Alexandra Palace, London
“Music has always been a source of joy.”
The enigmatic trio, fronted by electronic's revered Nicolás Jaar, return for a series of shows at the equally stoic setting of Alexandra Palace's Victorian Theatre; hosting an ethereal night with wavering substance.
Underneath the iridescent lights barely illuminating this close-quartered theatre, the acclaimed producer Nicolás Jaar takes note of a celebratory evening amidst the darkness of worldly affairs. “We’re in solidarity with those who resist and fight”, he states proudly, bearing the names of those countries around the world whose plight continues in the face of violent adversity; a stark reminder of the fortuitous circumstances which allow us to enjoy tonight's ambient-inflicted proceedings contained within a venue which equals Jaar's stoicism.
For the conglomeration of their ethereal, sparse electronics is often graced by guitarist Dave Harrington’s brutish, distorted guitar lines beseeching this hollowed space amidst our dry ice-laden surroundings. ‘Liberty Bell’ exemplifies the softened basslines, neat guitar licks and steady rhythms which have become synonymous with many of the ambient revivalists in this modern age (James Blake, Tim Hecker, Oneohtrix Point Never), consumed by cryptic lyricism which wallows in the downbeat aura curtailing Darkside’s veneer (“Like the liberty bell shining in the night / An arrow that I drew and a jockey dressed in black”).
This veneer has been shaped and moulded since their impressive debut over a decade prior, Psychic, which realised this modified blend of softened ambient meditations and sparsely harsh bells and whistles protruding throughout. None better encapsulated such a realisation, and the crowd’s imagination, than ‘Freak, Go Home / The Only Shrine I've Seen’ which leans upon interminably rhythmic pulsations which caress with hypnotic effect before being shaken by Jaar’s heavily-distorted, auto-tuned vocals (a-la Alice Glass' Crystal Castles). Coalescing with sporadic guitar solos, a myriad of vocal lines and steady drumming, Darkside garners an all-consuming experience which delivers an impressive swathe of modernised ambient music as the crowd, of all ages, revel and swoon amongst it all.
Whilst a continuation of these enticing tropes transcends into tracks such as their latest single, ‘Graucha Max’, offering an uptempo facade akin to the Krautrock likes of Can or Neu, many of the residual tracks thereafter pass by in a breezy haze. ‘Heart Jam’ peruses as a lost instrumental rendition across its 7-minute running time, whilst ‘Metatron’ harks further back to simpler, more ethereal electronic-inflicted ambience which proves ostentatious as tonight's finale draws nearer. ‘Inside Is Out There’ concludes forgettably, with a whimpering crescendo, reciting a conclusion which leans further into Darkside’s ambient inspirations tinged by the indie-rock sphere reminiscent of Radiohead’s recent ventures, albeit to lesser effect.
Against the backdrop of tumultuous world affairs, Darkside concedes a consuming performance amidst its trio, transcending across their eclectic material over the past decade. Cloaked in an enigmatic aura, fronted by Jaar’s stoic leadership, the band all too often slip into a pastiche of the bygone ambient-electronica world, bordering on predictability amongst the distorted vocals, wailing solos and stale rhythms. Yet where Darkside must push the envelope further, glimmers of this invariably come to light, none other than their latest single, which deems promising in evolving this elusive band’s rhetoric further on this ethereal, pertinent night.
6.5/10
Darkside's latest single, 'Graucha Max', is out now via Matador Records and can be found below.
Photo is courtesy of Chris Mølina whose work can be found here.
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