Concert Review: My Bloody Valentine 8/16/13

Today's Concert Review is of My Bloody Valentine when they played the Austin Music Hall in Austin, Texas, on August 16, 2013.

My Bloody Valentine. left to right: Kevin Shields (guitar, vocals),Colm O Ciosoig (drums), Bilinda Butcher (guitar, vocals), and Debbie Googe (bass guitar). Image from their Last.fm artist page.

Allow me to admit openly that I do not listen to My Bloody Valentine nearly as much as I should. In general, I like the shoegaze genre, but I find I have to be in a particular mood to really get down to listening to songs that are part of the genre. I don't know why, but that's how it goes for me. So, walking into this show, I knew it'd be great, but I had no idea what I was in for.

To begin, the opener was a one-man band going by the name New Fumes (Daniel Huffman, as he is known to others when not on stage). I cannot seem to find much about New Fumes, but according to his artist page on his current label's site, Good Record Recordings, Huffman has been part of a few bands in the 90s and has done several collaborations with the Flaming Lips. Also a fellow blogger (kudos!), Huffman has posted some different covers he's done in recent time.

Musically, New Fumes is very experimental. As Huffman took to the stage, he thanked us for coming and said "And now I will begin with some noise." And well, that's exactly what it was. Armed with a laptop, some effects pedals, perhaps a small synthesizer of some sort (this is why I don't do keyboards...I have no idea about any of them, haha), he began by looping various sounds and adding and taking out layers of noises. Sometimes he would get on guitar, one of his preferred instruments, and play more layering effects there. What this style reminds me of, in a certain sense, is Daniel Ash's guitar style. No, I don't mean to say New Fumes sounds like Bauhaus. Not even close. But Daniel Ash is typically referred to as a texture guitarist, using the guitar to make sounds that go beyond just regular notes and chords, but instead adding a layer of intricacy to the music. That's essentially what the guitar parts for New Fumes sounded like to me, an added layer. There were some vocals, but true to shoegaze form, they weren't easily discernible and perhaps served more as yet another textured layer more than anything else.

New Fumes (AKA Daniel Huffman). Image taken by my friend, Laura Davila.

I believe New Fumes played four or five songs (they're each fairly long and Huffman didn't really break between songs, so it's hard to know for sure as I'm not familiar with his work). The audience seemed to really enjoy New Fumes as an opener (though one person did yell out "Freebird!" to which Huffman just smiled and laughed a little, so good on him for taking that in stride). Personally, it wasn't exactly my cup of tea. I could maybe get by with listening to it at my desk while working, but as a live act, it didn't get me pumped up or anything for My Bloody Valentine.

After New Fumes left the stage, it was time to get ready for My Bloody Valentine. The stage was cleared fairly quickly, but it took a while to make sure all the instruments were in tune (I didn't realize this at the time, but everyone used a good three or four instruments during the set!). Right before My Bloody Valentine took to the stage, the screen behind all the equipment lit up in a beautiful display with the letters "M B V" written out. It was time!

m b v. Image taken by my friend, Laura Davila.

My Bloody Valentine formed in 1983 in Dublin, Ireland. Things were rather slow for the group in the beginning. It wasn't until 1987 when their lineup would be solidified with Kevin Shields on guitars and vocals, Bilinda Butcher also on guitars and vocals, Debbie Googe on bass guitar, and Colm O Ciosoig on drums. Their debut mini album, This is Your Bloody Valentine, did not receive much acclaim and the follow-up EP, The New Record by My Bloody Valentine, was only met with small success (the EP did reach number 22 on the UK indie charts in 1986). After several relocation efforts, the group eventually settled in London. After recruiting Bilinda Butcher as co-vocalist for the group and having Kevin Shields take on the other half of vocals in addition to remaining guitarist for the group, Ecstasy was released. The album garnered moderate success, though it did receive its fair share of negative commentary with some reviewers feeling the album was half finished at best.

In 1988, My Bloody Valentine switched to Creation Records and released their first full-length album, Isn't Anything. The album was an immense success and put the group on the map. The album would go on to influence several shoegaze bands following the group. The sophomore album, however, would prove to not be an easy endeavor. Beginning in 1989, the group changed studios 19 times, hired several sound engineers, and did not come out until the end of 1991. While Loveless also gathered immense praise, it was a commercial flop. Given the extended recording period and conflicts between Creation and Shields, My Bloody Valentine was dropped from the label.

My Bloody Valentine, probably in the early 90s. Image from Paste Magazine.

In 1992, My Bloody Valentine signed to Island Records. However, Shields began suffering a bout of writer's block. For the next five years, the band would remain largely inactive, releasing only a couple cover songs. Eventually, each of the four members left the band to either pursue other interests or disappear from the public eye. My Bloody Valentine was over by 1997.

In 2007, rumors circulated that My Bloody Valentine were reuniting and would play Coachella. This wasn't the first time the band were rumored to reunite, however. Similar rumors surfaced in 2003 and turned out to be false. However, Shields did confirm these latest set of rumors. Ten years later and nearly fifteen years since they last played a live show, My Bloody Valentine were back. Additionally, the third studio album that they had been working on when they signed to Island Records was reportedly almost finished. The third album, m b v, would not be released until early 2013, but was again met with universal acclaim. Since then, the band has been on tour across the world supporting their newest effort.

My Bloody Valentine are often considered the pioneers of shoegaze. On stage, the group were known for mostly standing stock still and even literally gazing at their shoes. The music of shoegaze acts often relies heavily on various distortions and effects (requiring you to look down so you hit the right pedal anyways). The music genre also includes vocals that blend into the music and aren't particularly discernible on their own, adding to the atmosphere of the music, but making it near impossible to determine what the actual words are that are being sung.

Bilinda Butcher and Debbie Googe. This is how you shoegaze! Image taken by my friend, Laura Davila.

The night opened with "I Only Said" and continued on through most of the album Loveless, a few tracks off of m b v, and songs off the previous EPs and first album. One thing to be said about My Bloody Valentine is that they are LOUD. The beat of the drums becomes your heartbeat and the guitars course through your mind, mingling with your thoughts in an intimate harmony that is fairly unique in a live concert. After a while, much of the songs begin to sound similar (one trick that shoegaze can commonly be plagued with, unfortunately). However, the group maintained a constant energy (even if it's to mainly stand still). Debbie Googe was about the only person to move around some as she absolutely killed it on bass guitar (to which I now really want to learn bass guitar). The group ended the night with their traditional closer "You Made me Realise" which has a portion many fans call "The Holocaust" in which the band play the same note at deafening sound from anywhere between a couple minutes to thirty minutes. Reportedly, we got this audio assault for eight minutes, which even with ear plugs left me with my hearing to my right ear shot for a couple days.

On the whole, it was neat seeing My Bloody Valentine live, and certainly a rare treat that may not happen again. However, much as it's difficult to dance to shoegaze, I find it a bit tough to really enjoy it live as well. This isn't to say My Bloody Valentine were terrible or anything. They certainly weren't. But, I like concerts with more energy, songs I can sing to, and a little variety. It just wasn't personally my kind of show. The audience around me were definitely into the show and you could see the awe on their faces at getting the chance to see these guys. It was a great night, to be sure, just not one I'll be repeating any time soon if for nothing else than the fact that I need better ear plugs before going again.

Setlist: (I didn't even get the chance to take a picture of one, sorry!)

I Only Said
When You Sleep
New You
You Never Should
Honey Power
Cigarette in Your Bed
Only Tomorrow
Come in Alone
Only Shallow
Thorn
Nothing Much to Lose
Who Sees You
To Here Knows When
Wonder 2
Soon
Feed Me With Your Kiss
You Made Me Realise

Ratings:

New Fumes - 3.5 out of 5 (not really my kind of music and the material got to be a bit repetitive early on)

My Bloody Valentine - 4 out 5 (about halfway through the set, it did seem like everyone in the crowd checked out for a bit as there was little variety to the set)


More Information: Official Site of My Bloody Valentine New Fumes on Good Records Recordings New Fumes's Blogger Account!