There’s a mounting sense of excitement and anticipation as Broadcast grows gradually busier, with punters here to witness Canadian indie rock four-piece, Viet Cong: unfortunately there’s some dejection also, for when I enquire with a couple of gents at the bar if they’re excited about the gig, they reply almost in unison “…no ticket…sold out…gutted”.
The no doubt misleadingly named Absolutely Free start the show tonight, a self proclaimed “poly rhythmic berbere stew” three-piece hailing from Toronto, Canada.
Considering it is barely 8pm, the band is met with quite a sizeable audience, all of whom are looking to get their Friday night off to a lively start; this does not transpire right away, however, as opener ‘Window of Time’ floats into view atop mists and vapours, its hushed vocals like omens from some far off dimension.
Although once this subdued, scene-setter is dispatched with, the band do open up and deliver a lively set of material taken mostly from their eponymous debut album; songs like ‘Burred Lines’ and ‘Stripped Light’ pick up increasing momentum, while eliciting more reaction from the crowd who, it must be said, seem won over by the end.
It must also be said that the band is somewhat handicapped tonight, as four days previously all their gear was lost by the airline with still no word on its whereabouts.
The cramped Broadcast basement is pretty much devoid of all light and oxygen by the time Viet Cong arrive, as roughly 200 eager souls are stood cheek by jowl in order to see the much talked about Calgary, Alberta based foursome.
After some jokey reservations regarding the claustrophobic conditions on both sides of the stage, the band waste no time in knocking out a lean and muscular array of songs that taps both their 2014 Cassette EP, and this year’s eponymous debut album.
Although being one of the most talked about bands in many indie rock circles, Viet Cong only formed as recently as 2012, meaning that the material being played tonight still has youth on its side, retaining the shock of the new for much of the audience, at least in a live setting that is.
Luckily the shock is of the thrilling kind, as songs like ‘Silhouettes’, ‘Bunker Buster’ and ‘Throw it Away’ deliver a visceral jolt of tangled melodies and bullish rhythm that feels entirely fresh while, at the same time, taking cues from post-punk’s peak of the late 70’s and early 80’s.
What becomes increasingly clear as the set progresses is that the songs are more vibrant on stage than they are on record, which is not to detract from the quality of the records, I only mean to highlight how intuitive and intense the band is when performing: once the often stark and murky production of the records is gone, the songs are revealed in all their glory.
After the eleven-minute opus ‘Death’ draws things (naturally) to an end, the band says its goodnights and exits the stage with no encore offered, leaving us in the crowd wanting more, although not sure if we could handle it.
Words: Brendan Sloan
