You might remember how, four months ago, part-time Swan Fungus field correspondent Ian shared his thoughts on the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in upstate New York. He also took some beautiful photographs. You can view them all by using this site’s search function to find his “All Tomorrow’s Parties” posts. The three-day event culminated with a “mind-blowing” performance by My Bloody Valentine. Of their set, Ian wrote:
“The band took the stage 45 minutes after they were originally scheduled to play. Within the first 30 seconds of the first song I was glad I chose to wear the earplugs. They were mind-blowingly loud. There were times where it was so loud, even with the earplugs it was impossible to hear the lead keyboard samples over Shields’ guitar. In addition, the drums were mic’d horribly, making what should have sounded like thunderous beats sound like goofy dancehall beats. It was all low-end, and you could feel it in your lower intestines for the duration of their set. I think if a single band could ever make a listener literally shit their pants, it would be My Bloody Valentine.
One would probably have to stand a mile from the stage to hear everything properly. “Only Shallow†was great live, as was “Slow.†There were two moments where the drummer was out of sync with the sampled drum line and had to stop and restart in order to get back in time with the song, but other than that the show went off without a hitch. The songs from Isn’t Anything were easier to discern than those from Loveless, mostly because there were less samples involved. “Soon†was probably the highlight of the night. It was one of the only songs where you could actually hear everything being played. The pinnacle of their performance, of course, was the twenty-minute version of “You Made Me Realise,†complete with the infamous “Holocaust†section. Without hyperbole, it was the loudest thing ever. I could see the ceiling’s light fixtures shaking. I swore I could see the soundwaves causing the speakers to shake. It felt like being blistered with a thousand decibels of sound. It was like no other musical experience I have ever experienced. The whole show has made me revisit the band’s albums and helped me to appreciate it in new ways. Since Sunday I have been listening to them almost non-stop. Also, if any of you are planning to see the band soon, the earplugs don’t work. My ears were ringing for a solid two days following the event. Count me as one of the fans hoping they record some new tracks and continue as a functioning band.”
My Bloody Valentine
September 21st, 2008
Kutscher’s; Monticello, NY
MegaUpload Download Link
Tracklist:
01. I Am The Walrus (Intro)
02. I Only Said
03. When You Sleep
04. You Never Should
05. You’re Still In A Dream
06. Cigarette In Your Bed
07. Come In ALone
08. Only Shallow
09. Thorn
10. Nothing Much To Lose
11. To Here Knows When
12. Slow
13. Soon
14. Feed Me With Your Kiss
15. You Made Me Realise
