Crippled Black Phoenix - Live Music Review
Posted on: 2015-11-27
Our rating:
Right from the shuddering thunder of set opener Rise up and Fight the band roared through their two hour set with little let-up in the deafening, at time beautifully melodic yet also simultaneously brutal, soundscapes they are known for.
Wednesday 25th November at The Fleece in Bristol.
Where to start with a band like Crippled Black Phoenix? It’s a tough call. So often defined by the (former) parts of their particular sum, they continually get lumped in with the post-rock crowd, a genre the band themselves state as an appropriate pigeon-hole, and are variously described as prog, doom and neo-psychedelia! Founding members of the band played in Mogwai, Iron Monkey and Electric Wizard, among others. CBP are however, far more than the sum of their post-rock parts. The Pink Floyd comparisons are apt and a label the band acknowledge and openly embrace but it doesn’t quite capture what CBP are about, what they are.
Right from the shuddering thunder of set opener Rise up and Fight the band roared through their two hour set with little let-up in the deafening, at time beautifully melodic yet also simultaneously brutal, soundscapes they are known for. The band are arguably at their best in their more ethereal moments, their more Floydian moments. It is in haunting tracks such as Fantastic Justice and their transcendent ‘hit’ We Forgotten Who We Are where pianist and vocalist Daisy Chapman is able to come to the fore, adding layers of melody and complexity amongst the viscerally driving guitars and rhythm section. Add to this some seriously David Gilmor-esq licks and solos from Jonas Stålhammar and it’s almost as if the 80s had never happened, the great division (bell) had never occurred and the that most exciting and archetypal of prog-rock bands had continued to produce music as epic, challenging and affirming as anything from Meddle, Dark Side’ or Wish You Were Here.
Whether pelting out huge riffs against a back-drop of pounding bass and driving, deft drum rhythms or in more introspective, piano or synth-led tracks, CBP channel an eclectic bunch of rock influences. There’s shades of Sabbath in the raw aggression of it all in there; Deadwing era Porcupine Tree in the more complex song structures and soaring choruses; Black Mountain in the perfect harmonies of Chapman and vocalist Daniel Änghede; Japanese post-rock pioneers Mono in the almost orchestral use hand-blurringly quickly strummed guitars; Texan melody makers Explosions in the Sky in the perfect little refrains and sparing but effective use of slide, plus any number of druggy, stoner, sludge rock, doom-core and modern prog bands you could care to name. Despite this absolute glut of touchstones, they never sound like anything but CBP. Even between the seemingly polarising sounds of pure, anthemic garage rock tracks such as Maniac Beast and Born in a Hurricane and the epic stylings of No! (Pts 1&2) and fan favourite Burnt Reynolds (a track The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s Anton Newcombe wishes he’d written) they are always their own beast, very clearly CBP. In short, they are nothing short of epic.
The only disappointment of the night was the crowd itself. Founding member and guitarist Justin Greaves seemed desperate for the crowd to give a little back, to not be so polite, to live a little, to challenge, as CBP themselves were challenging the audience. Considering the following they have, very few turned out but this ultimately was their loss. Arriving in style (they had commandeered hip-hop has-been Nelly’s tour-bus as he was apparently too scared to tour in light of recent terror attacks and an apparent shortage of sticking plasters – how ghetto), taking no quarter through the night and leaving in a frenzy of fuzz and feedback CBP are the best band you’ve never seen but really need to.
4.5/5
Reviewed by Phil Spring for 365 Bristol - The leading events and entertainment website for the city
Article by:
Born and raised in the suburbs of Swansea, Jimmy moved to Bristol back in 2004 to attend university. Passionate about live music, sport, science and nature, he can usually be found walking his cocker spaniel Baxter at any number of green spots around the city. Call James on 078 9999 3534 or email Editor@365Bristol.com.
