Sunn O))), Albert Hall. 27th October 2019

I’m back at Albert Hall. After the poor sound last week for The Divine Comedy, I’m looking to the opposite end of the musical spectrum for Sunn O))) to restore my faith. Neil Hannon’s polished delicate production is swapped with brutal, dominant power-chords and it sounds... INCREDIBLE! I won’t profess to be a huge fan of this genre of drone rock, dark ambient, noise rock, whatever you want to call it. I came to this band through GY!BE who are much more melodic, but there’s something about this thick slow sound that grips me and where I wondered if this Grade II listed building suited a witty pop outfit last week, it’s nailed on perfection for the five (I think) black hooded figures cloaked in smoke on the stage... if I could see the stage! You get glimpses, but the entire building is draped in a thick fog, that’s lit in hues of blue, red and purple throughout the set. Where last week I was moaning about it being too quiet, tonight they’re giving out ear-plugs, which I’m glad I took. That’s the point of Sunn O)) though, it’s supposed to make your ears rattle, your ribcage shake, your feet buzz, but safety first, after years of gigs my ears have already taken a pounding. It’s a trance like rock meditation. No vocals. No percussion, just guitars cranked up further than Spinal Tap can count. Seriously I pity anyone watching this without ear protection. I’m convinced the reason they wear large hooded cloaks is not to look gothic and sinister, it’s to hide the industrial grade ear-defenders they must be sporting. Songs (or maybe pieces is a better description) don’t really end and so there’s little interaction or applause, these sonic movements just kind of bleed together with the occasion “Yeah” or whistle of approval from the largely darkly clothed crowd. On the brief moments when the smoke subsides, you can see that there’s more hardware on stage than band members. The Albert Hall stage is not huge, but it’s heaving with monolithic speaker stacks, which clearly explains why the beer in my glass is vibrating. Now I can understand some reading this will think, well this sounds ridiculous and granted it’s definitely not for everyone, but I think there’s something quite complex going on here. Sure it’s easy to make a racket, but this is highly controlled. The tones are harmonious and ever changing. Over an hour an a half, there’s clear progression through the sound and there’s obvious sections where they hit their stride. For all it’s raw power there’s a lot of subtlety in the orchestration. I usually listen to Sunn O))) as background soundtrack, if I’m working or on the odd occasion that I’ve an hour to switch off and relax, much the same as with some of Aphex Twin’s catalogue. I did wonder if it would be dull to watch live, but it really isn’t, it’s captivating, in a post-apocalyptic kind of way, especially when a trombone of all things is introduced, in what might be the most haunting brass arrangement I’ve ever heard. I feels like an installation, the crowd are entranced, helpless almost. One punter in the mist has their arms aloft as if to say ‘Take me’, it’s borderline spiritual and I’m reminded that I need this. Music is my drug, whether it’s drone rock, synth pop or a myriad of other sounds, it’s speaks to me, moves me and live... well that’s it’s purest uncut form. As they bring proceedings to an end, I’m genuinely sad the experience is over. This really is something to behold live. Ordering a pint when both you and the bar staff are wearing earplugs and the beer taps are visibly loosening is a bit tricky though.