Godspeed You! Black Emperor

We arrived unusually early knowing that Shepherd's Bush Empire is not a great venue if you're stuck at the back for any band and definitely not great for a band with a majority of it's members sitting down. That meant we were in position to see the whole of the Xylouris White set which turned out to be an unexpectedly brilliant decision. George Xylouris, on Cretan Lute & vocals, comes from a renowned Greek musical family while Jim White was a founder member of The Dirty Three and has become a highly sought after drummer. It's a spellbinding performance. White in particular is amazing to watch and the interaction between he & George both hilarious and captivating.

At 9 o'clock the familiar thrum of the drone track kicked in. This acts as an acclimatisation mechanism preparing the audience for the arrival of Godspeed. The lights dim after about fifteen minutes and one by one the band take up their places. Sophie is the first to play something recognisably tuneful. Hope Drone seems to calibrate the band and has some great moments of noisiness.

A new song follows. This is a familiar GY!BE device which keeps the live shows fresh and allows them to really hone their song craft. I'm certain the last two albums have benefited enormously from being based on tunes the band are already familiar with. Mladic from Allelujah! Don't Bend is a fine example of this. I think they've been playing it since before the hiatus but it's taken on a new dramatic since being recorded and is one of my favourite GY!BE tunes.

Another new one follows. Starting with Sophie's violin again it's quite long, maybe 15 minutes worth, but has some interesting twists and turns. The pièce de résistance follows as the whole of the new album is played. Formerly know as Behemoth the album segments this into four more easily digested songs. This was the highlight of the last tour and takes on a new life thanks to the benefit of having now listened to the recorded version. Lambs Breath the least enthralling section, is fascinating to watch live with most of the band using either bows or screwdrivers on their instruments, it creates a tension between the more dynamic sections of the album. Piss Crowns Are Trebled features a magnificent swell of noise that brings this section to a magnificent conclusion.

The Sad Miafioso, from the debut album, brings the set to a suitably epic conclusion some two hours after it started. The band leave quietly one by one the sustain of guitars and the drone track continuing past the point where the lights are switched on to indicate the curfew has arrived. Timothy nips back on stage to turn off what's still humming but even then takes a while to completely cut the noise.

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