I've looked for a similar thread but found nothing. I though it would be worth having a discussion of the best live performances witnessed, outside of the context of the "Best of" year end threads. Obviously there's a certain amount of subjectivity discussing the "best" live performances, but I'm thinking of those shows which feel like life-changing, ego-smashing or soul-shaking events. bands or artists who are at the height of their powers, even if just for one tour or even one night! Or at the very least are exceptionally good. Not just the usual good set from a good night type of stuff.
I'll start off with a few, some of which aren't noise/industrial related but need to be included.
Linekraft @ Hospital Fest, Queens, 12-8-18 - I know this just happened, but this was my impetus for creating this thread. this wasn't just the best performance of the night, this was the best performance I saw all year, by leaps and bounds. literally no aspect was lacking. the music itself, absurdly loud, consistently engaging, with distinct songs. the energy level from Masahiko was 100% the whole time. the backing videos were on point. and of course you get the industrial metal drum abuse as the cherry on top. and Masahiko's use of the on/off tape recorder combined with physical flailing was like watching someone get struck by lightning over and over. totally amazing.
Jaako Vanhala @ UFoI II, London, 5-2-15 - This is the only time I've seen JV live, so my context is limited, but holy fucking shit. I think a lot of people felt this was the best performance of the weekend. It didn't hurt that it was one of the only pure harsh noise sets, but it wasn't just contrast that made it stand out. it was pure glorious noise. the sound of electrified steel that literally energized the entire audience. extremely harsh yet so joyous in its expression it was impossible to frown.
Solmania & Jojo Hiroshige @ Noise May Day 2009, Osaka, 5-09 - now I can't remember if JoJo Hiroshige played with Solmania or after... I think it was after, but I was in a very frenzied and drunken state. What I remember is an endless wall of brain melting noise from Solmania, so completely crushing and massive I could barely move and then at some point Jojo came out into the crowd swinging a cinderblock around and then the next thing I knew I was holding on to the other end spinning in a circle with him until we threw it into a wall. it was fucking nuts. and I think this was all before Masonna closed the night out with a 45 second set. But Solmania's performance made me fall in love with them forever and Jojo's reckless disregard for human safety crowned him "noise king" in my mind.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor @ the Trocadero, Philly, 3-19-11 - GY!BE were really influential on my music taste. this show was massively built up in my mind. I never thought I'd see GY!BE and I didn't expect them to live up to my mental vision and yet it was infinitely more sublime than anything i could have expected. things were immediately made more serious when 3-5 minutes into the set a girl standing near me had a seizure and carried out by her friends after a few minutes. I was in the very front for most of the 2+hr performance wondering if the music would drive me to brain overload. the visuals were stunning! the selection of tracks, many of which were from "Lift Yr. Fists", couldn't have been better. the emotional weight of the recorded music always carried was doubled in effect live. truly unforgettable. and somehow when I saw them 2 or 3 years later, so much of that magic was completely absent...
Autechre @ the Black Cat, Washington DC, 4-18-08 - this was on their tour for "Quaristice". I saw them again in support of "Exai" and it's hard to decide which was better. While the "Exai" show was 2+hrs of digital sculptures being smashed into your brain, the first time was an awesome balance of extremely detailed electronic onslaught with a backing beat you could dance to it. there was zero visual component, as Sean Brown and Rob Booth stood behind their wall of gear in a pitch dark concert hall. it was all about the music, and the music was so good it was all you needed. (and the stupid amounts of DXM pumping through my system added to the experience).
I have a few more to share but that's enough for now.
SKATERS & P.A.R.A. 2009, Nottingham - This was the time when that term 'Hypogenic Pop' was going round, I don't know what it meant. I only went to this as I liked the little Skaters stuff I had at the time, mostly off that California 10 LP Box Set. The Skaters guys did solo sets which were ok, but the support act was P.A.R.A. aka Labanna Bly her set was kind of ritual/occult performance, incense and very odd noise vocals and sounds for sure. Her set was immense and odd to the point where the Skaters guys couldn't really compete. I bought two CDRs off her 'Pentacles of Life' and 'Manifestival' and got most of everything else she did over time. P.A.R.A. was short lived and disappeared. She became a performance artist as Labanna Bly. But that body of work is great. However that performance was truly great, unlike nothing I have seen or heard since. I like Ferraro's stuff I heard since though.
http://www.rammelclub.org/2009/04/skaters-para-monopoly-child-star.html
Gordon Ashworth in Vancouver 2014.
Bastard Noise soundcheck in Montreal 2015.
Blasphemy and Revenge in Montreal 2014.
Column of Heaven and Iron Lung in Vancouver 2013.
Death in June in Vancouver 2015.
The Endless Blockade in Vancouver 2010.
Flatline Construct in Montreal 2016.
Gas Chamber in Montreal 2015.
Magnetic Coroner in Montreal 2018.
The Rita every single time.
Tomb Mold every. single. time.
Genocide Organ - everytime
Anenzephalia - everytime
Current 93 - everytime
Death In June - Worcester, Mass 2013
Con-Dom - Mannheim 2012
Operation Cleansweep - Mannheim 2012
Day 3 of No Fun Fest 2008 - Insane lineup on this day in particular ... Werewolf Jerusalem, Shallow Waters, FFH, Halflings, Cleanse, Hair Police ... especially remember the crowd going berserk and someone giving a troublesome bouncer a boot in the face while crowdsurfing. Think that ended the set. Then Consumer Electronics w\ Dom doing the backing electronics was the highlight personally
Hair Police \ Sightings \ Wolf Eyes \ Lightning Bolt at anytime between 2005-2008 when these bands were at the top of their game
The Rita + Treriksroset collab - Berlin Nov 2018
Akitsa - live in rural Quebec 2008. Really a shit location but have ultra fond memories of this gig, due to the performances, and also Akitsa and Peste Noire both 'bouncing' any punks who wanted to mosh out of the venue repeatedly throughout the night
Bastard Noise - Montreal 2006 or 2007, seen them a few times and it's mostly been terrible but this one was great.
Alberich - live at Berghain 2017 to the absolute confusion and dismay of everyone expecting techno
Slayer in like 2003 playing Reign In Blood start to finish was great
Lots of memories of great shows in Montreal around 2006-2009 when there was actually some decent projects and a scene there, but nothing really escaped local lore
Quote from: totalblack on December 20, 2018, 03:13:20 AM
Alberich - live at Berghain 2017 to the absolute confusion and dismay of everyone expecting techno
I LOVE this description so much!!! Would have loved to see crestfallen faces thinking '"what the fuck is THIS?!".
Quote from: totalblack on December 20, 2018, 03:13:20 AM
The Rita + Treriksroset collab - Berlin Nov 2018
I hope this is recorded and we listen it one day !
pedestrian deposit at milwaukee noise fest '13
QuoteSlayer in like 2003 playing Reign In Blood start to finish was great
I saw them on that same string of shows in London when Dave Lombardo came back to do drums for them.It was supposed to be just one night but they did two, I think? At the Astoria. I made the mistake of standing right at the front with all the total meatheads & got knocked out by an unopened can of Stella thrown from the back. That gig was fucking insane.
Lightning Bolt @ some Mexican restaurant, Santa Fe
I think this was around 2010? Completely mental show-Lighting Bolt were the loudest I have ever scene. I distinctly remember going across the street to my car to smoke a bowl and we couldn't hear each other talk, it was like they were coming out of the stereo, full blast. Audience was a single thrashing, sweat soaked organism.
Black Dice @ The High Line Ballroom, NYC
2007ish. BD had really dialed in their heavy dub material around this time, I think Load Blown had just come out. Huge sound in a small room, hypnotic bass driven tunes with majorly psychedelic projections.
Skin Crime @ Hospital Fest, Warsaw, NYC
There is an element of wish fulfillment, but Skin Crime's set was truly one of the best I have ever scene. Controlled, varied sounds, with a clear sense of narrative. It felt dialed in to the psychedelic experience in a way that felt deeply personal.
John Maus @ Washington Hall, Seattle
Its hard to imagine the intensity of his live performance based off his records, but Maus channels Masonna, thrashing around, head banging, jumping, bellowing and beating his face with fist and microphone while belting out his coked up anthems. Watching a stage diver getting tossed by an infuriated off duty cop/security guard during Cop Killer was worth the price of admission. Insane energy in that crowd!
It's hard for me disentangle the embarassment of riches that was the Albuquerque scene in the mid 00s, just non-stop killer shows and a tight knit supportive scene. Postcommodity, Mesa Ritual, William Fowler Collins, Death Convention Singers etc etc
Much appreciation to anyone willing to take the stage/floor/back alley and lose their minds.
Sissy Spacek @ Coalition 2015 - Mike Du Bose on vocals - this was pure fucking noisecore bordering on Scum era grind. It was so fucking great. They just ripped so friggin' hard that night.
Pharmakon, 2013 (?) at SheBGBs Toronto - totally in your face, aggressive, kind of uncomfortable - GREAT set. Bleak as fuck DIY punk venue only added to how great this was.
Khanate 2005 @ Sneaky Dees - perfect set - perfect hateful despondent vibe - the best doom to ever exist? Pretty friggin' jazzed I caught this one.
Deche-Charge - 2017 @ Slave to the Grind Fest - Tim Morse from AC drumming, they smashed a bunch of shit, the humourless soundguy went on stage and confiscated their microphones, everyone yelling and throwing shit and jumping on stage. It was fucking great.
Anthony Braxton Septet La Sala Rosa Montreal June 2017 - I went to Montreal specifically to see Braxton, a wild performance that I will cherish in my memory for the rest of my days. My (non avant garde jazz) wife came too and was like "what the fuck dude why does all the sheet music have a bunch of shapes on it?"
Magma August 2017 - they came in 2016 and it was.... okay but to be honest I was kind of let down. Vander was sick and i was hoping for.... more. They came around again in 2017, smaller venue, better sound, and they fucking RIPPED SO HARD. All of Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré plus Mekanik Destruktiv Kommand in fucking full. Probably the best show I've ever seen. They were so fucking ON.
I've seen some other good shows but these were top.
coil - their final show before balance died
whitehouse - every time
henry chopin - want to say...2010 or something
costes - possibly around 2012 no idea
atari teenage riot - 1999 or thereabouts
idm theft able/crank sturgeon - 2013 maybe? i dunno
the cure - 1992 or '93
gx/eb.er/dando/lanz - wellenfeld performance 2013
they all come to mind, lots more
Too much..
Wolf Eyes in 2004 - fist pumps in the pit
At The Gates in 1995 - first time i saw them, best time i saw them
Dystopia in .. 1997 or something
His Hero is Gone in 1998
Anathema/Gorefest/Obituary in 1994 - my first big metal show
Arab on Radar in 2000
Short Hate Temper in 1999 (?) - we had to sit through a bunch of crappy oi bands in a squat in Ghent until SHT played at 2.00 at night and tore the place apart
Caroliner in 2005 - totally weirded out
Puce Mary/LR collab set in 2014
Ancient Rites/Blood/Occult/Pentacle in 1994 - one of my first black metal shows - quite the sight seeing people with big upside down crosses around their neck, swords, knives, dudes cutting themselves and stagedive..
Every Autechre show - but probably the one in 2010 is a standout
...
I have to agree about Linekraft..
Linekraft at Hospital Fest, Queens, 12-8-18 still coming to grips with this one. Total exploding energy all around , visual and sonic overload. I've been going to shows for 30 years now and this was fucking unreal!
Painkiller, knitting factory NY, 5-16-95 I was unprepared for this. walked in as the set had already started. complete sax/bass/drum assault. featuring ex-napalm death drummer Mick Harris
Merzbow Saint Vitus, Brooklyn, 6-4-12 (with Balazs) perfect "small club" noise experience. sucked right into the vortex.
Keiji Haino solo, The Wick, Brooklyn, 3-27-14 shredding guitar feedback at earsplitting levels. he sounded possessed.
I guess I'm nostalgic for the time when I could still attend shows so I thought I'd resurrect this topic...
While writing an unrelated email I was reminded of the two times which I saw Hiroshi Hasegawa play live. the first was 2008 No Fun Fest at the Knitting Factory in Manhattan. My friend and I showed up hammered to the show but sobered up over the course of the night. By the time ASTRO/Hiroshi Hasegawa came on to close out the night we had caught our minds and bodies were willing. I remember the him lighting an incense stick. The red glowing dot against the black background of the unlit stage. I remember being absolutely pummeled by harsh yet cosmic and psychedelic noise and most of all I remember crumpling like paper against a wall after 15 minutes or so because it felt like my brain was bleeding. Perhaps my noise tolerance was different back then or the alcohol hadn't worn off like I thought, but when I think of that set I think of being absolutely pummeled for 40 minutes. It was nearly out of body but for my intense physical reaction. There was a section that sounded like air raid sirens warning of space cruisers and my friend and I looked at each other in terror and just took it on the chin. When the incense stick went out the set ended and I felt like a volcanic stone turned smooth by the endless tumult of elemental forces. Fucking hell.
So when I readied myself to see Hasegawa playing under his own name in 2016 in Philadelphia, I mostly readied myself for disappointment because how could anything live up to that. And I'll say from the top, I don't think anything can live up to that kind of personalized mythology, but his 2016 came down close. This I saw dead sober, on a Tinder date no less with a girl who had never heard noise, in a well lit venue with a much smaller sound system. In spite of those weird surrounding elements, the set played out like one climax after another, spaced out in 3 to 5 minute increments. I believe he played for at least an hour and to my amazement it just got better and better throughout the duration. It was almost too much, sort of akin to getting your dick sucked post-orgasm. My body was tingling by the end. Infinitely better and more memorable than the sex I had later that night.
Despite these insanely good live experiences, I think I own maybe two Hasegawa/ASTRO releases. I guess part of my hesitation stems from a feeling no recording can measure up. Playing music loud at home never compares to a good venue sound system.
The live Snuff and Bizarre Uproar performances that used to be on the Filth & Violence youtube channel were amazing, and it was a great loss for them to have been deleted. Hopefully they will be brought back or released as a dvd one day.
A few selected ones that are memorable:
2006-05-04 Thee Silver Mt. Zion Orchestra & Trallala Band - Frankfurt, Germany, Brotfabrik - First and only time to see them before ever seeing Godspeed which happened a few years later. Smaller venue, audience in awe from what I remember, first you could hear a pin drop and then people got ecstatic, spent pretty much the whole entire day at the venue with beer and food since I arrived way early, great memory.
2006-09-12 Mogwai - Dresden, Germany, Alter Schlachthof - First and only time seeing one of my all time favorites. Mogwai fear Satan as an encore. Enough said.
2006-12-01 Bardo Pond - Berlin, Germany, Festsaal Kreuzberg - First and only time seeing a band that means so much to me...to this day. Utter bliss. Jam-packed venue. Essentially a wall of guitar noise with a flute and an almost angelic voice in the mix. I wanted to crawl into the PA. I wish I could see that band more often...
Guess 06 was a great year...lots of firsts.
2008-04-05 Shitstorm Noise Festival - Vivo Media Arts, Vancouver, Canada - just a few months after moving to Canada, first introduction to live noise performance, memorable maybe 30 second performance from The Barracks of Afghanistan, Taskmaster, Rusalka, Oscillating Innards, Tunnel Canary, too much weed...a PA speaker on fire thanks to Flatgrey, a microphone shoved inside female reproductive organs (Ghost Taco), I'm also sure I brought bed bugs home from staying in a seedy hostel...branded into my memory.
2012-08-24 & 25 Victoria Noise Fest - Open Space, Victoria, Canada - last edition of this great fest, I was late to the party for years, Victoria knows how to organize a festival, got disciplined for bringing my own beer, Xome played, I played a set that was way too short, great trip all around, cannot beat Victoria in the summer.
2012-11-30 to 12-02 Extreme Rituals: A Schimpfluch Carnival - Arnolfini, Bristol, UK - I will never forget this event. Just so happened to line up with the dates for a visit with family in Germany, cheap flight got me to London, train ride to Bristol where I'd never been before, really enjoyed the city, Arnolfini was the perfect venue for this, all day Schimpfluch video screenings, performances from the whole Schimpfluch Crew, Bryan Lewis Saunders spoken word and video performance made me nauseous, so did Eb.er with his offering that truly was a ritual for all senses, total overload of inspiration. To this day I tell everybody about this and will likely do so until dementia gets the best of me.
2014-12-15 Emptyset - Institut fuer Zukunft, Leipzig, Germany - part of a Raster Noton Showcase also involving Diamond Version and Grischa Lichtenberger, great venue, great trip to take shortly before Christmas, Emptyset was simple, to the point, strobe lights and minimal video, shit grin and awkward dance moves. Early morning train ride that followed the show was a treat as well.
2016-08-12 & 13 Amplified Humans Festival - Yellow Cab Building, Dayton, United States - much has been said and written about this fest, another summer holiday trip for me exploring beautiful Ohio, when does it ever happen that members of the audience get put up in someone's house for the duration of a fest? - testament to noise as a community, this was special all around, Dilloway taught everybody a lesson in tension, essentially all out harsh noise all the time, too much beer, great conversation, great weather, will fondly remember this for many years to come. Hoping for a second edition.
Quote from: Potier on July 02, 2020, 08:07:14 PM
2012-08-24 & 25 Victoria Noise Fest - Open Space, Victoria, Canada - last edition of this great fest, I was late to the party for years, Victoria knows how to organize a festival, got disciplined for bringing my own beer, Xome played, I played a set that was way too short, great trip all around, cannot beat Victoria in the summer
A great weekend indeed. And LOUD. Ron knew what he was doing for sure. I feel like Xome was the loudest, I remember being outside when he started and just being like "jesus christ...".
The Rita and Sick Buildings sets were highlights for me. The week leading up to the fest was also great, with driving Winters in Osaka to a few gigs around BC.
Sects Providence basement maybe 2014?
Hyper sexual performative noise with appropriate blasting of harshest possibility on this 'PA' Included amplified bowl with pearls being spit into from the performers mouth and some mirrors being broken.
No Fun Fest Highlights of what I was able to see were: Kevin Drumm, SJ, Keiji Haino, Incapacitants.
It was almost too much for my little brain, I was absolutely assaulted by the uncompromising acts, have not seen anything like it since.
Crank Sturgeon Gallery around the way from RRR. 2008 or so.
Crank was putting carpet in a toaster and turning it on. I think George Costanza was there taking notes on paper and reacting audibly.
I saw a lot of great shows at Monkey Mania in Denver. Friends Forever being added to a bill was always a lot of fun. Sonic Youth and Wolf Eyes collab was such an internal moment. Walking into a Dave Phillips show while people were running out in tears was something I will never forget. I think the harshest set with most attitude I ever saw there was Kites.
Fest I forget the name of in Chicago with Rusted Shut, Air Conditioning I think a crazy person who was on a very negative trip wandered in off the street and did guest vocals for Rusted Shut at one point? I think he had a gun.
Nice to see Black Dice make some lists, very jealous that I never got to see them.
Most of the best concerts I've attended come from twenty+ years of going to the Victoriaville fest (FIMAV). Not a ton of noise necessarily, but a couple stand out:
-Kikuri (Keiji Haino + Merzbow) was great, this was the recording of "Pulverized Purple", better in person. Any Haino set over the years has been a highlight.
-Borbetomagus + Hijokaidan set, which ended up on CD as "Both Noises End Burning".
-The Boredoms with a three-drummer lineup, fantastic.
One more thing:
Peter Brötzmann - has been outstanding every time I have seen him with whichever musicians he was paired with.
Most outstanding was the Full Blast performance I witnessed in 2011 at the Edmonton Jazz Fest. Three quarters of the audience had no idea what hit them.
Full Blast certainly is an accurate name for that band. I hope this man lives forever.
So many great experiences but with drink/drug addled scatterbrained memories...I'm bad at the dates and remembering things but I'll try
Fests:
No Trend, London 2005(??) - First real noise show I went to, first time meeting other people who made/listened to noise. No idea how it would stand up now but it was thrilling at the time. Massive delays so people doing 2 min sets. Power cut, flooding, just chaos. Filthy Turd smearing himself with mud from a lunch box and smashing up a cymbal. Monopolka jumping off his table. Fuck Buttons before they got big playing that same song over at every ATP/Supersonic and in shit channel 4 programmes. Green Mist drunk as fuck drinking lighter fluid (mid set?). Just lairy, drunk, good willed ruffians having a great time everywhere in a tiny room. Life changing tbh. There was another one the year after which was cool but doesn't hold quite the same memories.
LAFMS Festival, London (2011?10?) - Loads of pretty amazing US acts plus some Japanese in London over a few days. Really good vibes throughout. Raionbashi & Kutzelina were brilliant I recall. Incapacitants hampered by low volume but Hijokaidan sorted it out the next day. Just wild insanity, finally.
Schimpfluch Carnival, Bristol (2012) - mentioned by someone else earlier. Daniel Lowenbruck & Leif Elggren was one of the best things ever. Alice Kemp. TNB & GX. Dave Phillips. Sudden Infant & Ute Waldhausen slapping each other semi nude. Went alone but hung out all weekend with great people.
Rammel Club Weekender, Nottingham (2012) - Had the benefit of being a much more small, scummy, intimate feeling than the other bigger fests those guys were putting on. I remember a triptych of John Wiese, Dieter Muh and Cheapmachines in a row making me want to just give up music. Probably the best Spoils & Relics set I've ever seen either - they were joined mid set by the guy who ran/runs the bar doing a grotty poem and as he walked off the intensity of the set just ramped up without any of them even looking at each other. Complete listening and intuition. Insane. Too many other great sets to mention that day really. Blood Stereo were killer that weekend. Notable also for being Sleaford Mods first show. Who knew.
Colour Out of Space - been to a lot of these and they're always essential, highlight of the year/years events without fail. Never a weak one. In no order and picking from across maybe 5-6 editions highlights would be: Dilloway, Alvarius B, Jerome Noetinger, Logos Women, WOL, Alessandro Bosetti, Id M Theftable & Crank Sturgeon, Trevor Wishart, Red Brut, Ernie K Fegg, Myriam Van Imschoot & Doreen Kutzke, Jennifer Walshe & Tomomi Adachi, Peter Fengler, Vom Grill...fuck. Looking back over the lineups I wish I could go back again and watch some of the stuff I drunkenly zoned on but you're only young once.
Stand alone shows:
I can't list them but basically every time Dilloway has come to Brighton it has been a master class. Played with him 3 of the 6 or 7 times I've seen him and learnt important lessons each time. The first was when I was still finding my feet sound wise and played a completely abhorrent set of the most half assed bullshit ever, blaming the (admittedly terrible) PA and my shitty equipment for my lack of talent. Right before he was due to play he realised all of his gear was fucked for some reason and without a moments hesitation or whining he proceeded to do an absolutely flooring set with somebody elses gear that sounded immense. Never made excuses again after that.
Lots of local gigs have the mis/fortune of being really poorly attended in Brighton but enough people want to come along to hang out meaning some very great international acts have performed great sets to almost nobody such as Id M Theftable, Crank Sturgeon, Taco Bells, Avarus, Jaap Blonk, Airway (to about 9 people, seriously) and more than I can recall.
I'm bad at this but will try to remember some more.
This list could probably be filled out with a dozen more, but these come to mind immediately.
Treriksröset - 2008, Jönköping, Sweden. My first harsh noise gig. Or at least the first I can remember. Maybe four or five in the audience me included? Eternalized on the 2018 cassette on Hatband.
Händer Som Vårdar - 2013, Röset Festival, in the forest in Sweden. Just a really really good gig. Unlike his cassettes, this was very noisy. Great rowdy audience too, beercans flying.
Kakerlak - 2017, Gothenburg, Sweden. Nolan played a fantastic and largely unprepared set in the tiny Heinz Hopf rehearsal space. Starting out super intense and building from there. Pummelling.
Altar Of Flies - 2017 or 2018, Gothenburg, Sweden. Opening act before the Skull Defekts farewell show. Huge stage (biggest indoor venue int town if you don't count the sports arenas), super sound. Could feel my bowels moving while Gustafsson crawled around underneath his table messing with his gear but in full control.
Paranoid Time - 2019, Summer Scum, Cincinnati, USA. As a perennial fan, this was euphoric for me. Amazing gig, and great crowd as well. The finale is hard to forget. Wasteland Jazz Unit was fantastic during this festival as well.
Testicle Hazard - 2020, Gothenburg, Sweden. Approx 55 minute set in a theatre with super comfy seats, excellent loud PA etc. A horizontal hailstorm of a million electronic sounds. Not a one dull second.
Quote from: Potier on July 02, 2020, 11:04:38 PM
One more thing:
Peter Brötzmann - has been outstanding every time I have seen him with whichever musicians he was paired with.
Most outstanding was the Full Blast performance I witnessed in 2011 at the Edmonton Jazz Fest. Three quarters of the audience had no idea what hit them.
Full Blast certainly is an accurate name for that band. I hope this man lives forever.
I saw play a duo set with Heather Leigh on pedal steel. It was interesting and great to see a master at work but definitely "not my thing" in terms of sound. Would love to see him play with a sick quartet of some kind in a more "traditional" free jazz context.
Anthony Braxton a few years ago in Montreal was a true highlight. What a great group!
The first time I saw Sissy Spacek with Wiese/Mumma/Mike Du Bose was PHENOMENAL. Great set, super loud and they just killed it.
I have never really clicked 100% with Pharmakon on record - they are just fine recordings - but wow she was great live. In your fucking face, angry as all hell. It was a great show.
Ornette Coleman I saw about 10 years ago - very good set with all the "classics" plus some out there violin playing. Awesome to see his son Denardo on drums.
Magma was top notch. First time Vander was all sick and shit and the place was packed, a year later only about 1/3 the people were there and they KILLED IT. Top 10 show for me.
The Rita a bunch of times - at the new defunct Coalition was a total trip. The perfect place to witness that.
Biggest regret is not taking the time off to go to America and see Ramirez/Vomir/The Rita/JHS on this last tour. Seeing Vomir and wearing the garbage bag and drinking 2000 beers would be a life changer.
Quote from: Duncan on July 03, 2020, 12:01:03 AM
Colour Out of Space - been to a lot of these and they're always essential, highlight of the year/years events without fail. Never a weak one. In no order and picking from across maybe 5-6 editions highlights would be: Dilloway, Alvarius B, Jerome Noetinger, Logos Women, WOL, Alessandro Bosetti, Id M Theftable & Crank Sturgeon, Trevor Wishart, Red Brut, Ernie K Fegg, Myriam Van Imschoot & Doreen Kutzke, Jennifer Walshe & Tomomi Adachi, Peter Fengler, Vom Grill...fuck. Looking back over the lineups I wish I could go back again and watch some of the stuff I drunkenly zoned on but you're only young once.
i've been to a few of them too and one of the performances that always sticks out for me is Henri Chopin. i don't remember what year it was but his set was amazing and the crowd was going absolutely nuts for him. also remember kommissar hjuler & mama bar singing that "in the mighty jungle" song over and over again until i wanted to kill myself. really annoying and good set.
Quote from: aububs on July 03, 2020, 01:16:00 AM
i've been to a few of them too and one of the performances that always sticks out for me is Henri Chopin. i don't remember what year it was but his set was amazing and the crowd was going absolutely nuts for him. also remember kommissar hjuler & mama bar singing that "in the mighty jungle" song over and over again until i wanted to kill myself. really annoying and good set.
Yeah, the Chopin one was sadly the year before I went. Will forever be gutted I couldn't see him. I really dug that KH&MB set, so dumb, but so right. Sometimes the weirder more performative stuff happening on a Sunday is ideal cus the 2 days drinking previously have really broken you down to receive it fully. I guess that set was one such occasion but I could have the days wrong. I remember being wasted and falling asleep a few times during that which made it all the better to wake up to.
Quote from: Potier on July 02, 2020, 08:07:14 PM
2016-08-12 & 13 Amplified Humans Festival - Yellow Cab Building, Dayton, United States
Did a double take thought I read that Yellow Cab played the fest. That would be a thing. Oh damn just realized I popped the same dumbarsed crack the last time Being played Tokyo (fret not, karma definitely got me before the evening was through). Yellow Cab, fuck. I think I described them to Being Itself as
more wheee than whooo, well ya know a bit less verbose in person it seems.
My most memorable show is all of them with Incapacitants. But special mention for Incaps @ venerable 20000V in Tokyo probably late 1999...where Koji Tano RIP dubbed me the honorary third member of Incapacitants and I almost got pushed through the ceiling(!) by ecstatic nutcases going berserk at the stagefront. Was accused of being a performance artist by legit cutie with whom I was in no condition to reciprocate okay there's the karma. Later, I got a lift home by the cops in a bodybag, the best way to travel don't knock it till you try it. Woke up to a note on my door courtesy landlord, "You are terminate. Move out ASAP". Still have the note. Good times. Um, the uh noise was good too.
Also, everything with Robochanman, with and without chaperone. Also unquestionably Japan's greatest living audience member.
^^^More tales of on the ground japanese noise shows if you'd be so inclined please.
I caught Brotzmann in 2009 with two very good jazz players, Eric Revis and Nasheet Waits, and though I enjoyed it quite a bit, I also caught myself wondering a few times if Brotzmann was playing us all the fools. Making a career out of blowing his brains out, occasionally acting like he knew what he was doing, like with changing the reeds a few times in a short performance, and then going right back to not listening to anything the other players were doing and continuing with his brain blowout. It was probably just me, but he didn't seem all that interested in anything, going through his character's motions. I felt cynical in those thoughts, but I also don't think they're out of the realm of possibility or completely unwarranted. I'm a sucker. I enjoy his shtick, but it could be just that, a shtick.
Crumer at superhappyfunland in Texas nw years eve 2004? Played just brutal wall noise until the plug got pulled. Could have been an hour or two long it was hard to say. Lots of other good acts too, mostly deadly orifice
@Duncan, when I can get over the personal humiliation I might post a few things, heh. I've been mostly out of the live loop for quite a while but the last time I caught Astro I was simply blown away by just how utterly absorbing the shit was. This was 2019 October in Tokyo with solid line-up, all of whom delivered- Shredded Nerve, Mo*Te, Our Wrongs, Linekraft. Linekraft live execution of cuts from Engineering Analysis way better than the album, delivering decisive slams to the largest piece of scrap metal what could be muscled into the car.
I've been blown away by Astro many times before so I don't know why this one occasion should have shocked me...maybe the previous outing was rather less persuasive. But when he's on, the Hasegawa- plus hubby- just seems so adept at coaxing the max out of whatever system he's working with. Like it's hard to believe that that much sound can exist in a single neverseeminglyending point in space-time.