Review by Darshun, photos & videos by Matt Nielson
December 29th 2014, The Observatory, Santa Ana CA: As soon as Oakland sludge/doom legends Neurosis announced a trio of year-end headline shows in California including a gig at the Observatory in Orange County, fans were chomping at the bit to purchase tickets and readied themselves for another religious Neurosis experience, a little over a year after they headlined the same venue with tremendous opening acts Yob and Bl’ast. This time Neurosis brought with them an entirely different support cast featuring Tragedy, Author & Punisher and Kowloon Walled City, and the prospect of this lineup was an exciting one for all involved.
At exactly 8 o’clock, Kowloon Walled City marched into the title track of their latest album, “Container Ship”. This San Francisco-based sludge quartet chose the right song to start with and the pace was set until they went into their next song, “50’s Dad,” which picked things up and had the early evening crowd moving. This night they only played one new song called “Empty Spaces”, and I am indeed locked in and ready for when their forthcoming album will come out. Kowloon played my favorite tune of theirs, “Gambling on the Richter Scale”, my head bobbing the entire time. One hopes to hear another record and a tour from them in 2015.
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Set List:
01. Container Ships
02. 50s Dad
03. Empty Spaces
04. Clockwork
05. Gambling on the Richter Scale
06. The Pressure Keeps Me Alive
It had been a long time since I’ve seen Tristan Shone as the one-man act known as Author & Punisher. He designed and created all of his instruments that he uses live on stage and it’s amazing to watch him utilize these homemade tools. Graduating from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for mechanical engineering and a Masters in Fine Arts at the University of San Diego should explain the background of his genius. The entire set was all new material that will be hopefully on his upcoming album. The crowd was really into it and this was the first time I’ve seen Author & Punisher with visuals that were in sync with his drum actuator. The visuals were cool and creepy which perfectly matched the chaos of the music. Catch this one-man band live, it’s astounding to see Author & Punisher in all his glory.
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Tragedy, a crust band from Memphis, TN that are now transplants of Portland, OR tore it up in style. The pit area of the Observatory was very lively with people moshing in sync with their music. Frontman Todd Burdette (guitar/vocals) led the anthems while Yannick Lorrain (Guitar) followed the chaos. Billy Davis (Bass/Vocals) and Paul Burdette (Drums) were locked in the entire night in a deadly rhythm dance. I was not too familiar with the music, but I really enjoyed their set that night. Their set was fast-paced and would lurch to a mid-tempo feel followed by a gallop. There were hardly any pauses in between to not waste any precious set time and the band was super tight and dead on. Now that I’ve seen them live, I’m curious to hear how the albums stand on their own. Tragedy was formed in 1995 from the ashes of another band called His Hero Is Gone. This year will mark their 20th anniversary as a band. Hope to see them again when they come around.
Links: facebook
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And of course, the highlight of the night and a special way to end 2014 was seeing Neurosis for the second time. Lasting a little over an hour and a half, the entire set was executed superbly without a hitch and in between songs the band didn’t use silence but ambient soundscapes for segues from Noah Landis (synths/keyboards/effects/sampler) — it felt like a giant song or a classical piece.
Steve Von Till (guitar/vocals) and Scott Kelly (guitars/vocals) guided the audience into the depths of doom while Dave Edwardson (bass/moog/backing vocals) and Jason Roeder (drums) kept the rhythm at a sludgy pace. The crowd swayed to the rhythm of the band while the PA roared into our ears. Aurally it was a grand experience for a band that has gone through 29 years of playing. It’s surreal to think that this band has been in existence since 1985, and fans hope for an epic 30th anniversary celebration in 2015.
Links: website | facebook | twitter
Video footage:
Set List:
01. At the End of the Road
02. Given to the Rising
03. Eye
04. Times of Grace
05. Belief
06. Water is Not Enough
07. Distill
08. Bleeding the Pigs
09. At the Well
10. My Heart For Deliverance