After triumphant sets at Damnation Festival last year, both Bossk (Interview) and Maybeshewill (Interview) are riding a large wave of momentum at the minute. The two post rock titans are back with new releases, and a new Co Headline tour that is set to be one of the standout tours of the year. 

Lys Morke are the openers tonight, and whilst stylistically they are incredibly different to the two co-headliners, it is just a booking that works. What is most striking about Lys Morke is that the music they produce is incredibly beautiful, however equally as haunting. Vocally I'm reminded a lot of London Grammar, who’s vocalist Hannah Reid has such an ethereal voice, the same can be said here for Lys Morke. The atmosphere and sense of danger comes from the music that she is singing over. The pounding, electronic drum pad when combined with repetitive, bass-heavy samples create a true sense of urgency and danger and at times can be quite unnerving, but in a great way. This was a really great way to set the tone for the night. 

Coming on to the stage to a beautifully performed piano version of Audio Noir opening track, ‘The Reverie’, the anticipation for Bossk’s performance had hit a fever pitch. Within seconds, the soft tranquil notes emanating from the keyboard sat at the side of the stage had dissipated and Bossk went headfirst into 2014 single, ‘Pick Up Artist’. The first thing you notice about Bossk, apart from the scent of Incense that has taken over the venue, is that their sound is impeccable. Everything is perfectly balanced, everything hits at the level that it needs to, and you could be forgiven for thinking you are listening to them on recording.  

This was one of those truly special performances in which all you had to do was stand there, take it all in, and appreciate the true artistry unfolding in front of you. When it comes to building tension through slow burning tracks, there are no finer band that do this than Bossk. “Audio Noir” track, ‘Kobe’, is the perfect example of this. What starts of as a groovy little guitar riff, slowly but surely crescendos into a finale that is satisfyingly destructive, it’s Black Sabbath but somehow even heavier. All of the intricate and nuanced guitar sections step to the side to allow the true destructive force of Bossk’s trademark riffs take center stage and it is absolutely wonderful. 

Vocalist Sam Wright is an imposing and intense figure in the centre of the stage. He has a lot of time to think in between his vocal parts as a result of the bands trademark, long, extensive musical arrangements. During this blank space, he relentlessly paces, grabs the mic stand, all in anticipation for when his vocals inevitably level the gaff. Despite being used somewhat sparingly, especially when performing their earlier material, Wright’s vocals are crucial to the atmosphere that Bossk are trying to create with their sound.  

This performance was special, there’s no two ways about it. Even if you don’t like your riffs heavy, and your songs that little bit on the longer side, you should go out of your way and experience a Bossk show at least once if you can. It’s cliche to say, but it is more of an event as opposed to a gig and every time i have seen them, including tonight, they have left me speechless.  

Maybeshewill and Bossk are two sides of the same Post-Rock coin. Where Bossk fly the flag for heavy, Maybeshewill lean on delicately constructed, cinematic pieces of music and the contrast between the two bands show just how versatile and complex, Post Rock as a genre can be. An entirely instrumental band, Maybeshewill construct pieces of music that wouldn’t look out of place on a movie soundtrack. The primarily keyboard led arrangements create a sense of bewilderment and wonder and are very reminiscent of that of Ludovico Einaudi when stripped to its barebones.  

The musicianship at show here was incredible. Every note meant something to the piece they were performing and there was absolutely no wasted time or unnecessary passage. Every song was perfectly placed in the setlist, all with the goal taking the audience one step closer to the absolutely beautiful finale of ‘He Films The Clouds Pt 2’. This was a truly special show, as it gave the audience their only sing along opportunity of the night and they grabbed this and absolutely ran with it. If Maybeshewill was the orchestra, the crowd in Gorilla was their choir, and it was a really special moment that I'll remember for some time. 

I just found Maybeshewill to be an incredibly likeable band. Despite not being as knowledgeable of them as i was with Bossk, the impression they left on me was insurmountable. You could see how much this performance meant to every member on stage and their authenticity and appreciation of being able to do this shone brightly. As far as Co-Headline tours go, this was borderline perfect. Despite being two completely different bands sonically, this worked in their favour and provided a true insight to the beauty and complexity of Post Rock. It is a truly beautiful genre and one that seems to only be getting better with the amount of new bands that are breaking through onto the scene.  

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Maybeshewill + Bossk + Lys Morke