Sometimes less is more, and while there are occasions when packing four acts onto the bill is good value for money, quality often beats quantity, and tonight’s lineup with prog-metal muthas Pelican plus local racketmongers Blacklisters is all about intensity.
I lost count of the number of times I’ve seen Blacklisters a while ago, and I’d have wearied of most other bands long before that. But here they are, providing support for another name act with some serious clout and doing themselves proud. Looking at ease in front of a home crowd and in the venue they’ve played so often they should probably be charged rent, the foursome positive tear through their set with a manic force. Billy’s between-song banter is hilariously irreverent and if ever he finds himself bandless should consider doing stand-up. In all, their performance is an excellent advertisement for the forthcoming album, and gets the sizeable crowd revved up for the headliners.
Now, despite having been aware of Pelican for some time, my exposure to their work has been comparatively limited. However, on the strength of what I had heard, and in particular their latest EP, ‘Ataraxia / Taraxis’, I knew tonight’s show was a must-see.
Between bands and getting in more beer – the Phoenix Brewery’s Arizona is particularly tasty – my mate and I amuse ourselves by checking out the array of band shirts the other punters are wearing. It’s a test of sorts, to see just how obscure they go, but it also reveals a lot about a band’s fan base. Pelican’s fans, it has to be said, come from a staggering array of musical backgrounds.
The Chicago four-piece are fairly unassuming in appearance and arrive on stage almost bang on 9:30. Immediately the decibels soar. I mean they’re loud, and with basslines worthy of Sunn O))) filling out the bottom end of some monumental metal riffs, the impact is instantaneous. The set is an awe-inspiring display of powerful, cohesive instrumental metal. There’s no singing, and no talking between songs: just guitars – big, behemoth guitars with the solidity of slabs of concrete. There are no solos, either, no heroics – just riffs, and colossal, ball-busting riffs at that, with some serious weight and mega chuggage.
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Yet for all of the heaviness – and make no mistake, Pelican are one heavy band – they manage to incorporate moments of tantalising delicacy, and there’s real texture woven in between the granite slabs, rendering their sound rich and multi-dimensional.
Having watched more instrumental post-rock bands than your average student has scoffed greasy takeaway pizzas, it has to be said that I’ve found myself growing weary of the format, but Pelican prove without a shadow of doubt that there’s still enormous scope within the parameters of progressive guitar music to explore avenues that are exciting, exhilarating, and completely cliché-free. ‘Progressive metal’ just doesn’t do the band justice. It’s clear from the reaction of the fans – some of whom have clearly travelled for this show – that they appreciate the fact that Pelican are different and most definitely a cut above.
They leave us in a tide of feedback and a pulsating bass sound that continues long after they’ve left the stage. We head into the night feeling exhilarated and uplifted, not to mention grateful for having worn earplugs.
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