Opening for New York’s A Place to Bury Strangers were Sydney up and comers The Laurels. This was the second time I'd seen them in as many months and continually impress me more with every set they play. Although being the second time, I can’t say I am too familiar with song names but melodies, rhythms and chord progressions were definitely recognisable and also the fact that they wrote some very good songs.

This was potentially The Laurels' biggest show in their career, and what a band to perform with - reportedly “The loudest band in New York”. Unfortunately though, much of the attending crowd did not come until later on into The Laurels forty-five minute set. The rear end of the set did border repetitiveness though, which I guess shouldn’t be focused on to much especially for a band that would normally only play thirty minute sets and only a few 7”. Those who arrived later on missing the better half of the set are quite unlucky. I highly encourage seeing The Laurels if your into music that’s dreamy, soaked with reverb and full of delay. Don’t let that deter you if you think its soft and pansy, it is far from it and can guarantee you will have your head rocking to the pulsating beats created by drummer Kate Wilson and rhythm partner on bass Conor Hannan and your mind and body lost to the mess and noise created by guitarists Luke O’Farrell and Peirs Cornelius. I am sure I will see these guys again soon hopefully with an album released sooner, rather than later.

By the time The Laurels completed their set the room was certainly filling up abuzz with anticipation. Personally I didn’t know what to expect I had not watched any live videos, having only listened to their albums. Laminated signs around the room stated that theatrical smoke and strobes would be in use. Let me tell you, it did conjure up images in my head but nothing preparing me for what was about to take place. As the stage was being set up for A Place To Bury Strangers the room began to fill with smoke, not just the stage like normal shows this was intense. The smoke was thick enough to swim through phones became beacons of light as people text messaged, the whole room was hazy

The lights dimmed and the assault of the audience’s auditory and visionary senses began. The sounds of feedback erupting from behind a thick wall of smoke, to be brutally honest at times the show was very underwhelming in the visionary stakes but more about that later. If the show can be broken up into two halves one would be dominated by a lot of smoke and a projector. The second half of the set dominated by strobe lighting and slightly, major emphasis on slightly less smoke. In saying I was underwhelmed by the lack of crowd interaction, it does not take away form the technicality present in the show at all. All three musicians Oliver Ackerman, Jonathan Smith and Jay Space are very adept at what they do.

In ways I almost see the show more as live performance art rather than live music. A Place To Bury Strangers live is much more than the songs from the records replicated live. From Ackerman’s apparently light triggered pedals to the extensive use of smoke, strobe lighting and strange projected visual at the band mainly white in colour, it screams that it is more than just music at face value. Standing towards the back end of the room may have also hindered all that was happening on stage, coupled with the extreme amounts of smoke. I must say when the band became visible it filled the void the smoke had created and the crowd was able to witness more that was going on. As the strobe light flashed violently Ackerman threw himself and his guitar all over the stage causing feedback from all sections.

The photographs taken by AU Review photographer Annette Geneva are well worth checking out also. Many of the shots with the bright lights are during the strobe half of the set, which was great to watch and hear. Ackerman making the guitar squeal and vomit all sorts of noises, while the rest of the band kept their tight groove happening. The photos can be found here
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FULL SETLIST
Ego Death 
In Your Heart 
To Fix the Gash in Your Head 
Everything Always Goes Wrong 
Keep Slipping Away 
My Weakness 
Exploding Head 
Deadbeat 
Half Awake 
I Lived My Life to Stand in the Shadow of Your Heart 
Ocean