Artist: Grails
Date: March 10, 2017-03-16
Venue: The Deaf Institute
Now entrenched on foreign soil, there is no better way to mark the occasion by
witnessing a band that has eluded me for some time (or more specifically, me
eluding them – refer below). Portland
stalwarts, Grails. Having previously missed their 2013 Brisbane show due to a
major fuck up on my part (criminally, I thought it was the day after they played), from a personal
point of view, this show has some historical implication.
Manchester’s Deaf
Institute is a nice venue, with loud acoustics evenly spreading out the sound across
the well-worn floorboards. Opening act, Majeure, is a worthy choice, producing a
frenetic kraut/space rock pastiche but
expanding the boundaries further to something likened to Lightning Bolt.
After Majeure’s warm
reception, the stage is set for one of Portland’s finest acts. With little
fanfare, after their sound check Grails enter the stage and shred ‘I Led Three
Lives' - an excellent opening track and performed with a raw vigour that is not
replicated on record. Later in the set, ‘Deep Snow’ receives similar treatment,
washing over the Manchester faithful very nicely indeed.
Throughout the night material
from the band's Black Tar Prophecies
series provides a nice psychedelic back drop and gives the crowd enough time to
catch their breath. Cuts from
new long-player, Chalice Hymnal, are scarce
and given the performance of drummer, Emil Amos, it's hardly surprising.
Where Hymnal possesses more cinematic leanings, Amos' craft behind the
skins remains fully harnessed by the band’s back catalogue of work. The
mastermind of the excellent Holy Sons (I know, I’ve talked about that project
at length throughout these parts), Amos could be mistaken as the mongrel offspring
of either Keith Moon or John Bonham. As drummer for the spiritual doom purveyors,
Om, Amos’ drumming is more of a shimmering undercurrent of percussion as
opposed to the thunderous and behemoth-like snare toil that is the centrepiece
to the Grails cannon. Guitarist, Alex Hall's heavy-ended riff-a-rolla cuts
through perfectly while the underrated Zak Riles adds the intricate harmonics and
noodlings with clever finger picks that round out the band's sonic manifesto.
‘Origin-ing’ is a full on
post-rock assault and is the perfect way to end the night, or so I thought...
The encore sees 'Reincarnation Blues' ripped through at a snarling pace while
arguably Grails' finest cut committed to disk, ‘Silk Rd’, is a blood and
thunder bastardisation of anything Ravi Shankar ever did. It is quite simply
flooring.
It's a stellar performance
and one that dispels the notion of these hipster dickheads suggesting that the
post-rock genre is on the wane. Band's like Grails continue to be a beacon for
instrumental music, providing sonic interpretations that enhance the post-rock
pantheon. In the live arena, Grails can match it with any other. They are
simply that good.
Words and photo by Simon
K.
