Just a few years ago, international post-rock tours that weren’t predicted to be a flop existed as nothing more than a fantasy.
Now with the popularization of the genre through acclaimed bands such as Explosions In The Sky, Mogwai, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, smaller acts such as Russian Circles and Texans This Will Destroy You are able to hit the road without worrying about being out of pocket.
At the standard post-rock concert, the worst thing you could do is miss the support acts. Performances by the openers are usually just as powerful as the main act, and the Sunday at Adelaide’s Crown and Anchor was no exception.
Local guitar prodigies Canidae carved out an intense half-hour set, that seemed to consist of just four long compositions. While their instrumentation was pristine, the night’s sound was uncomplimentary.
This was due to a combination of piercing feedback and over-the-top bass. Regardless, the five-piece played to audience acclaim.
National openers of choice Tangled Thoughts of Leaving didn’t make the trip down to Adelaide, so in their place were Melbourne’s Fourteen Nights At Sea.
Despite a few bass guitar troubles that saw a number or two being extended by a couple of minutes, the five-piece were extremely tight and showed fantastic musicianship.
With the band room packed with stocky men, and the odd girl or two, it was main act This Will Destroy You’s time to shine.
Opening with “A Three Legged Workhorse”, the legends of ambience attracted the crowd from the first second. The quartet managed to capture the powerful progression in the slow melodic piece’s nine minutes, which moved directly into “There Are Some Remedies Worse Than The Disease”.
Despite having such a solid start, there was an aura in the air. It felt as though things weren’t going to plan.
Minute long breaks between songs, omission of popular tracks such as “They Move On Tracks Of Never-Ending Light” and a few known bass amp issues had meant that Adelaide wasn’t seeing such a perfect show.
Through all of this, the band had still managed to keep their cool, playing fantastic tracks such as “Glass Realms” and “Communal Blood”.
Their encore was more humble than anything, walking back out to their stage after a short few minutes to exciting cheers. Explaining that the band had been having some technical difficulties, they had decided to just play a single song for their encore.
The ever-beautiful “Threads” was chosen and was played with fantastic musicianship, drawing in the crowd with the smooth but choppy riffs and comforting bass guitar.
Much of the night was dependent on how engrossed the audience was in the performance – which is why post-rock concerts could either be a great experience or a terrible one, based on the individual’s involvement with the atmosphere.
Fortunately, all three bands had fantastic performances, all the while remaining calm and humble throughout.
For a band like This Will Destroy you to tour our nation so rarely, it was truly a near once-in-a-lifetime night, and it was wonderful to see that the sold out night was, ultimately, a success.
