Northern Oak @ West Street Live, 1st Feb 2010

After the disappointment of missing Northern Oak's album launch gig in December, I was on the lookout for a suitable local gig I could go to and hear the album live. The last time I saw Northern Oak play was almost exactly a year ago in the Corporation, so it was high time for another dose.

The show was to be a long one, with four bands over the course of the evening. Thanks to Errant Tentacles Productions and Mentholmans @ West Street Live, it was also a freebie. I'd never heard of any of the other bands; Setudan, Infernal Creation and the headliners, August 80. Fresh sounds to soak up were a nice bonus.

As is the way with these things, the path to musical nirvana did not run smooth. I'm not sure of the fine detail, but I think Infernal Creation got rear-ended (well, their car did, anyway) and they didn't make it. This just pushed back the start of the show to 8:45 instead of 8pm. Not a big deal, though, and we were quite comfy on the strangely high window seats.

Setsudan

You know a set is going to be interesting when the band start out by asking if anyone can sing because they don't have a vocalist. I thought petitions like that were reserved for stewards of doomed aircraft searching for a pilot among the passengers. But sans vocalist they were, and so they proceeded.

At first they sounded a bit trip-rock. A slow, ambient music style that, I'll be honest, didn't do a great deal for me. It didn't seem to have an edge to it. It didn't bite. Still, it was pleasant enough.

First impressions, it is said, count. But they aren't always right. The guitar's gentle wail turned into a snarl. The drums gentle patter transformed into a driving force that transformed the sound into a thundering, thrashing post-rock soundscape. It was impressive stuff, reminiscient in parts of the best of Pelican or 65dos.

But one thought struck me within the immersive cocoon of sound blasting out from the tiny stage. Where would the vocalist fit? The melodies were complex, the riffs were hard, and the song structure twisted and changed completely. As instrumental rock, this is good stuff.

This was Setsudan's first ever gig, and it was a good one. I hope that adding a vocalist into the mix doesn't dilute the complexity of this little band's big sound.

Northern Oak

After a short break to change the stage around, Northern Oak took to the stage to bring the tempo down a notch. Opening the set as they opened the album, Sun God's Wrath turned attention of the audience back to the stage.

The set continued with Nivis Canto, one of the softer songs on the album and definitely one of my favourites. The atmosphere created by the gentle melodies was almost soporific. It's a great feeling to find your concentration being sucked into a performance. As the signature black crescendo grew louder and stronger, so too did the energy in the room.

Next came Arbor Low, followed by Silvan Lullaby, both beautifully combining metal riffs with folk melodies. The set was certanly downtempo, at least for the most part, giving ample opportunity to really savour the songs. The band were on good form, throwing themselves into the performance and giving a good show.

Conspicuous in his absence was Elliot Sinclair. Instead keyboards were handled by one Digby Brown. There were a couple of glitches with the sound causing problems, but this was handled expertly by Martin Collins and Chris Mole, deftly plugging the merchandise while things got sorted out. We never did find out what exactly Chris does with his CDs, though ...

Turning things up a notch for the last two songs, Gawain (or is it Gary?) and, not from Monuments, Madness Of The Feral Moon from Into The Attic. This last song in particular has a joviality to it that lifted the spirits of everyone in the room. I might have even had a little jig over by the bar, but I don't think anyone was looking.

Home so soon?

Sadly this was the end of the night for us. An early start, things to sort out and an overwhelming tiredness overtook us, so out into the night we headed. We never got to find out what August 80 were about. It was a good night, though, and great to finally hear some of my favourite Northern Oak tracks live after listening to them so much at home. Now I just need to see them play the rest of Monuments and I'll be happy. In the meantime, it's time to put the kettle on, my earphones in, and the world on hold.