This was the first time I had seen Sunn0))) since their Underworld show of a fair few years back, possibly the first they had played in this country. I had been following their progress since then and had driven myself insane with new album Black One over the last few weeks in preparation. However, nothing really can prepare you for the full on Sunn0))) live experience and looking at the massive wall of monitors in front of me I had to admit to being slightly nervous, this was going to hurt, it was as simple as that. For once I cursed myself for never wearing earplugs at gigs. We were warned that there was going to be the smell of incense in the air, after seeing (or should I say smelling) Watain live, I can assure you I had no problem with that. A chocolaty and very rich smelling brand of incense immediately made its presence felt and we got ready to rumble as Stephen O’Malley and his merry monks (yes they were dressed in habits) strode out onto the stage. A huge surge of feedback had my ears ringing and my bowels trembling in worry. Were they going to hit that legendary South Park brown note? Well if anyone is capable it is going to be this lot and the incense may well come in very handy. Imagine the visage in front of us and think of Knight Templars as masters of doom having crawled from the very tombs of the blind dead to seek revenge with an unholy cacophony of drone. Creepy and ominous and with dry ice pressing it along I was kind of reminded of the theme music from John Carpenter’s The Fog. Guitars suddenly cut through the smoggy air with a barbed ferocity and the fuzz behind them was simply rude (that was the word I appear to have written so I guess I will stick with it.) Someone next to me in the photo pit was smoking a big fuck off pipe (and I am talking old mans pipe not a druggy one) this could only really happen at a Sunn0))) gig and I couldn’t help but have a good old laugh at the absurdity of the situation. This was rather like being caught in an earthquake, and one where buildings had absolutely no hope of surviving its force. I was actually recognising riffs from having listened to the groups albums but riffs rather than actual songs themselves, it really is kind of hard to explain. Shredding droves of feedback were cataclysmic and I found the best way to really appreciate it was to put my chin on the bass bin in front of me and let the full effect of this rattle my teeth and shake my brain in my skull. Funnily enough, nobody around me seemed to think of this as anything but reasonable behaviour.
At the midway point something I had been very much looking forward to occurred and Malefic from Xasthur came out to toy with us on vocals. Children really shouldn’t play with dead things was my first thought as the hideous and grim singer crawled as though from the grave to look at us with malice and downright contempt. The smell of incense was getting even headier but was it actually incense or corpse flowers blooming perhaps? Once he howled for the very first time It was as close to being in hell as a musical experience can take you. The instrumentation cut through his tortured cries and the vocalist and players seemed to be having something akin to a battle of supremacy that was devastating enough to cause ruination for all who were witnessing its struggle. The howls cut right through the venue and yes you could hear them quite clearly from the toilets as well. If ever a drink was needed it was now and if we were doomed for destruction I wasn’t going down without a drink in my hand and as this ear rape ensued I clung to the bar for dear life and was almost surprised to walk out of the venue in one piece shortly after.
The night has left me with three questions. What was the incense, where can I order it and will my hearing ever come back?
