Neurosis / Converge at Tsutaya O-East, February 16th 2019

Last year’s Leave Them All Behind was without a doubt one of the best shows in 2018. It made it to my list of top concerts of the year, second only to King Crimson’s eight headed beast spectacle. That bill included Boris and Sleep, playing for the first time in Japan. The announcement, a few months back, of a co-headlined Neurosis/Converge show for this year’s edition was obviously amazing news.

On the day of the show I got there early to get a Neurosis t-shirt. I rarely check the merch table at shows, but after this experience I can confirm, Japanese people love their goods. I queued for 25 minutes but could get the shirt. The line was really well organized and things went on smoothly. I got inside the venue and found a spot by the front rail on the side. Not too shabby, I could be up front right on the edge of the crazy mosh pit I was expecting for Converge. A guy next to me asked me if I was there for that band, I told him yes, but mostly for Neurosis. Later he stormed out in the middle of a song by the Massachusetts group to join the pit, I forget which one was it. A chance for me to get one spot closer to the middle.

After the long merch table line I barely made it to the first act, but was there right on time, before the lights dimmed for Self Deconstruction. They are a trio of drums, guitar and vocals, no bass. The sound was filled by the amazing guitarist who displayed her skills while rocking out wearing one of those Lolita-maid outfits. She was relentless throughout the 25 minutes set, with no breaks, of fine grindcore. At times they will try some power chords and then it’ll be back to the fragmented grind sound in the blink of an eye. They were a tight unit.

The second band on the bill was Endon. I saw them once, about four years ago opening for Godflesh. Back then they were a more chaotic affair. In my opinion they have a better grasp of structure now, their set feels a lot more fluid and smooth. There was progression from start to the end. They still embrace noise, as they proved it one segment in which a layer of sounds coming from the electronics gadgets was accompanied by drums almost soloing. It reminded me of free jazz, I liked that part of their set a lot. The songs in general are more rooted and concerned with dynamics; post-rock in a Boris kind of way, except for the vocals. All in all it was a really good 45 minutes set that made me want to explore their discography.

I procrastinated listening to Converge for the longest. I don’t know, there was something about their image and their pictures that seemed a bit over the top to me, I mistook them for an emo band. Boy, was I wrong. When I decided to check Jane Doe -I was familiar with the acclaim it got back in the day- there was no turning back, I found their angular brand of hardcore to be fascinating. One suspicion that was not unfounded were my worries for the mosh pit at the show. As soon as they came up on stage the place erupted and for the next sixty minutes the energy levels were up there. It was not quite as those videos you could find online of them playing in the early 2000s at gym floors, but not so dissimilar.

Explosive from beginning to end, the set lived up to their reputation as a live band. I especially liked how the odd time signatures in songs like Under Duress sounded in this context. They focused mostly on their latest album The Dusk in Us, but also played stuff going back to Axe to Fall, like Worms Will Feed / Rats Will Feast, in which the three front line members shared lead vocal duties. I also thought they were going to be a lot gloomier, but Jacob Bannon was actually the conversationalist, engaging in stage banter and cracking jokes. The musicianship and tightness of the band is remarkable, especially considering that this was only the third show for Urian Hackney on drums replacing Ben Koller, who’s recovering at home from an elbow injury. They invited Self Deconstruction’s lead singer to join them on stage for the set closer, Jane Doe’s lead off track Concubine. The perfect summary of the uncompromising, complex and yet accessible sound we witnessed in the previous sixty minutes.

If Converge unwavering spirit is displayed in brief bursts of complex arrangements, Neurosis’ is build in epic statements. Slowly they plod in songs that could go over the ten minute mark, but rather than relying in crescendos in order to reach climaxes like other post-rock acts do, their arrangements feel like orchestrations that at time subtract or add colors. A synth line could be prominent at one time, a guitar riff at others or a bass lick. They sound like an orchestra or a sonic cathedral, as I read somewhere describing them.

On stage they exhibit their punk roots with Dave Edwardson harsh vocals delivered while banging his bass holding it above his head. Jason Roeder is one of my favorite drummers, it’s amazing how he manages to make a music that’s so focused on a steady beat to feel unbalanced and shifty, like in jazz. There’s the extraordinary electronic atmosphere provided by Noah Landis on keyboards, who pushes his rig back and forward while Steve Von Till headbangs in more of a metal stance. The latter shares vocal duties with the main man Scott Kelly who never addresses the audience but delivers in spades. Up close you can tell that the man is in a trance when performing. This music requires absolute concentration from both performers and audience, it was a shame that the media photographers were allowed to take pictures during the entire set. Talk about a buzz killer. I felt sorry for Kelly having to deal with a guy pointing a camera next to his face through the whole show.

But they delivered, though. When things slowed down and Kelly sang “These vessels of suffering in my eyes, head to the mountains and choose where to die” it was magical. They closed their ninety minutes set with Times of Grace’s The Doorway with a wall of feedback and electronics that was both visually and aurally stimulating. It was a thrill to see this mixture of genres on stage, it was definitely one for the bucket list.

Wth the success of this and last year’s editions of Leave Them All Behind, I wonder what’s in store for next year. I think Wolves in the Throne Room is a must. For the other spot I’d say Sunn O))), Chelsea Wolfe, Cave In, Deafheaven, Godflesh, any of those could work. Why not all? Seriously, the whole thing ran like clockwork. Kudos to the organizers. I can’t wait for the next edition.

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