Cult of Luna, Eleventh HeReaches London @ Amplifier,18/02/2009

Sun 22nd Feb, 2009 in Gig Reviews

A sign on the door of a darkened Club Capitol advised punters that tonight’s show had been moved to the smaller Amplifier Bar at the rear of the building – an indication, no doubt, of poor ticket sales. Around the back, a small group of early arrivals were quietly milling around in the still-hot beer garden, waiting for openers Eleventh He Reaches London.

The Perth-based quintet looked uncomfortable on the Amplifier’s less-than-spacious stage space, already taken up with the headline act’s gear, but they didn’t let the lack of physical space cramp their musical style. Guitarists Ian Lenton, Jayden Worts, and Jeremy Martin, bassist Luke Pollard, and drummer Mark Donaldson demonstrated the intense and multi-layered sound they’re developing a reputation for over a half hour, five song set.

Lenton has a great vocal range, from emo screamo to clean singing – where he shows he probably has a lovely choir tenor, somewhere in there – to a tortured wail worthy (and reminiscent) of 80’s goth pop, his poor guitar bearing the brunt of several attacks during the more intense sections. Donaldson’s showy stylings were a visual focal point, and while the band members did not appear to so much as look at each other during the set, they all held together throughout many intricate time changes. Telepathy perhaps? Who knows – but with their second album launching next week, Perth should see as much of this band as possible before they move onto bigger things.

Cult of Luna started their set with a doom-filled dirge that exploded into the kind of tightly contained aggression the Swedes are known for – an apt introduction to the band’s music. A quick head-count indicated someone was missing; Thomas Hedlund and Magnus Líndberg forming a twin percussive assault front: check. Sample, keyboard and random instrument (trumpet!) operator Anders Teglund: check. Johannes Persson, Erik Olòfsson and Fredrik Kihlberg on guitars: check. Lone bassist Andreas Johansson: present and accounted for. So where was eighth member, vocalist Klas Rydberg? All was revealed during the second song when he came out from an inconspicuous spot on the side of the stage, where he returned when his talents weren’t required for long stretches.

Featuring wandering, evolving structures, each song blended into the next, casting a dreamlike musical spell – aided by excellent atmospheric lighting work – that was sometimes delicate, sometimes discordant, and often numbingly, crushingly, impossibly heavy. Not a word was spoken by the band, save for a muffled thanks at the very end – but rather than seeming rude or disinterested, it was as if no one on stage wanted to risk breaking the trance they had created. In fact, the only non-musical interaction came when the phone of a punter who was trying to get a little too close for comfort with his camera was flicked away, sending it flying to the back of the room.

Although the small turnout was a shame, especially for the last date of the band’s Australian tour in support of latest release Eternal Kingdom, Cult of Luna certainly left an impression on the crowd. Or was it all a dream?