By Jase Walker
Bruit≤ are a truly fascinating band that left an immense impact on me last year at Pelagic Fest down in Maastricht, a truly incredible performance and showcase of what post-rock can be. I had the other fortune to catch them supporting Alcest not too long after and there wasn’t a chance I was going to pass up another shot to witness them a stone’s throw away from my house in Amsterdam.
In addition to them tonight we also have Endless Dive opening up the show who actually got off to a much earlier start than I expected.
I’m not going to dwell too much on an early start and finish but I do feel it may be a bit to their detriment considering the sparse crowd here at this point. For what it’s worth they’re going at it anyway and expressing the various facets of what draws me to post-rock in the first place, delicate melodies and breaks interwoven with heavier moments that build up layers as the lengthy songs progress.
Echoing the likes of Mogwai, Explosions In The Sky, Public Service Broadcasting, it’s another lovely journey peppered with effects saturated guitar and bordering on mathy bass/drum work, lovely. Endless Dive sound fantastic, serious credit to their sound engineer considering how strong the bass and drums are yet the guitars remain clear and crisp. The lighting engineer is killing it too and gets the feel of the show down just right to compliment the music.
Probably says a lot about how much I’ve enjoyed the set because I feel like they’ve barely started before they mention they’ve only got two songs left. Another great example of post-rock and I can very easily see why they’re out in support of a band like Bruit ≤, a real snug fit that serves as a great appetiser before the main course. It wouldn’t surprise me to see them pop up at Pelagic Fest later this year and I really hope so because I need a second helping of this bloody lovely stuff.
As they exit the stage it occurs to me that the reason for the early start is that today in the Netherlands is Remembrance Day, which holds a two-minute silence at 8pm in honour of those who sacrificed everything for the freedom of today.
The lights darken and it’s time for Bruit≤ to get their show started, this isn’t going to be one of the big, loud and bouncy shows that I’ve been finding myself attending recently.
Sombre violin pierces the air and signals the walk on of the band who then break the introduction track with big drum hits and cymbal splashes before the rest of the band join in on guitars, bass and cello, unleashing a cacophony of noise. Sadly this venue’s stage is a bit limited in height so the drum kit obscures the vast portion of the screen behind them which plays video accompaniments in a similar fashion to Nordic Giants.
Bruit≤ have barely just begun and the overwhelming feeling of joy I remember from the first time is already flooding back. Post-rock often has pretty consistent methods and approaches with some level of novelty from band to band but I’ve yet to come across a band that does it quite like these do. The repertoire of instruments goes further beyond the typical guitars with a hundred pedals and adds cello and violin into the mix but also with some degree of effects smacked onto them and the end result is a haunting soundscape that is unlike anything else.
Voiceovers of monologues often deliver blunt speech over the progressive dystopia of modern society and fury in response to it. Bruit≤ see a vast majority of the modern age as a cage that sacrifices the human element, this is reflected in the visceral footage that makes up part of their live performance in addition to their refusal to engage with streaming services and only maintaining a modest social media presence.
Despite the visuals being a key part though, I find this sort of music to be the perfect sort to close my eyes and fully get lost in the complex layering to try and see what I can unpick in the subtleties of it all. It’s also remarkable how tight the band plays together considering the complexity of everything, there’s absolutely nothing that can be heard slightly out of time when they randomly stop playing while a song is woven with another monologue.
There’s little exchanged in the way of words with a Bruit≤ set, this is more of a demonstration, an experience, a musical journey, there’s no need for drawn out hype building speeches in this space.
As the set draws to a close with ‘The Machine Is Burning’, this adds another entry into my experience with Bruit ≤ that I won’t forget in a hurry. They’re a truly fantastic band that creates some of the most unique music and delivers it with an outstanding live performance. It must be truly seen to be believed, do not sleep on them.