GIG REVIEW: My Bloody Valentine
- Posted on June 26, 2008 12:53 PM
- 2 comments
My Bloody Valentine
The Roundhouse, London – 24 June 2008
Review by Paul Beevers
In an age of booming concert attendances and a seemingly insatiable demand for reunions, no one would have bet serious money on My Bloody Valentine getting back together.
For the uninitiated My Bloody Valentine only released a couple of proper albums, and both made significant impacts. Released on Creation in 1988 ‘Isn’t Anything’ presented discerning indie kids with layers of effects laden guitar noise and distortion, hazy vocals, and songs which ranged from blissed out to brutal. It inspired a clutch of early 90’s indie darlings (Ride, Slowdive and Chapterhouse among others) and it still sounds astonishing today.
‘Loveless’ emerged three years later and took the ambition of it’s predecessor to a different plane entirely. At times the tunes were barely discernable beneath the noise, but what a beautiful noise it was. The reception from fans and the press was again rapturous, but the costly and protracted recording process brought Creation Records close to financial ruin. Somehow label boss Alan McGhee kept the ship afloat, signed a bunch of Mancunian scamps called Oasis and… well, you should know the rest.
For all the hyperbole and excitement about these reunion shows, it should be remembered that the Valentines were lazy buggers, and never a consistent live act. And yet on a good night they could just blow you to pieces. Going into these shows anything could happen.
From the back of the hall they look exactly as they did nearly two decades ago. There may be laughter lines and slightly looser jowls if you get up close, but from where I’m standing the physiques, haircuts and even wardrobes look unchanged.
The set list is drawn almost entirely from those two seminal albums, and for those unfamiliar with both records this must have been an ordeal. The sound isn’t great, and at times any hint of a tune is virtually submerged beneath the sonic aural assault. Even those who’ve played both albums to death down the years (myself included) will have found themselves playing name that tune on several occasions tonight.
And yet when they get it right they are absolutely stunning. ‘To Here Knows When’, ‘Blown A Wish’ and ‘I Only Said’ sound as transcendental and hypnotic as they do on record, whilst ‘Soon’ (the closest they ever came to a hit) remains as dazzling as the day it was released.
A high decibel count has always been a given with My Bloody Valentine, and things get louder as the set progresses. During ‘Sueisfine’ a number of people surrender to the sheer volume and head for the bar. They haven’t seen or heard anything yet.
The closing track is ‘You Made Me Realise’. By the fey indie standards of the late 80’s it was an intense record. After about two minutes instead of a guitar solo or middle eight they recorded about 30 seconds of squalling feedback. In live shows at the time they often extended this to a good five minutes. It was an overwhelming experience, and the band themselves called it the Holocaust.
Not surprisingly they do it again tonight, which would explain why free ear-plugs were available as we arrived. It starts as feedback but within three minutes it’s akin to standing feet from the space shuttle at take-off. Or being at the heart of a volcano. The doorframe I’m leaning against appears to vibrate, as do my legs and chest.
By now larger numbers are heading for the exits and a slow trickle becomes a steady stream. Some have a wry smile, others look to be in severe pain or plain terrified. Most have hands clasped over their ears. The balcony seats closest to the amplifier stacks have all been vacated.
For the remainder it’s a ‘Bring The Noise’ endurance test. It carries on (and on) for 22 minutes, before the band break back into the song. Cue an influx of punters who know the score, and sensibly decided to wait in the bar until they could hear a tune again.
After which it’s all over. No ‘Goodnight London’ (they were always too introverted for communication), no encores, no promise of further recordings or more live dates beyond this tour. Just two incredible albums, a handful of singles and some incendiary gigs. We will never see their like again.
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Comments (2)
Anthony
Great review! I saw them on the Sunday show and was astounded.
Posted on June 26, 2008 4:13 PM
Tanya
It's Thursday and I'm still recovering from the gig. The triple vodka and lemonade helped me through the night though.
Great review!
Posted on June 26, 2008 4:22 PM
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