Sigh’s Special Old-School Set with Craven Idol, Downstairs at the Dome, London
“My soul will descend into Hades to burn.”
Words by Dobbin T, photography by Kieran White – contact Kieran prior to any image use.
Saturday 11th July was the start of an ostentatious weekend for alternative music in the UK. Our network was split between attending the massive My Chemical Romance shows, Outbreak’s Bring Me The Horizon day fests, and the annual Mecca of guitar music, 2000trees, bringing with it a multitude of great tours. But here we were taking the path less travelled, but no less sacred. Sigh were jetting in all the way from Japan for a unique show, celebrating their records Hail Horror Hail, Infidel Art, Ghastly Funeral Theatre and Scorn Defeat. These are the fledgling moments of Sigh’s long career in avant garde metal, an episode many thought would never get a re-run.
It was our first time Downstairs at the Dome in a few years, so it’s worth noting that the venue experience really impressed us. It might be the little sibling of the larger Dome, but this is a wicked venue, especially for its size. It’s got an enthralling and intimate stage with lighting that punches well above expectations for the room’s capacity. There’s now a spacious access view platform, and the stage is properly raised, giving everyone a shot at a great view. The sound was also excellent. It certainly got ruddy hot, but we’re in a sold-out venue in yet another generationally hot summer, so who can be surprised. Perhaps this is what kept the audience from moshing (playing to an audience who remember 90s black metal might have had an effect, too).
Craven Idol
Opening the night we had Craven Idol, a UK act who have slowly and steadily built their discography over twenty years. They could be the epitome of their long-time label’s sound, Dark Descent Records; they’d also fit right in with the likes of I, Voidhanger, Transcending Obscurity, or Everlasting Spew. Put more plainly, they take the fundamentals of black metal to cavernous and esoteric places. Their steady approach that has yielded a professional sound and presence for tonight. They were gripping, lashing out technical licks that became dissonant swarms, and beats that promoted head bangs and raised fists. Their technically had that special charm; much complexity was subsumed within the chaos, yet could be honed in upon by audience all the same.
It would certainly take an expert in Craven Idol’s discography to truly follow all their twists and turns, but it was also immediate. A classic black metal element was how they spoke between songs in their grim and distorted voices, as if invoking their ritual before the blast beats began once more. Even the “it’s a great honour to support Sigh” came as a gnarly bark. Craven Idol are highly deserving of more live slots and greater interest in their work – their recent split with the Brazilian Mystifier is a great place to dive in.
Sigh
Hail Horror Hail, Ghastly Funeral Theatre, Infidel Art, and Scorn Defeat are Sigh’s first four releases, pillars of symphonic and avant grade black metal. They are not necessarily Sigh’s most popular records, with the real watershed release for the band coming next in Imaginary Sonicscape. These records were released alongside black metal’s second wave, possessing the era’s DIY spark and adolescent energy. What we’d now likely call ‘dungeon synth’ or even ‘video game orchestral’ elements were uncommon at the time, and Sigh had them in spades. Hail Horror Hail, is especially synth-soaked; in terms of air time, it strains to be considered a primarily black metal record. A throwback to this era is not about playing everyone’s favourite records; this is about bringing focus to the project’s origins, and rocking out in an absolutely traditional sense.
Putting together all three records into a set list, with song choices spread fairly evenly across all three, made for strong variety, so much so that their set really flew by. The set stayed surprising throughout with frequent stops-start motions in the songs and rapid progressive structures. It goes without saying for Sigh, but they are delightfully unserious and even goofy at times. Playing songs called “The Zombie Terror” with honky-tonk keys and choruses that go “Zombie! Terror!” would turn many metal listeners to stone. Tonight’s audience knew this was something to be embraced.
The cheese was only reduced somewhat by the lack of on-stage keyboards, likely due to the logistics of their tour. It would have been nice to see a classic Casio or equivalent keyboard in-use; fortunately the loud backing tracks had the original studio sound, and Nozomu Wakai’s ridicuous solos topped up the (essential) corny energy. Wakai’s glowing katana was an audience favourite, drawn ceremonially several times to strum chords in Jimmy Page style. He copiously threw horns at the audience any time a hand had no fretting or strumming to do.
The set was brought to a tongue-in-cheek close with a cover of Venom’s “Black Metal”. Frontman and mastermind Mirai Kawashima joked topically that this was a reminder that “black metal did not come from Norway”, with the England vs. Norway football match about to take place. The simplicity and ‘fundamental’ stylings of this cover brought the preceding set into focus: Sigh might be known for their avant grade nature, but they draw from and pay respects to the very roots of black metal itself. This was a terrific and special show, one that is best kept unique so that Sigh can keep their true focus on their future (which we can look forward to very soon in the form of Goh-ka in September).
