GYBE

Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

This gig was almost too much to take in.  I am often so overwhelmed by seeing one of my most loved bands live that I am unable to find the right words to describe the experience.  In this case, this feeling is around a hundred times more intense.  This may be in part due to the fact that GYBE's sound is difficult (for me) to descri be to people who may not know their music.  'Instrumental,' 'melodic' and 'epic' just do not cut it.  The point I'm making here is that I'm not going to describe the gig to you, as I don't think I really can.  I'm going to just write about the experience.

The gig left me completely disorientated.  Walking from the venue to the tube, which is a short walk, felt like a complete blur.  My mind will go blurry as a result of ringing in my ears, but this was a blur caused by all my senses being affected by the gig.  In short, GYBE were everything I thought and hoped they'd be.  I'll be honest, I had expectations that live (as they are on record, really) they would be something alien and so moving that it would basically freak me out.  Change me.  The gig was just that, which is something incredible to comprehend.  They went beyond my expectations to such an extent, and moved me to such a level that I almost feel I don't really know what happened to me.  I feel like I can't understand how completely torn apart my senses were by them.  I cried three times, held my body so still I ached and was completely unaware of my personal presence in that space.  How ridiculous is that?  I literally felt the music flow through my body, and it completely took over.
From the moment that first singular violin sound began the set I was truly enveloped in the music.  

Every band member is so at ease with every element of what they're doing (they switch instruments frequently) that it becomes even more impressive that each track flows from one to the other without even the slightest pause.  Every band member and instrument is pushed to the limit, and undoubtedly a real 'moment' for me was seeing the whole venue shudder to a complete silence as a cymbal was strummed gently by a violin bow for around a minute.  This was the only sound in the whole place.  The only sound.

The ambience was so unfamiliar and as close to perfect for the sound being created that it was exhausting to experience.

On my way out I heard someone say that it was "noise and ambience for the sake of it."  This person is of course entitled to his opinion, but personally I think he missed the whole point and may even have been so unaware of what he just experienced it completely passed him by.  To be honest, that noise and ambience is the core of what GYBE do and do so delicately.  For me, it's all so meaningful and necessary.

In my notes (written on the tube on the way home) I wrote "should be prescribed as an upper instead of drugs."

I've been quite, well, very gushy about this gig.  But it truly is sincere.  I feel privileged to have witnessed GYBE create their sound live, but I'm also so so thrilled that I felt as pushed by it as I did.  It was a wonderful reminder of why I run around the place to see musicians I love do what they love to do.

This truly was music.  It gave me everything I want music to give me.

Here endeth the gush.