Sunn0))) - 4/12/2004 - Whelan's, Dublin
By Patrick Walsh
Ok, so maybe it was because I was drugged to the hilt, or maybe they were just fucking brilliant, but i'll forever testify to the power of the drone after this mighty performance! Sunn0))) epitomise 'acquired taste' like no other outfit; the heady mixture of stoners, misfits, metallers and curious 'open minded' indie types at tonight's gig confirms this. Over an hour of excessive feedback, walls of noise and a winding, at times transcendental cocktail of unsettling rumblings create an atmosphere of fright, head-fuckery and general bemusement.
The trio of O'Malley, Anderson and Preston, decked in ceremonial monk's robes and looking as foreboding as the sounds secreting from that huge wall of amplifiers behind them, go about laying waste to the venue with pure noise. Anderson and O'Malley feed from each other, their movements slow but calculated, and moving back through waves of terrifying crescendos amidst endless noise. This is not for the faint hearted or the head-banging conosseur; to enjoy this band one has to enter into a certain ethereal headspace, and whether you do it through drug-use or even just from Sunn0))) themselves, the results of patience are astounding. The feelings of confusion astride a general downcast, 'what the fuck did we just witness' air of general confusion post-concert proves that Sunn0))) achieved their goal tonight; they're quite obviously feeling something very strange and unique from their somewhat monstrous creation, and i'd recommend you all find this one out for yourselves.
By Patrick Walsh
Ok, so maybe it was because I was drugged to the hilt, or maybe they were just fucking brilliant, but i'll forever testify to the power of the drone after this mighty performance! Sunn0))) epitomise 'acquired taste' like no other outfit; the heady mixture of stoners, misfits, metallers and curious 'open minded' indie types at tonight's gig confirms this. Over an hour of excessive feedback, walls of noise and a winding, at times transcendental cocktail of unsettling rumblings create an atmosphere of fright, head-fuckery and general bemusement.
The trio of O'Malley, Anderson and Preston, decked in ceremonial monk's robes and looking as foreboding as the sounds secreting from that huge wall of amplifiers behind them, go about laying waste to the venue with pure noise. Anderson and O'Malley feed from each other, their movements slow but calculated, and moving back through waves of terrifying crescendos amidst endless noise. This is not for the faint hearted or the head-banging conosseur; to enjoy this band one has to enter into a certain ethereal headspace, and whether you do it through drug-use or even just from Sunn0))) themselves, the results of patience are astounding. The feelings of confusion astride a general downcast, 'what the fuck did we just witness' air of general confusion post-concert proves that Sunn0))) achieved their goal tonight; they're quite obviously feeling something very strange and unique from their somewhat monstrous creation, and i'd recommend you all find this one out for yourselves.
