Nordic Giants have earned themselves a reputation as a must-see live band. Seeing them live for the first time, it’s easy to see why. It’s all about the performance, the spectacle, the multisensory explosion. Dressed in feathers and masks, the enigmatic duo play in near darkness, dramatically-outlined silhouettes amidst blinding strobes facing into the crowd, smoke, cascades of lasers... and the rest of the visuals! So many reviewers write of bands who create soundtracks to imaginary films: Nordic Giants actually make those films and project them onto screens front and back of the stage, spectacular flights of fancy that switch from brain-blowing CGI-sci-fi optical illusions to bleak disaster narratives. None of this detracts from the music, though, and everything fits together perfectly as they play beautifully crafted, dramatic and supremely delicate post-rock soundscapes, littered with samples and references. In combination, it makes for a show that is nothing short of spectacular.
Irish purveyors of post-rock par excellence God is an Astronaut might not talk much during their career-spanning 90-minute set, preferring instead to pack in as many tightly-woven and intricately shaped instrumental set-pieces as possible, but when they do, it’s to thank the enthusiastic crowd with tangible sincerity and to speak fondly of Leeds, a city they feel a great affinity to. Toward the end of the set, Torsten Kinsella recounts how The Brudenell Social Club gave them breaks back in 2004 when they were struggling to get gigs in Ireland.
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Perhaps because of this, they elect to treat the Leeds faithful – a substantial and fervent crowd (the guy next to me air-drums with total precision throughout the set, and a guy in Mogwai T-shirt’s going utterly nuts in front of the stage) to a new, unreleased song called ‘The Sign of Things to Come’, and if it is, then they’re set to continue the upward trajectory from their latest album, ‘Origins’. Single ‘Spiral Code’ from said album is taut: meanwhile ‘Worlds in Collision’ rocked on a sturdy groove axis and ‘From Dust to the Beyond’ interweaves heavy droning and wailing guitars. The volume levels are up and Niels Kinsella’s bass really thuds hard. They may look – and in many ways, sound – like a 90s alt-rock band, but what’s every bit as impressive as the layered, textured guitars is the energy with which they hammer out a succession of driving riffs.
‘All is Violent, All is Bright’ is dispatched only three tracks in and makes for an early high point, and the entire set builds perfectly for the full-throttle closing triptych of ‘Red Mood Lagoon’, ‘Suicide by Star’ and ‘Route 666.’ Corny as it may be, GIAA were absolutely stellar.
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