all. People will be queuing up to tell you how heavy the new grindcore band they’ve discovered are but they clearly don’t understand what music at its heaviest is all about. When Neurosis come on stage they allow the first chord of opener ‘At the End of the Road’ to reverberate around the venue for what seems an age, allowing the rumbling tension to become almost painful to the audience. Then the traditional heaviness kicks in with some of the densest riffs known to man and the twin growls of Steve Von Till and Scott Kelly. Essentially the founders of sludge and post-metal, Neurosis proceed through a set that threatens not only to flatten Koko but also the greater part of central London, as the intensity ratchets up seemingly with every passing song. The set does an excellent job of proving the talent of each member of Neurosis, drummer Jason Roeder’s performance cannot be faulted and somehow Dave Edwardson manages to coax Koko’s usually dodgy sound system into allowing his basslines to be pummelling without overpowering the rest of the band. As the aforementioned four unleash the obvious sonic devastation, Noah Landis provides all manner of additional flourishes from keying in samples to providing synthesizers to flesh out the sound.
So far things are sounding so normal performance, with the exception of being really heavy. However it isn’t just the music that Neurosis have in store for their fans. The visuals backing them are so bleak and, on more than the odd occasion, disturbing, that the band’s set is able to be transformed into something wholly other. The intensity present is not just one of a band playing brilliant music but of an audience who feel that, if things go on for much longer, they could speedily find themselves heading down the slippery slide to genuine insanity. By the time Von Till and Kelly join in on percussion for the climax of ‘Through Silver in Blood’, the band have been on stage for nearly two hours without saying a word to the fans and the experience has drained the band as much as the audience. It is clear that Neurosis are a band who would bleed for their art and, most probably, many of their fans would be perfectly prepared to do the same thing. It is difficult to compare this band and their live show to any other. Seeing Neurosis isn’t so much going to a gig, it’s an otherworldly experience and one that some would say you’d be crazy to embark on...but one that is utterly bewildering and worth every jarring second of pure, devilish noise. Not for the faint hearted.
Neurosis setlist:
At the End of the Road
The Doorway
Bleed the Sky Away (New song – title unconfirmed)
Given to the Rising
The Web
Locust Star
Water is not enough
Distill (Watching the Swarm)
Stones from the Sky
Through Silver in Blood
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Of course some would argue that Neurosis really aren’t that heavy at all. People will be queuing up to tell you how heavy the new grindcore band they’ve discovered are but they clearly don’t understand what music at its heaviest is all about. When Neurosis come on stage they allow the first chord of opener ‘At the End of the Road’ to reverberate around the venue for what seems an age, allowing the rumbling tension to become almost painful to the audience. Then the traditional heaviness kicks in with some of the densest riffs known to man and the twin growls of Steve Von Till and Scott Kelly. Essentially the founders of sludge and post-metal, Neurosis proceed through a set that threatens not only to flatten Koko but also the greater part of central London, as the intensity ratchets up seemingly with every passing song. The set does an excellent job of proving the talent of each member of Neurosis, drummer Jason Roeder’s performance cannot be faulted and somehow Dave Edwardson manages to coax Koko’s usually dodgy sound system into allowing his basslines to be pummelling without overpowering the rest of the band. As the aforementioned four unleash the obvious sonic devastation, Noah Landis provides all manner of additional flourishes from keying in samples to providing synthesizers to flesh out the sound.
