Kicking things off was a young Australian chap named Chris. He was a last minute addition to the bill and I have no idea what his last name is. He opened with a drone-based piece that involved sitting one keyboard on top of another so the keys on each keyboard mashed against each other. He added harmonica, tape loops and vocals to make a nice atmosphere. Unfortunately after this I found his set too ramshackle and not very interesting although he seemed to be having problems with his equipment so I’d be willing to give him another chance (if I knew who he was). The second support came from a local band by the name of The Hollows. The two-piece played slow, introspective indie rock not far from the realms explored by Low. Both played guitar and sang with simple but pretty programmed beats as backing. They were highly enjoyable and I would have gladly listened to them for longer.
Six Organs of Admittance climbed onto the small and awkward stage at Whelan’s and began with “Torn by Wolves” from their latest album. With this and all the material they played there was a stronger and more visceral feel to the music compared to the studio versions. The band seemed to get lost in the music; particularly Ben Chasny flailing his guitar around like it was on fire but stuck to his hands. More than once he walloped the headstock of the guitar off a column at the side of the stage, knocking his guitar completely out of tune. This made no difference to the set as he normally had a looped wall of guitar going which meant his retuning didn’t disrupt the proceedings.
The only problem with the gig was the mix. The instruments were all well balanced but Chasny’s vocals were lost in the storm. However this wasn’t always a bad thing (not that I’m saying I don’t like his vocals!) as it made the music sound even more dreamy because while the vocals were audible they were mostly unidentifiable. Far more lyrical was John Moloney’s drumming; the guitar and bass kept the beat while Moloney played around them, rearranging his kit to suit the mood. I’m a sucker for a drummer who plays expressively and musically as opposed to just keeping time and as a result Moloney captured my attention for most of the show.
The gig put me in a very good mood on me for the rest of the night. Six Organs of Admittance played music that was cathartic in a very positive way, it would be impossible to leave the venue after that performance without feeling on top of the world. This is how all concerts should be.
