WebliminalBlog

A Place To Bury Strangers were always somewhat of an enigmatic band to me. They play a really weird mash up of noises that I don’t even want to call music, but that would be too critical of me.

Opening with what sounds like distorted feedback, a looping melody is faded in, the shimmering reverb effect placed upon it creating a mildly disorientating effect. The verse is led by the harsh, pounding drumbeat, so regimented, dragging the rest of the instruments along with it. Oliver Ackermanns barely decipherable, emotionless vocals murmuring ‘you didn’t have to try, to fall in love’ while the bass rumbles through the verse, as controlled and measured as the vocals. This is before a chorus that could well signal the end of the world blasts through the speakers. The sheer noise created is evidence of their reputation as ‘the worlds loudest band’. It’s sublime.

Elsewhere, The Joy Formidable, Vieux Farka Toure, Hjaltalin and A Place To Bury Strangers all join in on the fun, whilst Damo Suzuki will play a 90-minute improvised set at the Oxfordshire indie festival.

One of the things that makes APTBS so great is that the three musicians seem to come from very different places. Instead of meeting in middle stylistically, they each maintain their identity, crashing into each other at full force. This unusual interplay guarantees the band’s unique sound. Drummer Jay Space plays relentless 16th-note-based heavy dance rhythms, while Jono Mofo’s measured bass lines open up the sound, while deepening it into the lowest registers. This odd couple of a rhythm section make it pretty much impossible to say whether what you’re hearing is fast or slow. Meanwhile, Ackermann’s noise guitar buries heavy chords under squeals and roars while his vocals fight through the sonic combat zone undeterred.