Close to a sellout crowd was in attendance at Amplifier Bar tonight as support act Eleventh He Reaches London warmed the stage up for ISIS. With a venue of this size, the crowd was guaranteed an intimate show. As Eleventh finished a typical set of melodic noise from their triple guitar setup, around 400 people waited as the band and roadies set up (yes, the band set their own gear up). The room filled up again while everyone seemed to have a friendly, cooperative organisation of getting into a good spot in anticipation of seeing some live art.
The lights went down and ISIS then came on stage. As soon as they came on, Aaron Turner, the lead singer and guitarist made a disclaimer: “Today I was diagnosed with tonsillitis and laryngitis. So if I am not on par tonight I apologise.” Poor guy - that’s quite a blow for a singer in any band, let alone ISIS. I would also like to make a disclaimer right now: I do not know the names of any of ISIS’s songs. ISIS are especially the kind of band whose albums you can enjoy from start to finish. There’s no need to worry about the name of this track or that track; sit back and enjoy the journey the album takes you on.
To create the vibe, atmospheric sound was played before and during ISIS’s set, creating only the beginning of the atmosphere and the presence that the band managed to conjure up. As soon as ISIS began to play, the sound was louder and more powerful than anything else in town. From the first track – almost an intro, a song not quite building into anything andending without resolution – ISIS took you on a journey. Each song played was only broken with brief pauses by the band and no crowd interaction. ISIS are the kind of band that completely interacts with its audience through its music. If the band had stop and thanked, or talked to the audience after each song, it would have severely detracted from the atmosphere they had vividly created. Songs moved from dream sequence like drawn-out jams to amazingly heavy, fast riffs. They nailed the transition between slow and soft to fast and extremely heavy with such finesse that the whole process was beautiful.
The majority of tracks ISIS played were from their last two releases, Panopticon and In the Absence of Truth, however, the band’s earlier material also made occasional appearances during their set. Unlike the intro, the songs that followed always had a resolution after the heaviness, speed and power of the more intense moments. Each track could suddenly break out or gradually move away from the heaviness to the complete opposite as if the musical journey had been completed. The songs differed from the recorded versions in subtle ways, remaining similar enough to be recognisable and distinct, but with fills and variations that made the live experience unique and valid.
The quality of sound from the band was superb. For a singer with both tonsillitis and laryngitis, Aaron Turner did well to use his voice as another instrument. Only at the very beginning was his voice questionable, with his vocals back to their best very early into the first song. The band, with three guitars and bass, managed quality and clarity throughout, as the basslines made the floor shake. Much of the time, the three guitars would share rhythm parts, although the parts varied to create a fantastic layered sound. At times, guitarist and electronic effects man Bryant Clifford Meyer would play some amazing, soaring solos that cut through the music, without being fast or over the top, slotting perfectly into the track. Drummer Aaron Harris was also a standout performer of the band. He would often start the song and played very complex drum parts that would sound so precise and clear.
Overall the band worked together with such great synchronisation that made the impact of the music so much greater. The pauses, the high and lows, the slow-and-softs and the hard-and-fasts were executed seamlessly – it was a pleasure to see a band perform like that in from of your eyes and ears.
It was also fantastic to see a band so locked in, enjoying themselves so much, taking something from their own music, which made the whole crowd appreciate the music so much more. When you see the entire band with their eyes closed, captivated by the music, you can understand completely that they are getting something out of the music as well, and that brings a certain amount of respect and appreciation. The only possible fault with the performance may have been the intensity of the performance; ISIS’s music may not fit everyone’s idea of a journey, and the show may have been slightly overpowering for a person who came to the show never having heard ISIS. But the majority of the crowd seemed to love going on that journey, seeing them take their songs to another level, increasing all of the sensory effects. This was a very reassuring, pleasing performance indeed.
