Photographs by Neil Van.
Goodness gracious, my ears may never be the same again. While I let the tinnitus sink in (and weep for those that showed up sans-earplugs), I can at least assure myself that any potential hearing damage was so very worth it.
On Monday night at Toronto’s Horseshoe Tavern, New York City shoegazers A Place To Bury Strangers made good on their reputation for an entirely assaulting live show. They’re a band that embodies the harsh extremes – pushing everything to the upper limits and testing your capacity for sound and vision. If it wasn’t an attack to your ears by way of throttled guitars, feel-it-in-your-bones bass, or crashing drums, it was your eyes straining to focus through flashing strobes, swirling projections, and a thick layer of fog.
The three-piece hurled themselves and their instruments around on the Horseshoe Tavern’s stage, building up to thunderous guitar noises and yet, even in the quieter moments, keeping things brisk and menacing thanks to the ever-present bass lines and drum work. It was an enveloping, cathartic experience for everyone there to witness it.
In town in support of February’s Transfixation, the album is APTBS’ fourth full-length since the release of their critically acclaimed 2007 self-titled. Fans have been firmly divided on their recent movement towards electronics – some worried the band was giving up their post-punk edge in favour of more trendy fares. It’s hard to believe those fears are warranted though – especially given the density of their live set. While APTBS certainly threw their hat into the glitch-noise ring by finishing up their show surrounding and beating down on an electronic kit situated in the crowd, the majority of their set paid its dues to the wall-of-sound shoegaze they were bred on (undoubtedly helped by guitarist/vocalist Oliver Ackermann’s deep voiced delivery.)
It took well into the set, but the Toronto audience – who may or may not have just been shocked into passivity at the start – finally threw themselves into the mosh pit, flinging themselves around for the final few numbers with grins on their faces.
For the band, it was an exercise in making as much noise as possible but it was also a display of cohesion. Through the feedback and dissonance, APTBS were very clearly aware of the effect it all had, and I’m very much aware I’ll never want to miss one of their Toronto shows again. Sorry hearing.
