GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR REVIEW

In a quick phrase, “life affirming” comes to mind when you witness a show from the Montreal avant garde post rock icons Godspeed You Black Emperor. The show I witnessed was no exception. If you’ve seen them you know what i mean.

Playing alongside them was the odd but not godspeed odd Xylouris White!. While the two man group kept my attention, the slow meanderings and less forceful sonic element didn’t do much for the crowd at 9 P.M. on a Saturday. Having said that though, the headliners were anything but disappointing. As the familiar sounds of “Hope Drone” slowly melted into audible excitement and virtually no recognition from the band, Godspeed overwhelmed the crowd for nearly two hours with a mix of old and new, never waning or acknowledging the crowd, except for the exits during the finale.

From “Hope” the band delved into the entire new album, “Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress,” which isn’t really even new. The sections have long been staples of their sets, and for all it’s worth, it fits in perfectly with their scattered, groundbreaking catalog. To see this band, with it’s dark lights and powerful images flashing wildly behind the band, is to be completely enveloped in a concert so surreal and thought provoking you can’t help but lose yourself in your subconscious. The fact that nearly all songs are instrumentals only helps to cement the way each song is able to capture the attention of the listener in a different way. Closing with “Mladic” from the second to last release was brilliant, and as the band exited the stage, a genuine love and appreciation was felt between both audience and musicians alike. I’m aware this is a relatively short post, but this just isn’t a concert I can or want to try to properly explain. You must experience it. Thanks for reading.