 
As always the music landscape is ever evolving,
trends emerge and die, and the fat cats at the
apex of the money making record industry, are
frivolous with exploiting it to its maximum yield
to obtain as much gross profit as can be.
The early years of 2000 were the pinnacle of
the “jangly guitar”. Everywhere one
would go they would be confronted by the sound,
whether it be a department store, or to an austere
advert trying to sell a simple confectionary delight.
This over exposure may even be the cause for shift
in musical fads, who knows?
But right now it seems to be time of the electronic
musician, everyday more and more acts seem to
appears that have seemingly been around for years,
even some of the old jangly bands are getting
on the bandwagon, with their third efforts, camouflage
in the “new sound” of electronica.
So who are tonight’s headliners Holy Fuck?
Well they are an electronic bands of sorts, hailing
from over the pond, Toronto, Canada to be precise.
I say electronic band of “sorts” since
what sets the guys apart from their contemporizes
is that they try to achieve an electronic sound
without the aid of conventional techniques such
as looping, splicing, or programming. Their 2nd
album has even caught the attention of critics,
which earned them a nomination for best alternative
album of the year at the prestigious Juno Awards
in 2008.
But before this spectacle array of music can
unfold tonight, the band it hugs back have assigned
to the unpretentious stage. What approaches the
stage are four shy fresh faced youths, who have
the manifestations of post graduate students.
They approach the stage and begin, to play the
music what is heard is noisy warm fuzz rock, the
crowd appear intrigued to the type of music this
morose looking band may play, as the song progresses
the singer/guitarist, plays some interesting riffs
and hook, at points his guitar work resembling
the workings of an early sonic youth.
His hands can be seen clambering up and down
the fret board of his trusty work tool, his feet
dance with a plethora of effects pedals. The vocals
that can be heard are of a delicate nature, perfectly
representing the image of the band that has so
far been portrayed. The crowds draw, closer for
the 2nd effort of the night, which is of an acoustic
spectacle, a more mid tempo number is played,
but this does not mean simpler, complex guitaring
is seen through this piece as well. The night
continues in an analogous manner, with many of
the crowd appreciative of the Deerhunter resembling
music, the music only stops for the band to mention
an album release. The band clearly feel the music
is the statement rather than any show boating
or antics. It hug back have the makings of a good
atmospheric warm fuzzy band, as time passes by,
one believes that they shall only hone their craft.
As the crowd wait for Holy fuck, the taste of
anticipation lingers in the air, the venue an
intimate location has an electric atmosphere.
The back ground music stops and the lights go
down and the cascade of music begins. A sudden
forward rush is felt and the fans move forward.
The organic cohesion of drums and bass melded
with beeps and bleeps, pulses out like a tapestry
of sound, each element clearly audible, the crowd
react well to this energy and a response achieved,
giving the feel that the venue is in unison with
the music. The night continues and fan favourites
such as Tone Bank Jungle, The Pulse and Royal
Gregory are played. Even though some may criticize
the music for being electronic, holy fuck vary
up the songs, as their vast equipment allows them
to improvise on stage, even chopping and changing
the music as they please. Songs such as Safari
were privy to this treatment.
At no point does the music sound like a vast block
hitting you in the face, rather a rich edifice
that one can weave through to hear many intricate
sounds that encapsulate. Holy Fuck are a very
interesting outfit, and hopefully the future holds
allot more for them, since their live shows are
certainly an experience that one must enjoy.
Holy Fuck 4.5/5
It hugs Back 3/5
Review By Ashik Pirmohamed |
