2023-10-03 | Nathan Fake, This Will Destroy You, The Ocean | Rescue Rooms, Nottingham

This issue of Gigregator comes somewhat delayed. To this point I’ve managed to at least do a write-up within a day or two, but various family developments have taken priority and I find myself reciting this experience from over a week back - better late than never!

As one of the bands that helped me discover my love of Post Rock, it goes without saying that I’ll take any opportunity to see This Will Destroy You (henceforth TWDY). I’m no stranger to the Texan quartet, having seen them back in my university days at The Rainbow in Digbeth. The wall of noise produced in that small room was the catalyst convincing me to invest in a proper pair of earplugs, so there’s a little bit of TWDY that comes along with me to each gig I attend.

I was surprised upon arrival to see that TWDY were the middle of the bill - I clearly hadn’t paid much attention to adverts citing a co-headline show. There were Post Rock vibes at the merch stand, as I got rather taken by a collection of LPs by Wang Wen. I’m not a record person, but some of these would be high up my list if I were!

Nathan Fake got the punctual audience warmed up. It wasn’t a long set but it was interesting to hear some techno (if that genre even applies), which is a far cry from anything I’d typically listen to. I could however see the crossover with some of TWDY’s electronic elements. Once the performance ensued, there was no stopping Nathan Fake, exploring a multitude of different textures and timbres until it was time to depart. There wasn’t much in the way of audience interaction, but this gave opportunity to get lost in the light show which fit well with the music.

TWDY emerged with their trademark lack of ceremony. Reminiscent of their previous gig in Birmingham, I recall a single “thanks for coming out” to the audience throughout the set. As someone who appreciates the highly personal nature of Post Rock, this made perfect sense to me, and I sincerely hope other watchers weren’t put off by this.

The band put together a stellar performance, with a great mix of older tunes and some newer material. A hum of recognition from the iconic opening chord to Quiet was a treat to hear, surely speaking to the band’s long-term appeal. Subtle hints to the upcoming songs were made as the lighting crew matched the stage to themes from album cover art - a nice touch.

I was pleased to hear two of my absolute favourite TWDY tracks from my early days of discovering the band. New Topia was the latest and greatest back in 2014 and it sounds just as fresh today. Despite some of its nuance being lost in the really loud sections, I was generally really impressed by TWDY’s soundscape. I’m no technician, but I imagine it’s no mean feat setting levels for a band ranging from such delicacy to what can only be described as “fuckin’ loud”. My personal highlight was arguably my favourite of their tracks, Threads, in which the melodic guitar work was clearly identifiable behind the gentler backdrop.

The quality of the musicianship was indisputable, with several ethereal intro passages initially fooling me as being samples from the album, for me to later realise they were being played live. Command over such subtle sounds certainly deserves commendation. The set was also littered with highly impassioned moments. I held genuine concern at one point for the seated guitarist literally rocking out to the point of near catastrophe. I’ll also never forget the devilish grin on the face of one twenty-something who was managing to bop along to Little Smoke, arguably the most bone-shatteringly oppressive composition ever devised.

There was a certain shift in the demographic of the audience towards metalhead as The Ocean took to the stage. This served as a good indicator for me who had yet to look the band up. Initially a smaller audience as some of the Post Rock nerds retreated, the floor certainly filled out as the final set commenced.

I can understand why the band were paired with TWDY. Inarguably a metal group, they incorporate some interesting time signatures, proggy motifs and occasionally straight up bizarre sounds. The Ocean were certainly tight and the vocal performance was a clear stand-out. Loïc controlled dynamics well, switching effortlessly between spoken volume and a pretty cool banshee shriek. Emoting with a mix of what can only be described as “monkey arms” and “snakey energy”, he certainly drew the eye too. A crowd surf nearly ended in disaster as he dived headfirst beyond the mass at of people at the barrier, being just about salvaged by myself and a couple of neighbours.

I can’t go without mentioning some of the excellent staging done by The Ocean. Creepy looking studio lights set the scene well and the vocal duet with the lead guitarist where Loïc retreated upstage and sung in profile was highly impactful.

The mood peaked for the final few songs and the joy of a venue the size of Rescue Rooms became apparent, as the mic was passed around a group of hardcore fans to give their own vocal renditions - a daring move, but one which thankfully didn’t backfire. Despite TWDY being my reason for attending, I was pleased to finish the night on a high with Jurrasic | Cretaceous, certainly a bit of banger that I’ll no-doubt revisit.