Torche & Clouds (and Boris) @ Webster Hall, NYC - pics
words by Black Bubblegum, photos by Jason Bergman
Meet your new favorite band. If not you, then someone who's seen them live. Torche lit up (sorry) Webster Hall on July 10th with flapping down-tuned guitar strings, full body (not just head) bangs, bombastic loudquietloud, and hooks, hooks, and more hooks. The band drew heavily from the critically accliamed Meanderthal, but also from last year's equally acclaimed In Return. In the live setting, their sound definitely adheres closer to their (also must-have) self-titled LP, rumbling low-end thunder. They invited Q (dummer for Clouds) on stage to play toms on "Fat Waves".
Boris headlined the gala with Michio Kurihara in tow. Michio definitely blessed the band with some amazing dual lead work with Wata during "Pink". It never fails to impress me the kind of firepower they bring (over 1200 watts in vintage Matamps, Sunns, and Orange), and the volume definitely shows. Unfortunately though, as much as I love Boris and their ability the experiment and keep things fresh and new, the night belonged to Torche. (That was HARD for me to say)
Clouds show some of the same traits that make Torche so great, but to a lesser degree: big bombast, riffage galore all undercut by hooky songs. Clouds handled the stage well, almost making up for he fact that Adam McGrath is NOT doing Cave-in.
So how many of you bought that $250 Japanese pressing of the Boris Rainbow box set?
More pics here
