“Transfixed upon the imperfections.“
It was a chilly September evening, and a long-postponed gig was finally ripe for the picking in Camden’s Electric Ballroom. Headliners were MONO, venerable post-rock act from Japan, with support from Svalbard, hardcore-meets-shoegaze-ers based in Bristol. With support act GGGOLDDD having dropped out, and an early start (doors at 6 and first act on at 7:15), I expected an initially thin crowd, but London showed their numbers for Svalbard. It’s worth noting that the venue’s sound was excellent, likely brought about by a combination of great audio engineers and the professionalism of both bands.
Svalbard played a great set of seven songs, mostly from their most recent record When I Die, Will I Get Better?. The drumming was absolutely ridiculous, opener “Disparity” being a great example. Mark Lilley’s talent for hopping between blast beats and hardcore rhythms is a key part of Svalbard’s formula. Their lead guitars lean towards “walls of sound”, and rhythms toward hardcore; thus a lot of the dynamics come from the story the drums tell. Vocal duties were mostly lead guitarist Serena Cherry’s job, with backing from guitarist Liam Phelan. I hadn’t realised how often Phelan contributed to the harsh vocals, but that didn’t stop Cherry from singing every line herself off-mic.
Svalbard’s lyrics are refreshingly blunt, covering topics that are (unfortunately) familiar, like objectification and mental strife. It’s great to rock out to something with such relatable themes from time to time, rather than abstract nihilism or draconic fantasy that black metal-influenced music usually goes for. (However, if you do want to indulge in draconic fantasy, check out Serena Cherry’s full-on black metal side project Noctule.)
It’s just as well that lyrical heft was provided by Svalbard, as MONO are a band of few words. Their style is the classic approach to “post rock” which they helped pioneer. With their two guitarists seated (Takaakira Goto and Hideki Suematsu), the audience’s vision would be drawn towards their bassist Tamaki Kunishi, and their massive gong, which threatened to be hit by drummer Dahm Majuri Cipolla throughout the set. The guitarist’s seated positions did not engender passivity, as both almost flew off them in the heavier moments. Kunishi was also impossible to ignore when the band pushed toward full stratospheric overdrive, as the real decision about how loud they got was hers.
MONO began with two tracks from their new record Pilgrimage of the Soul, which can only have been composed as a live-setting overture. “Imperfect Things” was particularly stunning – crisp, clean, beautifully simple guitars, underlined by a loop that became a hypnotic groove. Whilst bands in this vein are best known for those “crescendo” moments, it becomes clear that MONO exudes value at every volume. It was also a really engaging set, even though there were no vocals or samples to act as hooks. The clear crowd favourite was “Ashes in the Snow”, when the band somehow prompted mid-climax applause from an otherwise spellbound audience. In studio this track makes extensive use of real strings and glockenspiels – only the latter was practical on this tour (though they have previously brought orchestras to the stage). If everything before this had felt too similar, “Ashes in the Snow”’s character was more distinctly tragic, its climaxes more blurred and fuzzed out.
The encore was “Com(?)”, a track from the distant past (an epic on their very first record, now 20 years old). This shift back in time brought on a slight stylistic change, not least because the guitarists stood up to fully rock out. Live, “Com(?)” was even longer than the 15-minute studio version – given they had gotten to the encore and curfew was over an hour away, full indulgence was mandatory. This song’s trajectory began with a gradual rise to chaos, followed by a slow fall into near silence begetting an immediate noisescape. The event ended only when the tech guy yanked out the amp leads. “Com(?)” is not yet featured on any of MONO’s live recordings, so I would love to see the band release this version straight from the soundboard.
The only disappointment was that MONO did not hit their massive gong more than twice. And unfortunately, if you are keen to see MONO, this was their last tour date in Europe for the foreseeable future! Svalbard’s next scheduled run of shows, meanwhile, are across mainland Europe in 2023. I recommend you see them both whenever possible.