As mentioned before, Brooklyn’s A Place To Bury Strangers recently released their follow up to their self-titled 2007 release, Exploding Head. The album has already garnished positive responses from critics, and is destined to make fans of those who may have found their debut a bit abrasive and unapproachable.

The weather on Sunday suitably fitting for a day full of APTBS, dark, gloomy, and drizzly, started with an instore appearance at Waterloo Records that had casual unsuspecting shoppers hurrying to complete their purchases as the bands performance grew ever more intense as each song progressed. Unfortunately the weather forced the show scheduled for the outside stage at Mohawk to move to the smaller confines of the inside stage, and a PA that may have not been suited for the intense, incredibly loud, warped sounds of APTBS. No offense to Mohawk, but there has to be a better solution to the weather issue.

For those who managed to squeeze into the tiny room inside and got close enough to see the show, which couldn’t have been easy through the dense cloud of stage fog, the band delivered an all out assault on the senses. As the show progresses the intensity increases with the effects building into waves of distorted, effect heavy, sounds complimented with visual effects and strobe lights that intoxicate the soberest of observer. Exploding Head seems all too appropriate. As the show completed it’s climatic finish, I walked away slightly disoriented and with the feeling that I had been punched in my right ear. Might sound a bit unpleasant to many, but the experience for many is just what they bargained for, and APTBS delivered.

And yes, I wore earplugs.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 at 11:55 am and is filed under live review, live shots.