Messed!Up
I’ve always been a massive fan of Sigur Rós and their cinematic/ambient sort of post-rock (well, the records stores label it like that), not only for some of the best albums I have in my collection – ( ), Takk…, and Valtari are all epic – but for how the music is visualized live. A few bands in the same genre, especially Hammock and The American Dollar, have released albums that pull you into similar emotional depth and mind-bending mysteries, but unfortunately without the full visceral live experience; it’s just plain live shows. But that was until I came across two EP’s by Nordic Giants in 2013, Build Seas and Dismantle Suns, and later that year was at my first Nordic Giants gig in Brighton.
Nordic Giants and Kent Club in Hamburg are the perfect pairing of band and venue. Giants’ performances have a real visual emphasis, both in appearance and with the live videos illuminating their set, and seeing this at Kent Club with that massive curved digital screen just works well to add to the ambience. The band is made up of two very skilled multi-instrumental musicians – Rôka on drums, samples, and bowed guitar and Loki on keyboards, synth,s and trumpet – who have continued to push boundaries throughout their careers and that repeatedly stun their audiences with their combination of music and visuals no matter wherever they play; it’s just one of those bands that have taken live performances beyond the known boundaries. What makes their performances so compelling? Having custom-built avant-garde short films, abstract animations, and dystopian imagery for each uniquely crafted song gives the band something unique in this industry. The visuals often explore themes of humanity, technology, and existentialism, creating a thought-provoking synergy between sound and vision, aided by samples of social commentary on the current state of society while the beautiful, ethereal, and dramatic music being played. And seeing that with that huge curved screen at Kent Club made this show by far the best I’ve ever seen by them so far.
The show was an incredibly immersive experience aided by elaborate lighting as well as their classic on-stage feathered costumes adding to the effect. The imagery presented on the screen is very dark and foreboding with images of dystopian science fiction, horror, and cutting social commentary on the current state of society juxtaposed with the beautiful, ethereal, and dramatic music being played. Some of the messages and imagery on the screens were particularly affecting given the current circumstances in the world at the moment. Because being at a Nordic Giants gig is being part of a video; it certainly isn’t the standard show you’re used to.
Personally, their debut album A Séance Of Dark Delusions is their best work but live it’s always the songs with the best visuals that are the winners. I just love the eerie feeling I get from “Mechanical Minds” and, in particular, “Dark Cloud Means War” – just watch those live videos on YouTube and listen to the commentary. Another one is the melancholic “Faceless” which is preceded by words appearing briefly on the screen; consume, hate, and greed. With Alex Hedley’s soaring pre-recorded vocals, the track evokes an immensely affecting sense of world-weariness – it’s epic visuals!
Sure, there are a lot of bands playing this sort of music – Hammock, The American Dollar, and Lights & Motion to mention some of the best – but there are few, probably no one, who do it so well, and even fewer (again, probably no one else) who create such a beautiful show visually alongside it.
It’s a mind-blowing experience to be immersed in that experience at Kent Club (and it was loud as some Germans next to me commented – who goes to a post-rock show without earplugs?). But it’s tricky to describe Nordic Giants’ shows, but if you get a chance to see them, just do it! If you want to fully experience the Nordic Giants experience then the live environment is where it truly comes to life and they are a band that I cannot recommend enough. A criminally underrated British instrumental post-rock band with two super-skilled musicians.
