Concorde2, 7th April

Bathed in a sickly blue incandescent light and emitting a looming, swelling feedback, Texan post-rockers This Will Destroy You begin a near-seamless set with allusions to an epic film soundtrack.

The click of synthetic percussion was overridden by bearded drummer Andrew Miller, who pounded his kit and raised his sticks in the air, high above the unbroken skyline of heads in front.

Faces were obscured by the relentless blue glare as the band performed songs from their excellent ‘Young Mountain’ EP, and new self-titled debut album. Tonight, their compositions were more than just simple layers; at times the bass transcended the other instruments, rattling the snare and, quite possibly, the walls of the grotty Engine Rooms.
Each song segued magnificently into the next, conjuring desolation and optimism in peaks and troughs like the build-up to a crucial battle.

With no lyrical signposts as to what songs were being played, I enjoyed the show as intended, as a complete performance. Judging by the audible reaction, ‘Young Mountain’ cuts such as ‘The World Is Our’ and ‘Quiet’ impressed the assembled crowd of solemn voyeurs. Andrew’s drumming provided a solidarity and backbone when the atmospheric stringed instruments began to lose their way in the melee. “We don’t have shit like this in America!” insisted guitarist Jeremy Galindo, the closest to a frontman, in humble approval of Brighton. After all, this
was their first European tour.

After a group huddle, an album track encore began. Jeremy hit his instrument with plastered fingers clenched into a fist, producing shimmering feedback. Tonight, This Will Destroy You were serious, sober and paced. The song’s rather theatrical climax saw the four Texans in a line, taking an unsynchronised bow, as the feedback halted and they each raised a hand in gratitude.

Words by Matthew Harfield
Photos by Nats Spada