“I’ve got you now, don’t crawl away.”
Spotlights and Outlander shared the Black Heart stage on a Tuesday night to teach us ways of being extremely heavy on guitar, but without being “metal”. Featuring the most recent material from both bands, it was a stellar evening for all gaze-inclined individuals.
Words and photos by Dobbin T on the 11th June.
Outlander
Keeping straight faces, Outlander tuned up and started gently. As the volume swelled and their real-life heaviness gripped the room, their intent was clarified. Compared to their studio pieces, the live setting made all the drums and riffs just a bit harder, whilst retaining all of their dynamics, patience, and bliss. They stuck to material from Want No More including the singles “Orbit” and “Want No More”, plus “New Motive Power” which has been out for a good deal longer. Reproducing their live sound is clearly the intent of the studio work, as three guitar lines and bonus keyboard and synth textures give the band all the flexibility they need. One can be confident that deeper cuts will make future set lists, such as “Bound” and “Lye Waste”.
Spotlights
The turning searchlights that lit Outlander’s set turned off for the next – subtle hints were not required, as the swelled audience clearly got the message that this was Spotlights. The night before a much bigger support slot for Mr Bungle, tonight’s show gave Spotlights the prestige of headlining. Their most dedicated fans got a thorough tour through their discography. The bass absolutely heaved air from your lungs in true ‘Black Heart’ style, but this heaviness was distinctly un-metal. Whisper vocals prevailed, but there were a few off-mic yells from guitarist Mario Quintero and wails from bassist Sarah Quintero for critical song climaxes.
Sedate as their music might feel, each bridge was an opportunity to lift guitars, jump on monitors, swish hair, and rock out. The wild finale “Algorithmic” was a particularly animated moment. The best crowd reaction came from the bridge of “Sunset Burial” with enthusiastic uproar during its the epic chug breaks. Chris Enriquez had a terrific time on drums – so much so that the snare broke, prompting a short intermission to install a new one. Beyond material from Alchemy For The Dead, they played two of the spacier tracks from We Are All Atomic, the doomy “Until The Bleeding Stops“, and some of the defining tracks from Seismic, including the title track to open the set. They finished up with an old fashioned encore – “Crawling Toward The Light” brought an upbeat twist to the ending and “Learn To Breathe” was perhaps the most anticipated Seismic track.
Check out Dobbin T’s reviews of Spotlights‘ latest album Alchemy For The Dead and Outlander‘s Acts of Harm at Boolin Tunes.