Black Country New Road – London Camden Electric Ballroom, 14/09/21
South London’s finest continue to dominate 2021
It almost feels like Black Country, New Road play a show in London every other week. They had their socially distanced residency in the Islington Assembly Hall at the beginning of summer, while this past month they made appearances at both the We Out Here festival, and closer to home (actually in London), the successful newcomer Wide Awake.
If that wasn’t enough, their surprise intimate gig in the Lexington last week sold out in approximately ten minutes. The band have essentially given folk ample opportunity to catch them live throughout 2021, but for some, tonight’s performance in the Electric Ballroom is of utmost importance, marking the group’s biggest hometown headline show to date.
It’s a merging of worlds in some respects, what with die-hard Windmill, Brixton alum who’ve been avidly devouring each subsequent live bootleg, standing shoulder to shoulder with new fans only recently exposed to the new wave of UK post-punk.
Originally set to open the proceedings was collaborator and close friend Ethan P. Flynn, who unfortunately had to cancel last minute due to illness. Stepping in to save the day, the criminally underrated Famous, who made waves with their staggering rooftop performance last year.
A trio comprised of vocals, bass, drums and a myriad of backing tracks; their sound blends angst-riddled, emotive meanderings with sporadic dance-punk fusion. It all very much comes off as sonic catharsis, with unpredictable shifts in mood that echo the often-unhinged vocal delivery and rambling lyrical sentiment.
While newer cuts are given their due, highlights from their acclaimed ‘England’ EP receive the greatest response, with quasi-anthem ‘The Beatles’ casting a net of awe over the enamoured, intrigued and disinterested alike. Once their captivating and humbled performance comes to an end, the real anticipation sets in.
Black Country, New Road have a penchant for absurdity and a taste for modern pop, both simultaneously showcased by having ‘Happier Than Ever’, the title track from the new Billie Eilish album played during their walk-on, while a black and white school-like drawing is projected with a snot-nosed BC on one side and an NR on the other.
The fitting choice to open with their delicate, dour rendition of MGMT’s ‘Time To Pretend’ speaks volumes; the bittersweet sarcastic musings on success in the music world and the perceived destructive nature of our (every) generation, is lent massive credence with regard to how far the group have come in such a short period, and how much farther they have to go.
Reimagining the euphoric synth-pop gem as a slow-burn folk ode just works on so many levels, and has understandably become somewhat of a staple in the hearts of many fans. From here on, it’s a balancing act between delivering highlights from their Mercury Prize nominated debut, For The First Time, and testing newer, less familiar material.
The start/stop math inflections of ‘Athens, France’ are chanted directly back at the stage with wondrous unison, like a post-punk Fratellis show come to life. Elsewhere the mammoth crescendos of ‘Science Fair’ and the opus-like ‘Opus’ whip the crowd into frenzy, with mosh pits that encompass an atmosphere far removed from the socially distanced performances of just a few mere months prior.
Offsetting the fan service, the newer cuts breathe with decidedly different hues. ‘Bread Song’ twinkles and swells while never fully abandoning its lush confines of acoustic melancholic dread. The minimalist post-folk of ‘Snowglobes’ is another standout, with jazzed out smatters of drum fills climbing and cascading throughout.
‘The Place Where He Inserted The Blade’ feels destined to become another mainstay of future sets, and also seems to be rather indicative of the more sullen, post-punk math-folk direction LP2 is bound to take. There’s assured nods to early Arcade Fire work for sure, but there’s a level of wit, nuance and negation all their own.
While the choir (made up of friends) are sadly drowned out or not well heard for the majority of their time on stage, volume levels are just right for the ever-shifting closer, ‘Basketball Shoes’, which traverses from a Godspeed You! Black Emperor post-rock crawl, before morphing into a Sunny Day Real Estate mash of riffs, finally reaching full scale cinematic emo abandon in its final minutes (the track is nearly a quarter of an hour long).
The ethereal, haunting notes of the choir elevate the proceedings to epic levels of spectacle while frontman Isaac Wood shrieks and wails with a tortured, frenetic quality seemingly reserved for this precise piece. While another track that’s been around almost as long as the band has, it seems very apparent that the future studio version will be arguably the centrepiece of their next project.
A night for newbies and super fans alike, that can’t help but feel like a victory lap success story chronicling the short but important journey from the Windmill to the Ballroom. Black Country, New Road double down on both the fan service with a thorough run through of all the favourites (apart from ‘Sunglasses’, their own ‘Creep’), and a deep insight into their as of yet untitled, unannounced second full-length.
If the newer material and crowd reaction are anything to go by, we can expect a rather depressive, expansive and unique sophomore effort, hopefully within the next year.
Words: Zack Buggy
Pictures: Greg Ullyart.