When a crowd spots a microphone on the stage of a band that are famous for recording songs bereft of vocals, its collective mind can plays tricks on itself. Is this a red-letter show? Are we about to be treated to the dulcet tones of the as yet muted Texan four-piece? Alas, this is not the case, as the mic is simply a tool with which the band can greet the audience and thank them for their attendance. Oh well, maybe next time…
Following the excellent Lanterns On The Lake, whose accessible melodies lent a pop sensibility to their brand of indie rock, Explosions In The Sky began ninety minutes of instrumental post-rock (although apparently this label is a dirty word in the EITS camp). Wordlessly transforming Brixton Academy into an arena of harmonious and melody in which dueling guitars battle one another in a flurry of thrashing and tapping, the band control the emotions of the auditorium with deft flicks of their fingers, positing them as musical puppet masters with the crowd serving as their playthings.
However, despite the sheer breadth of talent emanating from the giant speakers, it never seems to be a case of showmanship with EITS; their talents are so simpatico that no guitarist seems to be attempting to overshadow the other, as they trade repetitive yet innovative riffs that will ingrain themselves within one’s musical subconscious for days to come. Displaying a musical virtuosity that can border on rococo, they pull the show back from the brink of the excessive by alternating the intricate song structures with simple, plaintive melodies that engage and impress just as much as any high-speed shredding does.
The opening chords of penultimate number ‘The Birth And Death Of The Day’ elicits the strongest cheer from a four thousand-strong crowd that seem to have been rooted to their own specific spot ever since the band took to the stage. Picking out a scale-hopping melody that hovers just above the orchestral effects, the band slowly build to a climactic crescendo before detonating a burst of tremolo picking that serves as a shimmering wave of sound that blankets the room, soaking the audience in aural ecstasy.
With barely two words uttered all night, Explosions In The Sky have proffered more emotion than many bands whose songs seem to burst at the seams with lyrics could ever hope to achieve. It would seem that their decision to stand back from the microphones and allow their instruments to speak for them is the wisest move that EITS ever could have made; let’s hope that they continue this style for the next time and the next time, and the next time… ad infinitum.
Words by David Harfield
