Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Events

CVLT Nation Captures DEAFHEAVEN // SUMAC // BALANCE

Last Thursday, I headed down to The Rickshaw in Vancouver to witness two major firsts for the Vancouver music scene – Deafheaven’s first Vancouver show, and Sumac’s first show, period. I got there early to catch the opener, Balance, and already the venue was filling up. Vancouverites generally like to drink heavily before leaving the house and arrive late, so it was good to see that Balance had a healthy draw. They infected the crowd with their energy, brutalizing their instruments and giving the crowd some hardcore to pound beers to.

Next up was SUMAC, probably tying with Deafheaven for most anticipated act of the night. And this powerful trio of Vancouver’s most beloved drummer Nick Yacyshyn, Aaron Turner and Brian Cook didn’t disappoint the crowd that packed tightly in. Nick told me later that not only was this Sumac’s first show, it was their third jam, and I was blown away, because the atmosphere they cultivated during their set was all-encompassing. Walls of sound washed over the mesmerized crowd, Turner’s growling vocals tearing into the reverie as Cook’s basslines took over our bodies’ natural rhythms. Yacyshyn’s drumming was no less intense than his work with Baptists, but less furious and more melodic. Sumac’s sound is dissonance made harmonious, and I am really looking forward to the future of this band.

Then DEAFHEAVEN entered the room, and the cult of George surged to the front of the stage. It was my first time seeing them, besides in the many photo essays we’ve posted on CVLT Nation. Although the band itself is responsible for the beautiful, harsh, shoe-gazey world Deafheaven brings you into, when George enters the room and beckons to the audience, it’s like a magnet pulling on iron filings – people flying from all over the room to center stage as he looms over them like a black metal Morrissey. Elbowing through the packed photo pit, at one point I thought we may all be crushed to the stage by the thrashing floor. Their performance was enthralling, and left me with a better understanding of the music they create, and it’s effect on their audience.

BALANCE

balance-2

balance-3

balance-4

balance-5

balance-6

balance-7

balance

SUMAC

sumac-2

sumac-3

sumac-4

sumac-5

sumac-6

sumac-7

sumac-8

sumac-9

sumac-10

sumac-11

sumac-12

sumac-13

sumac-14

sumac-15

sumac-16

sumac-17

sumac

DEAFHEAVEN

deafheaven

deafheaven-2

deafheaven-3

deafheaven-4

deafheaven-5

deafheaven-6

deafheaven-7

deafheaven-8

deafheaven-9

deafheaven-10

deafheaven-11

deafheaven-12

deafheaven-13

deafheaven-14

deafheaven-15

deafheaven-16

deafheaven-17

deafheaven-18

deafheaven-19

deafheaven-20

deafheaven-21

deafheaven-22

deafheaven-23

Written By

Meghan MacRae grew up in Vancouver, Canada, but spent many years living in the remote woods. Living in the shadow of grizzly bears, cougars and the other predators of the wilderness taught her about the dark side of nature, and taught her to accept her place in nature's order as their prey. She is co-founder of CVLT Nation.

Relapse DF 92123
Sentient 51423

You May Also Like

Music Videos

SCHEDULE 1 makes energetic post punk with emphasis on the punk, just the way I like it! Today we’re premiering their rad new video...

Interviews

Spectres new record Presence is out tomorrow, March 15th, via Artoffact Records — get it here. Brian (vocals) sat down with us to answer...

Post-Punk

We’ve been waiting three long years for Vancouver’s SPECTRES to release a new record, and now we’re so close we can taste it… Today...

PUNK

After the watershed year that was 2023, 2024 is already shaping up to be another great year for good punk records. Less than a...

Copyright © 2020 CVLT Nation.