During the last decade Battles have managed to maintain relevance despite being a somewhat niche act. The New York band are loved for creating incredibly unique noise with the tools that they’re given, and their success hasn’t resulted in hundreds of imitation acts. Beyond this, the amount of energy conveyed in their live show, despite not having a vocalist, is almost a rebellion against convention.
Tonight’s set was both a showcase of instrumental innovation and a dance party with loop pedals. The three-piece, guitar-centric band effortlessly introduced glitchy and technical atmospheres, beeping and booping like a malfunctioning computer. That’s not to say there weren’t any synths involved, quite the contrary – an arsenal of extra equipment was necessary to maintain the level of unexpected technicality that Battles delivered. Guitarist Ian Williams was armed with two vertically angled keyboards to make for quick and easy switches between his instruments; bassist Dave Konopka had a giant pedal board in front of him; and drummer John Stanier kept a crash cymbal way above his head for that extra bit of dynamic flair.
Their live performance did justice to their recordings, so far as to grant them new life. Despite lacking a vocalist, Gloss Drop leadsingle Ice Cream was lifted by Stanier’s emphatic drumming. There was something noticeably jazzy about his technique – fluctuating between boisterous and commanding to simplified and smooth.
As the band kicked into Atlas towards the end of the set, the crowd pulsated with positive glee. The entire set was an occasion of flawless segues and build-ups, illustrating a realm of beautiful instrumental flow and warped rhythms, sounds and tempos. Each band member was given the necessary amount of breathing room, indicative of the trio’s mutual respect and ability to use that respect to create something awe-inspiring.
LOVED: Running into pals everywhere.
HATED: Being responsible for pals everywhere.
DRANK: Sweet tunes.
BY THOMAS BRAND
