Place to Bury Strangers - Garage, London, 18/11/2009

  by Anthony Strutt

published: 1 / 12 / 2009

intro

Anthony Strutt finds New York-based shoegazing/psychedelic trio A Place to Bury Strangers to be on fiery form at a show at the Garage in London to promote their new 'Exploding Head' album

Tonight is the first time that I have seen A Place to Bury Strangers since they joined the Mute label. They remain brilliant in every way and play a lot of tracks off their second album, 'Exploding Head'. It is my favourite album of the year, and it gives me great pleasure telling front man Ollie Ackermann this, who is really pleased that I like it so much, especially as I was the first person to interview them ever when they came to Britain for the first time two years ago to promote their self-titled debut album. The support comes from the mixed bag of the Brothers Movement. They were formed out of the ashes of Mainline ,who sounded like an Irish Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. They are a more spiritual version of their former selves and still have that Black Rebel Motorcycle Club edge, but also more of a soul sound. Sad Day for Puppets, who come next, play a decent set but you can tell that they love Dinosaur Jr. just a little too much. When A Place to Bury Strangers come on, it is the first time that they have played to a crowd this busy. The venue is rammed full and it is not a pleasant feeling. You can't even get to the toilet which is just a few feet away. The band play a heavy set as per normal. 'In Your Heart' and new single 'Keep Slipping Away' sound glorious , and for once you can hear every word, even over the roar of Ollie's feedback and guitar smashing. Tonight's set also has an element of a Cure gig as everything is played pretty much in the pitch black. During the last twenty minutes, two songs are melted into one another and become a joyous wall of feedback noise of the sort that would please the Jesus and the Mary Chain. A wonderful gig to promote my favourite album of the year.

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