ANIMALS AS LEADERS | LIVE REVIEW
The Globe, Cardiff, Fri 15 July
Firstly, I know it’s mid –July and this is a sold-out show, but god al-fucking-mighty the Globe needs to sort its air-conditioning situation out. Tonight it is infernally, intolerably hot before a band even takes the stage. Sweat drips from the roof, the floor is slick with it and how the bouncers in their floor length black overcoats remain standing in such oppressive conditions is a mystery. Punters lie at the back of the venue’s gallery fanning themselves and holding rapidly warming drinks to glazed foreheads for brief relief.
Into this cauldron of humidity step a pair of instrumental openers, Plini and Intervals, who share members and set the scene neatly for headliners, Animals as Leaders, with incredible technical mastery of their instruments. Intervals in particular get the crowd moving approvingly, with alternating lightspeed riffage and satisfyingly groovy breakdowns.
Animals As Leaders enter to a roar from a sold-out crowd eager for further displays of breathtaking instrumental dexterity and, on that front, nobody is leaving tonight’s show disappointed. The two guitarists, in particular, bandleader Tosin Abasi and the bulky Javier Reyes, are mindwarpingly talented, shredding eight-string axes that look like they were designed by Salvador Dali and making anyone in the room with any pretensions to describing themselves as a musician take a long, hard look at themselves. They slay.
Overall, though (and particularly following two similarly-minded support acts) it’s actually pretty tricky to get over-excited by Animals As Leaders’ performance. There are plenty of occasions on which it’s necessary to pick your jaw from the floor – their technical ability is astonishing in its precision and ambition – but this alone is not enough to maintain interest. There is no show to back up the talent, limited charisma and a lack of connection to the audience. Tunes like Mind-Spun, from last year’s The Joy Of Motion go down well, but on the whole it’s clear that the audience have been invited to an exhibition, not a gig.
words and photos HUGH RUSSELL