So I saw My Bloody Valentine last night...

damakable · Post by **damakable** » Fri Sep 26, 2008 5:03 pm

They were handing out earplugs as we went in. You know, I probably should have used them, because my hearing's not so good today. In fact I'm seriously considering the fact that I won't be able to hear well enough in my lectures for it to be worth going. I swear I'm not just a lazy student, I really can't hear. I figured I'd be okay standing at the back, and I was for most of the concert. But the last song, You Made Me Realize, aka "the Holocaust", which is really one chord from You Made Me Realize played over a test tone and furious double-bass-pedal drumming for over twenty minutes, is like a jet fighter taking off beside your ear en route to dropping a nuclear bomb into your brain. I've been to a lot of metal concerts and I've been to see the Acid Mothers Temple and I've been to see noise (never seen Merzbow or Melt Banana yet unfortunately) but this topped everything in terms of sheer wall-of-sound bass-you-can-feel-in-your-gut-and-throat-and-oh-God-I-think-I'm-gonna-throw-up.

It's especially intense arriving on the heels of all those beautiful swirling songs that make up the rest of the show. All of them played loudly, but with so many different melodies going on underneath the wash of fuzzy pink noise, the dance beats, the solid bass groove. So much to pay attention to and to listen for and then a solid wall of impenetrable noise that makes it hard to think or feel.

And at the end every one shuffles out of the room looking pale and sheepish, like they've been told off by a girl they've liked for ages or been punished harshly by their favourite God, and hardly any one cried out for an encore. I did; I shouted "Do it again! Again!" but I couldn't even hear my own voice over the reverberating sound that continued bouncing off the walls long after the band had left the stage. So I gave up and left with the rest.

This was my first time seeing MBV live, and I would do it again, but I'd wear the earplugs next time! I was crazy not to. Anyhow, I'm a bit hyper still over having been there and thought I'd churn out a mini-review for you guys. Any one else a fan of the band? Or got any other shows to recommend I see when whomever comes to Toronto? Now I guess it's time for me to go to class if I'm going to go at all...

Pixel_Outlaw · Post by **Pixel_Outlaw** » Fri Sep 26, 2008 5:20 pm

...You DO realize that your hearing is probably more important than a one night show correct?

MX7 · Post by **MX7** » Fri Sep 26, 2008 5:22 pm

Thanks for the write up! I would have loved to have seen them live. Not quite sure why I didn't get tickets 6 months ago. Oh well. They've had a few run ins with people regarding how loud they play, so the earplugs where probably damage limitation. I wear earplugs to every gig anyway, ever since I saw Melt Banana 5 years ago and couldn't hear for 3 days afterwards

What other songs did they play apart from You Made Me Realise?

MX7 · Post by **MX7** » Fri Sep 26, 2008 5:22 pm

Pixel_Outlaw wrote:...You DO realize that your hearing is probably more important than a one night show correct?

Not when it's My Bloody Valentine

Jon · Post by **Jon** » Fri Sep 26, 2008 5:25 pm

MX7 wrote:
Pixel_Outlaw wrote:...You DO realize that your hearing is probably more important than a one night show correct?
Not when it's My Bloody Valentine

Quoted for truth.

P.S. I hate you damakable.

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Fri Sep 26, 2008 5:33 pm

Pixel_Outlaw wrote:...You DO realize that your hearing is probably more important than a one night show correct?

If you have ever been to a NASCAR or modified tractor pull event, such ear plugs and the like are necessary. If your hearing goes, you better resort to learning how to read lips to get on by. ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

emphatic · Post by **emphatic** » Fri Sep 26, 2008 5:39 pm

I saw MBV this summer @ Roskilde Festival. I had some hearing issues as well for a couple of hours. But it was well worth it. Plugged my fingers into my ears for the last number as it was just a big wall of white noise.

I love MBV, they're sooo cool.
Emph

damakable · Post by **damakable** » Fri Sep 26, 2008 6:19 pm

MX7 wrote:
Pixel_Outlaw wrote:...You DO realize that your hearing is probably more important than a one night show correct?
Not when it's My Bloody Valentine

There's truth in both those statements. I definitely didn't want to 'cover up' the sound of my first time seeing MBV in concert and that was the reason I shunned the earplugs in the first place. On the other hand, I could have heard it just fine with the plugs, and possibly been able to make out individual tracks better since the 'noise' would be the first thing to go. But on the other hand [oh my God I have three hands] that noise is what I love about MBV, and I feel that an important part of their art is how you have to concentrate to take apart the music and struggle to hear everything underneath. But from now on I will always wear earplugs when I go to concerts because after this I have experienced the loudest, most intense noise event of my life and one is enough. I was willing to sacrifice for MBV but now it's over and I want my hearing back, I don't want tinnitus following me around all my life.

"That sound ringing in your ears? That's the sound of those nerves that pick up that specific frequency dying. So savor it because when the ringing stops, you'll never hear that sound again." <-- paraphrased from some movie and/or high school biology.

Frederik · Post by **Frederik** » Fri Sep 26, 2008 7:39 pm

Man, I saw that name and thought it was one of these emo bands. Guess I confused it with "Bullet For My Valentine".

They sound great. Turns out they made a song for Lost In Translation which happens to be one of my favourite movies ever

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0nPSy1-UXE

Daedalus · Post by **Daedalus** » Fri Sep 26, 2008 9:48 pm

Jon wrote:
MX7 wrote:
Pixel_Outlaw wrote:...You DO realize that your hearing is probably more important than a one night show correct?
Not when it's My Bloody Valentine
Quoted for truth.

P.S. I hate you damakable.

When, in 20 years from know when you'll have tinnitis and no longer like MBV, you're going to look back to this and think "... Ugh."

Your ears will automatically compensate for loudness to reduce the damage... as a result, going without the earplugs gets you the largely the same experience as going with the earplugs. The only difference is, the the latter will minimize damage.

Take good care of your ears, guys. Do you want to give up music in your old age because you had to go to a concert without earplugs now?

szycag · Post by **szycag** » Fri Sep 26, 2008 11:26 pm

Frederik, you must hear the whole album of "Loveless"
Each year that goes by more and more people realize how brilliant of a record it was

emphatic · Post by **emphatic** » Fri Sep 26, 2008 11:54 pm

szycag wrote:Frederik, you must hear the whole album of "Loveless"
Each year that goes by more and more people realize how brilliant of a record it was

A friend of mine got this on vinyl. He thought the center hole (for the player pin) was slightly off center, because of the way the pitch shifting up and down in some tracks. But then he borrowed my CD and understood that's what it's supposed to sound like.

Emph

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 2:58 am

Wait, MBV are still relevant?

lewisit · Post by **lewisit** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 6:46 am

szycag wrote:Frederik, you must hear the whole album of "Loveless"

QFT

Frederik wrote:Turns out they made a song for Lost In Translation which happens to be one of my favourite movies ever

they didn't only "make a song" for the movie, but Kevin Shields (MBV mastermind) compiled the whole soundtrack

ach... how much I'd loved to see MBV these days - sadly here in Europe they've only played big arenas or even festivals and that would've totally ruined the fun for me

bands like MBV have to be experienced in rather small venues imho - that's why I'm dying to see APTBS on the 4th floor of this "building" in November:

@Frederik

if you're open for an experience similar the one damakable described in his nice little review you def. should join me there (you know this place, don't you?)

MX7 · Post by **MX7** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 12:37 pm

APTBS?

Acid King · Post by **Acid King** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 2:44 pm

I already have a touch of tinnitus from years of shows and band practice. My band practiced once a week (sometimes 2 or 3 times if a show was coming) at exceedingly high volumes and I never worse earplugs at practice or shows. One night after a Khanate show, I realized that I really couldn't hear a fucking thing. Someone standing next to me talking normally just sounded like the teacher from Charlie Brown. So yeah, after that I picked up a box of ear plugs.

sven666 · Post by **sven666** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 3:45 pm

MX7 wrote:APTBS?

amed police the batrider special ?

Motorherp · Post by **Motorherp** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 3:58 pm

Frederik wrote:Man, I saw that name and thought it was one of these emo bands. Guess I confused it with "Bullet For My Valentine". They sound great. Turns out they made a song for Lost In Translation which happens to be one of my favourite movies ever

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0nPSy1-UXE

I'm glad I read that before hitting quote. I made the same mistake and was about to make a tit of myself.

szycag · Post by **szycag** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 5:40 pm

APTBS - A Place To Bury Strangers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5VXqHARqFA

Awesome New York band heavily inspired by Jesus and Mary Chain, MBV etc.
I'll have the chance to see them here in Kansas City in October. Closest thing I'll get to MBV without leaving the country

lewisit was cool enough to show them to me

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 5:52 pm

szycag wrote:APTBS - A Place To Bury Strangers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5VXqHARqFA

This kind of thing is tough for me. I enjoy it musically (as I enjoyed the referenced bands back in the day), but the vocals (and lyrics) are pretty much a turn off--too goth/pretend for my tastes.

Still, the noise is welcome.

szycag · Post by **szycag** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 6:15 pm

The lyrics are mixed to the foreground a little more than most shoegaze stuff, but I think they're not that bad. The vocals have a drunken stupor about them that kind of goes with the really simple direct lyrics.

Square King · Post by **Square King** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 6:20 pm

One of the best bands around.

MX7 · Post by **MX7** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 7:50 pm

szycag wrote:APTBS - A Place To Bury Strangers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5VXqHARqFA

Awesome New York band heavily inspired by Jesus and Mary Chain, MBV etc.
I'll have the chance to see them here in Kansas City in October. Closest thing I'll get to MBV without leaving the country

lewisit was cool enough to show them to me

Awesome, thanks!

FIL · Post by **FIL** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 8:27 pm

PC Engine Fan X! wrote: If you have ever been to a NASCAR or modified tractor pull event, such ear plugs and the like are necessary. If your hearing goes, you better resort to learning how to read lips to get on by. ^_~

I've never worn earplugs when I watch tractor pulling. The larger weight categories physically hurt to listen to. ^_~