It was back over to The Fleece in Bristol for my third and final trip to the city in a week for an eclectic mix of music. The headlining band are a favourite of mine but the support acts were complete unknowns and I decided to go in with no prior knowledge or preconceptions of these bands.
With an early start I made it into the venue shortly after Kaelan Mikla (7) had started. This trio from Iceland play self-styled synth-punk which sounded like a mix of post-punk and dark synthwave. The band were made up of Laufey Soffia (vocals/drum programming), Margrét Rósa Dóru-Harrýsdóttir (bass) and ólveig Matthildur Kristjánsdóttir (keyboards). The thumping rhythm and retro synths were a contrast to the unhinged vocals of Laufey Soffia but this mix of the cold and the angry worked a treat and Kaelan Mikla played a highly entertaining set. Not to my usual listening taste at all but I very much enjoyed it.
In the main support slot were Birds In Row (5). This three piece from France play hardcore punk at their core but incorporate a load of influences from other genres such as indie, post-hardcore and even a bit of post-rock. At times these disparate elements worked well together at some points but the majority of the time it sounded like a bit of a garbled mess. The band don’t publicise their identities so I cannot name the members or who plays what but the main issue for me were the main vocals which were very much in a post-hardcore/screamo style which I find extremely grating. Rather than sounding like someone raging against the world which is intended the vocals sounded more like a teenager having a tantrum after being sent to their room. The harsher screams by the bass player were far more effective and welcome though I would have enjoyed the set far more if the band were purely instrumental. One thing of note though was the performance of the drummer who was an absolute machine and had one of the best live drum sounds I have heard. Even though the music was not to my taste there is no denying that the band were great at what they do and played with a ton of energy and enthusiasm.
Headlining the evening were French blackgaze pioneers Alcest (9). I have had the pleasure of seeing Alcest perform many times over the past few years and they always perform a fantastic set but sometimes the sound can let them down. That was certainly not the case this evening with a crystal clear mix allowing all instruments and vocals to be heard perfectly. Touring in support of their new album Spiritual Instinct four of the ten songs in the set were from said album. The opening duo of Les Jardins de Minuet and Protection showed that the new material translates very well to the stage. Sapphire and Le Miroir came later in the set whilst the rest was made up of Alcest set staples such as Oiseaux de proie, Autre Temps and Kodama. One song that certainly got my seal of approval was Écailles de lune - Part 2 which is easily one of my favourite Alcest songs.
After a short break the band returned for an encore of Là où naissent les couleurs nouvelles and the absolutely stunning Délivrance. The band put in a slick and confident performance with the duo vocals of frontman Neige and Zero working in perfect unison and sounding absolutely jaw dropping. After seeing Alcest perform many support slots over the years it was great to see them doing a proper headlining show of their own and they certainly delivered as this was probably the best I’ve seen the band play with chills hitting my body multiple times throughout the set. With this being a sold out show it is great to see Alcest getting massive amounts of recognition and appreciation.
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