Text/Photos by Andrew Parks
The last time I saw Boris (in October at the Bowery Ballroom’s Billyburg doppelganger) I left before Japan’s finest underground extremists could finish. Looking back on it now, I’m not sure why. Maybe it was because the ever-lovely Dean & Britta had already lulled me into the first stages of sleep. That or the simple fact that Boris weren’t nearly as devastating as last night’s one-off gig at New York’s Knitting Factory. The main reason being that Boris’ music takes on an eardrum-blowing, all-out-sensory-assault quality in a small venue. Seriously–I’ll be shouting without realizing it for the next couple days due to the incessant ringing that’s eclipsing my every thought.
All that permanent damage was worth it, though, largely thanks to the Smile selections Boris gleefully previewed before a sold-out audience. That goes for everything from the echo chamber build of “Flower Sun Rain” to the “woo hoo!” harmonies and glam rock flare-ups of “Statement,” the album’s first single. The fact that they bookended the set with the first (“Farewell,” the closest the trio’s come to aping My Bloody Valentine) and last (the epic, riff-raking “Just Abandoned Myself”) tracks of Boris’ veritable breakthrough LP, Pink, seemed to seal the deal for nearly everyone in attendance.
Oh yeah–Ghost guitarist Michio Kurihara reprised his Rainbow role by smearing effects-laden chords over every song. Hire this guy full-time already!
Presenting photos and mixed media after the jump …
“Statement”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_GgowniQWk]
MP3: “Statement”
MP3: “Akuma No Uta”