I'm free to guess that you are utterly surprised to see a new post on this blog, the same as I am surprised that I actually got a chance to see "City of Caterpillar" live. Lame intros aside, I've been having this blog on my mind at an alarming amount recently and what better way to kick it up from the dead than with a legendary screamo band which was also believed to be dead ages ago.
Can't actually recall when I saw that "CoC" will do a reunion show...somewhere in May or so? Basically the second I saw that they are going to come as close to me as Vienna I started planning a trip to the Austrian capitol city. I was in such utter shock that they are coming that I didn't even stop to think which day they are playing, how I'll get there, can I take days off from work, nothing. Just had to be there since this seemed so unreal. Even when I planned everything out and when I was finally standing in the venue that evening, it kinda felt unreal to be there and to see such an important band. Honestly, I think I wasn't even aware what kind of spectacle was going to unfold before me because it really felt dreamy, to say the least.
But I'm getting a little ahead of myself here. First and foremost let's talk about the setting. The show occurred on July 20th at a place called "Venster99". Located near one of the metro stations of the city the place is everything you would wish for from a badass punk locale. Small and somehow cozy, decorated with tons of graffiti and posters, and more importantly loud speakers that will make your ears bleed.
It's also shaped rather strangely since it's located literally under a narrow metro line bridge, so the venue is kinda squeezed and elongated. It might seem too small at first, but once you move around it a little bit there's pretty much room for everyone. And I really have to give praise to the few strategically placed doors present in the place, since standing in a room full of people on a hot summer evening would be unbearable without the air flow they provide. So good job with that. You can check out the venue for yourself here.
I sadly managed to miss the first opening act, mostly because I'm retarded and have decided to go find the venue without a map and with no internet on my phone... sigh. So please do yourself a favor and come prepared, the venue is easily located if you know where to look.
And thus the band that kicked this evening off for me was "Unable To Fully Embrace This Happiness". This young trio from Klagenfurt, Austria formed in 2015, if I did my homework right. They seem pretty active as far as recording goes, since they already have four releases under their name. Well, technically they have three, the fourth one is a compilation of their previous work, but still it is rather impressive for such a short span of time. And let me tell you this, these guys pack a punch! Fast, furious and beautifully chaotic, they reminded me of something like "Louise Cyphre", "Tristan Tzara" or "Shikari". Raw and noisy, just the way we like it here! The venue burst up with this crazy, shredding, pounding sound which was constantly followed by truly passionate movement from the band, making it a real enjoyment to watch them play. I especially liked the vocals, reminded me a bit of "Phasma Phasmatis" at some points. Definitely check them out, even better if you can catch them live. They are actually playing at Venster99 again this week (16th of August), try not to miss out! You can take a listen to them here or give them a like on their FB page here.
A little anecdote though, the vocalist/guitarist of the band approached me before they played to ask me something about the shirt I was wearing that evening, obviously I realized that he was from the band when they actually started playing. So if you're reading this, hi! I'm the guy in "The Pine" shirt.
This is the part of the review where I literally got stuck and I couldn't continue writing for a good week or so. An absolute writer's block, until I decided to just put my thoughts on paper in the plainest way possible. This show was fucking phenomenal. So, here we go.
Seriously though, these guys blew me away. Ever since I first heard their record (the self-titled release, I believe) they were on a whole different level from the rest of their peers and simply stating that they created some kind of post-rock/post-hardcore/screamo concoction just doesn't do justice, at least in my mind. There is something about the eerie mood, the frantic singing and screaming and whining, the mesmerizing and hypnotizing tones that just says "City of Caterpillar". They created such an utterly unique sound that no other band ever dared to come close and I think never will.
This is also why I didn't write a proper introduction for them here, because you all know them. If you know the name, you know the band and you know the sound. All you need is to hear their name and boom, you hear those atmospheric and crazy guitar riffs in your head. You don't even have to put their songs on to get dragged into the city of caterpillar, you're already there just by thinking about it.
But now imagine hearing and feeling those tones being played live. Trust me, whatever you imagine, it's nowhere near the actual physical experience. I tried to imagine this gig so many times prior to that evening and whatever I came up with just didn't cut it in the end. They managed to beat every single expectation I had by such a large margin that it makes it so hard to describe.
Every time when I would listen to "When Was the Last Time We Painted Over the Blood on the Walls?" I tried to envision what it would be like to get stricken live by that buzzing, spastic intro and that beautifully epic and melancholic bridge. I simply wasn't ready for those emotions that evening. Even now I get goosebumps remembering how they masterfully performed this piece, the sound being so gigantic and unreal, swallowing the entire venue and the crowd with it. With every single song they managed to strike a specific chord in me and leave me in awe. "A Little Change Could Go A Long Ways", "Maybe They'll Gnaw Right Through", "An Innocent Face", these are just some of the songs they played that night. Each song was played flawlessly, as if ripped from the record itself, but performed with insane amounts of passion.
Again the writer's block returns since there's just no way to explain the awesomeness. I could probably go on and on and on praising them, but it would probably get boring for you at some point. You get the point by now. I always loved their work and this show put a final seal on that appreciation. I sincerely hope that the members of "City of Caterpillar" are aware that it is because of bands like them that the genre was/is so special and I'd like to thank them from the bottom of my heart for years of amazing and inspirational music.
Seriously though, these guys blew me away. Ever since I first heard their record (the self-titled release, I believe) they were on a whole different level from the rest of their peers and simply stating that they created some kind of post-rock/post-hardcore/screamo concoction just doesn't do justice, at least in my mind. There is something about the eerie mood, the frantic singing and screaming and whining, the mesmerizing and hypnotizing tones that just says "City of Caterpillar". They created such an utterly unique sound that no other band ever dared to come close and I think never will.
This is also why I didn't write a proper introduction for them here, because you all know them. If you know the name, you know the band and you know the sound. All you need is to hear their name and boom, you hear those atmospheric and crazy guitar riffs in your head. You don't even have to put their songs on to get dragged into the city of caterpillar, you're already there just by thinking about it.
But now imagine hearing and feeling those tones being played live. Trust me, whatever you imagine, it's nowhere near the actual physical experience. I tried to imagine this gig so many times prior to that evening and whatever I came up with just didn't cut it in the end. They managed to beat every single expectation I had by such a large margin that it makes it so hard to describe.
Every time when I would listen to "When Was the Last Time We Painted Over the Blood on the Walls?" I tried to envision what it would be like to get stricken live by that buzzing, spastic intro and that beautifully epic and melancholic bridge. I simply wasn't ready for those emotions that evening. Even now I get goosebumps remembering how they masterfully performed this piece, the sound being so gigantic and unreal, swallowing the entire venue and the crowd with it. With every single song they managed to strike a specific chord in me and leave me in awe. "A Little Change Could Go A Long Ways", "Maybe They'll Gnaw Right Through", "An Innocent Face", these are just some of the songs they played that night. Each song was played flawlessly, as if ripped from the record itself, but performed with insane amounts of passion.
Again the writer's block returns since there's just no way to explain the awesomeness. I could probably go on and on and on praising them, but it would probably get boring for you at some point. You get the point by now. I always loved their work and this show put a final seal on that appreciation. I sincerely hope that the members of "City of Caterpillar" are aware that it is because of bands like them that the genre was/is so special and I'd like to thank them from the bottom of my heart for years of amazing and inspirational music.
And in the end, completely unrelated to this review, I'd just like to let the people reading this know that I have several other gigs that I attended and am planning to review, so stay tuned!
