The Borderline, London
24/04/09
In a venue which is now threatening to become my new local, I returned to The Borderline Friday to check out fuzzed out, drone masters, Earth.
Years ago I found Earth through their albums ‘Earth 2‘ and ‘Hex’. They were albums that were packed full of satanic, evil drone and sludge. This is what I paid in to see at the Borderline. What I got was a gig heavy on new material from recent release ‘The Bees Made Honey In The Lions Skull’. This is an album that strays away from their previously dark and evil sound that got me into the band in the first place, into more of a melodic-ambient realm.
The gig itself was never going to be an explosive performance. Earth have never been that kind of band but they always appeared to deliver a heavy, inspired performance none the less. From a band with such a pedigree and cult following you expected a performance worthy of past glories.
Tonight, Earth gave us anything but. It really was a lacklustre effort from a band that should really be able to turn in a fantastic performance after all these years. From the stage manor of Dylan Carlson, you can tell that no real effort is being made, at least not tonight. Earth just seem to be going through the motions.
It was on only one occasion I found myself beginning to zone out and enjoy it. The only piece they played from the ‘Hex’ album, I believe. Unfortunately, this was not enough to redeem the evening. The only saving grace came from a fully stocked bar that provided continuous support in my time of need.
I think the main problem with the show is that I built it up to be something it wasn’t. Dylan Carlson and crew turn in mediocre performance that tested my patience more than a few times. Their songs were played with no inspiration at all and the dark atmosphere that makes Earth’s sound so unique was noticeably absent.
Where bands of the genre like Sunn O))) and Om can create a stage show to accompany their music Earth fall disappointingly short on this occasion.
Better luck next time, fat boy.
Tom Lindsey
Pic: Wikipedia