WebliminalBlog

The images on the screen at the back of the stage switch between scenes of the open road and flowers, but they do little to soften the blows of aggressive anthem To Fix The Gash In Your Head which is blowing chunks out of the crowd’s heads as Oliver’s guitar (one of many played tonight) roars aggressively to the back of the room while Jay Space drums beats as heavy as thunder. As the trio tear through a monstrous set, there’s little interaction between band and crowd, and it’s not needed as it’s clear everyone’s immersed in the music, even a stage invader goes unnoticed by Oliver!

This juxtaposition is beautifully realised by A Place To Bury Strangers’ visual backdrop. A series of pleasant scenes – rolling countryside, the beauty of flowers in spring – are subverted though a series of briefly flashing subliminal images depicting scenes of outright stark terror and discomfort before giving way to the void of black suns and black holes. Plugging into an electric mainline, this head-on collision of sound and vision makes for a thrillingly visceral experience from a band that has the sheer balls to pick up the baton that’s been passed on by forebears My Bloody Valentine and run with it at full pelt not just at a brick wall but right through it.