Concert Review with PHOTOS: Church Of Misery
/
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL GALLERY OF CHURCH OF MISERY BY MARK DERRICUTT
By Mark Derricutt
Artist: Church Of Misery
Date / Venue: Tuesday October 9th, 2018 - Whammy Bar Auckland
Even though they formed way back in 1995, and I'd often heard the name mentioned - I was largely unfamiliar with Japanese doom/psychedelic rock band Church of Misery before their show having only heard the latest release. So it was a journey through the back catalogue several times in preparation over the last few months - and yet after listening often - I still can't name a single son. What lingers are the riffs and grooves, and hearing it live was much the same - lost in a haze of bass, guitar, and feedback - and it was awesome.
The night started with me running late, so only caught the tail end of opening act Slumbug, but what I heard was a doozy, fun romp, it was my first time seeing/hearing them - enjoyable except for being a bit screamy/shouty but sounding great and I hope catch a full set next time.
Next up were Auckland doom stalwarts Bloodnut. Opening with a cover of Come to Daddy by Aphex Twin was an enjoyable surprise, another outing of (the now not so new) new songs Clean Green Yeah Right - still loving this tune, and it's different flavor. There's no monkeying around when it comes to set closer Space Orangutan either.
…and now we're back to Church of Misery. It was a small intimate Tuesday night turnout of around 50 at the Whammy Bar, which meant plenty of space to move - and a bar that wasn't becoming uncomfortably hot and sweaty as Church of Misery churned through a short, but solid 45 minute set. As mentioned, I'm unfamiliar with the band material except for recognising the odd riff. That didn't matter much tho as I soon found myself lost in the blend of riffs, solos and feedback, soaking in the music and just letting it take over, blurring and blending into one large concoction until, as all good things - it was over.
With over 20 years and 8 albums worth of material to cover, I was hoping for a much longer set, but the trade off of a killer show with an early night is a welcome change!
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL SLUMBUG GALLERY BY MARK DERRICUTT
