Earth - Scala, London - Tuesday 12th April 2011 (Live Review)
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
Written by Ben Bland
A band whose current sound conjures up images of an unusually tranquil wild west doesn’t particularly sound like a band primed to fill London’s 800 capacity Scala but then Earth have never been what they sound. Over the twenty years guitarist Dylan Carlson has overseen his project they have veered from primal drone to elegant soundscape. Latest record 'Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I' is one of the year’s most calming and meditative releases thus far. Its hour long running time is entirely composed around delicately picked guitar figures, sombre cello and a restrained rhythm section.
Equally sombre are Sabbath Assembly, a group that draw from the atmosphere of black metal, the simplicity of folk and the raggedness of psychedelia tinged classic rock. Occasionally moving towards the more disturbing end of the musical spectrum, the band’s half hour set is dominated by frontwoman Jex Thoth’s ethereal vocals and sultry stage presence. The band are, live at least, a quartet and the brainchild of Thoth and No-Neck Blues Band drummer Dave Nuss. The songs the band has composed to date are all related to the apocalyptic purification hymns devised by the Process Church of Final Judgement and thus, as you can imagine, it isn’t hard for the band to sound pretty creepy.
Beak> definitely don’t sound creepy. An experimental electronica project featuring Geoff Barrow of Portishead alongside Billy Fuller of Fuzz Against Junk and Matt Williams of Team Brick, Beak>’s set is well received by a crowd for whom, it is probably fair to say, aren’t generally speaking big on electronic music. The trio’s set runs through moments that are all pounding techno, passes through krautrock inspired flourishes and all the way features an air of dignified purity that few acts of the band’s ilk achieve in their sounds these days. As their last track fades slowly, the audience expresses their gratitude for a forty-odd minute set that surprisingly steals some of Earth’s thunder before they even take to the stage.
This doesn’t mean that when Earth do take to the stage it is to a lack of a strong reception. The Scala is certainly approaching capacity when the quartet appear to rapturous applause. Their set is an interesting one. Largely composed of tracks from the new record, Earth’s performance is a sedate affair. Almost each song is introduced by Carlson in his distinctive, raspy voice and whilst the performances are pretty much immaculate, there is a slightly awkward atmosphere present in the room. Although it is a good thing that, despite the nature of the band’s set, audience watch on in silence and rapt attention, the silence that dominates during each between-song break is more than a little strange. Nobody knows whether to start talking or not...prompting some giggles to break out amongst a few.
While songs like 'Father Midnight' and 'Old Black' are excellent compositions they do tend to blend a little into one another live and it is hardly the most vibrant and exciting live set that one will ever see. However if you look a little deeper into the performance then there is a peaceful joy to be found in Carlson’s guitar work and Adrienne Davies’ impressively collected drumming performance. Although older tracks don’t especially benefit from Lori Goldston’s cello, her performance adds an enjoyably rich undertone to everything the band play. It is fair to say that, if you are not a fan of the band, then there is genuinely no point in seeing them live. However if you can find it in yourself to sink into the band’s soundtracks then Earth live are a wonderfully enthralling act.
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