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User
Reviews 59
Approval 93%
Soundoffs 69
News Articles 1
Band Edits + Tags 33
Album Edits 61
Album Ratings 1246
Objectivity 69%
Last Active 12-20-21 8:57 am
Joined 08-18-09
Review Comments 877
| HOLY SHIT! Live Shows and/or Moments
You know... live shows or moments from them that have left a lifelong impression on me | | 1 |  | Tree 63
The Hits
Tree63, Durban, March 9th, 2007
The first show I ever actively made the decision to attend. I didn’t expect live music to be as loud or as powerful as it was, and I had a great time. I went with my cousin, who was in his early 20s, and younger brother. We were also into the opening act, Starplayer, so it was kind of a 2-for-1 deal for us. Obviously if I saw this concert today I doubt it would be on this list, but it was the first one and therefore one of the best ones. | | 2 |  | Bring Me The Horizon
There Is a Hell, Believe Me I've Seen It...
Bring Me the Horizon, RAMFest Durban, March 15th, 2013
In 2013, I’d already gone through a major love/hate relationship with this band. I only started getting into metalcore/post-hardcore stuff in about late 2009, via bands like Underoath and Avenged Sevenfold, so I was still pretty new to it when I discovered BMTH in mid-2010. I got really into Count Your Blessings, which served as a gateway into more straight-up death and black metal, and enjoyed about half of Suicide Season. But when There is a Hell... dropped, I got really into the band for a little while. I loved that album, although even back then I was a bit sceptical of the band (my 3.5 review for that album still exists somewhere). At some point, however, I smoked weed and, in my heightened state, decided that all of their music was absolute garbage with horrible vocals and that they weren’t worth my time. I basically stopped listening to them for the next two and a bit years. | | 3 |  | Bring Me The Horizon
Sempiternal
Fast forward to early 2013 and I see BMTH are coming to South Africa. I’m not super interested, even though we almost never get international acts coming our way, nevermind metal ones. In a stroke of good fortune, however, I decide to enter a competition via some random blog to win tickets and, unbelievably, I was the person to win them. I could also take a plus one so my younger brother got to go along too. From the moment the first breakdown in “Shadow Moses” happened, I knew this was going to be a good time. I suddenly remembered all the words to all the songs, was going crazy in the mosh pit, and enjoyed the band’s intensity on stage. I came away from the gig with a newfound appreciation for BMTH; I realised I could like them without loving them, think they were good while also being kind of shit, and not have to care how cool or uncool it made me to be a fan. To this day, I appreciate the hell out of this band while also accepting that they’ve never made anything truly amazing. | | 4 |  | Olafur Arnalds
...And They Have Escaped The Weight Of Darkness
Olafur Arnalds, Seoul, October 31st, 2015
In 2015 I moved to South Korea for a year. I took a day off work and travelled to Seoul to catch this performance and, man, was it worth it. To this day one of my favourite concert memories. No recording was allowed so there were no annoying phones going up all the time. I also snagged a front row seat so I had an exceptional view of the stage. The closing Lag fyrir ömmu was the memory I take away most from this show, as it was just such a beautiful and emotional way to cap the performance. The way he faded the song out on his piano, with the dead silence from the audience waiting to burst into rapturous applause, was a perfect moment. | | 5 |  | Ichiko Aoba
0%
Ichiko Aoba, Osaka, February 10th, 2019
I travelled to Japan from China, where I was now living, to catch Converge and Neurosis on their tour, but I was lucky enough to see Ichiko Aoba at the same time while I was there. I’d discovered her on Sputnik back in 2015 thanks to a review of her 0% live album, and I’d been a huge fan ever since. The clear highlight of this show was her performance of 機械仕掛乃宇宙, which was absolutely mesmerising from start to finish. It feels like a prog epic played out with just a voice and acoustic guitar, and I was captivated through all 12 minutes of it. In general, though, the performance was excellent. The venue was really cool, with soft lighting and planets hanging from the ceiling, and then the actual seating was just cushions on the floor, so everyone (or at least the front portion of the crowd) was on the ground. It made for a really unique and intimate experience that I’ve never forgotten (despite catching her live an additional 6 times since). | | 6 |  | Converge
You Fail Me
Converge and Neurosis, Osaka, February 14th, 2019
Converge have been my favourite band since early 2011, and Neurosis are up there too, so I was always going to do whatever I had to to catch these shows in Japan. As I mentioned above, I was living in China during this time but fortunately these shows fell over the Chinese New Year holidays, so I was able to attend without much issue. I went to three of the four shows (unfortunately having to skip the last one in Tokyo where Converge were playing You Fail Me in full, as I had to fly back to China for work the next day) but the first one was probably the best. The best moment of Converge’s set was definitely when Jacob Bannon handed me the mic during the final breakdown in Eagles Become Vultures, which allowed me to fulfil a nearly decade-long dream of screaming along to my favourite band. | | 7 |  | Neurosis
Through Silver In Blood
The best Neurosis moment was closing with Through Silver in Blood, which was every bit as intense as I’d imagined it would be. They dropped it from the set for the rest of the tour, supposedly because of the mental toll it took on Scott Kelly in particular, so I was glad to be there to see it at this first show. | | 8 |  | Explosions in the Sky
The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place
Explosions in the Sky, Beijing, May 10th, 2019
This is one of those that was likely heavily influenced by my mental state at the time. In late 2018 I went through a really bad breakup with my girlfriend of three years and, even though I was much more equipped to handle heartbreak than I had been 9 years prior, it still left me incredibly fragile. Explosions in the Sky were a band I only cared about just enough to bother seeing; I’d been into The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place in the earliest stages of my post-rock phase, but not really listened to since then or explored much of their other work. So it came as a massive surprise to me that this show left such a deep mark. The gorgeous Yasmin, the Light was a big highlight, but The Only Moment We Were Alone was the one that really stuck with me. | | 9 | | Explosions in the Sky
The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place
After going back to my truly shitty hotel room, I fell asleep with memories of the song ringing in my head. At about 3am my ex called me, drunk and outside the door to my apartment asking me to let her in. I told her I wasn’t there and we had a pretty honest conversation after that. I’m so glad fate decided that I shouldn’t be there that night because not giving in was the best decision I ever made. | | 10 |  | Opeth
Blackwater Park
Opeth, Beijing, December 3rd, 2019
This one admittedly doesn’t stand out necessarily as a life-changing gig in and of itself, but it was the completion of a bucket list item for me – seeing my three favourite bands from my uni days live (Converge, Sigur Ros, and Opeth). And the band were great. Akerfeldt cracked wise as he does, they played some peak-era classics like The Leper Affinity, Deliverance, and Harlequin Forest, and even the newer stuff which I’m not really into at all translated well in a live setting. Just a really good and fun gig. | | 11 |  | Sigur Ros
Agætis byrjun
Sigur Ros, Osaka, August 22nd, 2022
I’d seen Sigur Ros back in 2016 in Korea, and it was possibly the most underwhelmed I’ve ever been at a live show. I was (and am) a massive fan, so I travelled across from China to see them, but left feeling cold. So to get a second chance years later was special, and this time they had Kjartan back in the band. They more than redeemed themselves. The sound and performance was incredible, but the setlist was truly noteworthy: a three hour set, with an intermission in between, where they opened with the first three tracks from ( ), then into Svefn-g-englar and Ný batterí, before closing set 1 with Smáskifa, also known as Untitled 9. That first set alone would have made it worth it, but they came out and played other classics like Glósóli, Sæglópur, Festival (which was a particular highlight), Kveikur, and, of course, Untitled 8. Just a magical performance which, unbelievably, was bettered just a couple of years later. | | 12 |  | DMBQ
The Essential Sounds From The Far East
DMBQ, Osaka, December 27th, 2022
The headliners for this show were actually Otoboke Beaver; a friend wanted to see them and suggested a couple of us go and check them out. To say I had no expectations for this gig were an understatement. I liked what I heard of Otoboke Beaver but probably not enough to convince me to go on my own. Reading the descriptions of one of the opening acts made me even less enthused – DMBQ were described as a “70’s influenced hard rock act in the mould of Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin”. This did not appeal much to me. Once they started playing, however, I became intrigued. They were loud. Very loud. The vocalist spent a lot of time punching himself in the head and slapping his face to the point where blood was running down his mouth (all part of the show, I’m sure, but it was still quite a spectacle). They played the most high energy and ferocious set of any band I’ve seen before or since. My mates disappeared to the bar but I stood there transfixed throughout | | 13 | | DMBQ
The Essential Sounds From The Far East
When I saw my friends again after the performance, the only words I could muster were "I think I just saw the face of God." | | 14 |  | Violent Magic Orchestra
Death Rave
Violent Magic Orchestra, Osaka, November 23rd, 2023
Another show where the opening act left more of an impression than the main one. This time I was there to catch Nadja, who, I will add, were also fantastic. However, VMO were the ones to steal the show. During the first song, the vocalist stared straight ahead while she sang, but it seemed to be directly into my soul, and I couldn’t look away. The light show was incredible; at some points we were in complete darkness but the band all had torches which they swung around and shone strategically at the audience. The members would also randomly appear in the crowd, which you wouldn’t know until it had already happened because of the darkness. The music was a super interesting mix of EDM, black metal, noise, and power electronics. It was just a great performance all around and it really showed me what’s possible in a live setting. | | 15 |  | Turnstile
Glow On
Turnstile, Osaka, July 31st, 2024
I thought Glow On was an okay album when it came out in 2021, but it never blew me away. Seeing these guys live absolutely changed my whole perspective on them. Their energy was simply off the charts and they played a blistering set featuring most of the songs from Glow On plus a couple of others from their earlier albums, which I’m still not very familiar with. The highlight from this show was, other than the absolute mad rush that ensued when they kicked off with T.L.C., the closing Holiday, where half the crowd was up on stage with the band while they played. It was exhilarating. Just a great, great show. | | 16 |  | Mono
One Step More and You Die
Mono, Osaka, November 22nd, 2024
The setlist was very Oath-heavy, which is one of their blandest albums and, unfortunately, seeing the songs performed didn't do much to change my mind. As usual, Halcyon (Beautiful Days) and Ashes in the Snow stood out on the setlist as being far superior to most of what was played, and they would have been a satisfying enough coda if I'd gone home at their conclusion. Fortunately, the band came back for one more song... Best. Encore. Ever. Not sure why I ended up being so much more blown away by the performance of COM (?) this time around, when I'd seen them play it just a few months prior, but it genuinely was one of the best moments I've ever had at a gig. It was incredibly loud and uncompromising, and the song's second half didn't let up for a moment. I was looking around and noticed probably 85-90% of the audience around me didn't have earplugs in, and I felt genuinely sorry for the hearing loss they're going to experience in future. Transcendent. | | 17 |  | Sigur Ros
Valtari
Sigur Ros, Kobe, February 19th, 2025
Quite simply the best concert I've ever been to. I'm not sure what exactly made this so much better than the Tokyo show a few days earlier, but it was significant. Perhaps it was my seat, a little further back and with a full view of the stage and all the members on it. Perhaps it was the superior sound quality I experienced as a result. Or perhaps it was just that day, that moment, where I felt more in tune with the music than I did previously. Whatever it was, this was almost certainly the most spiritual experience I've ever had at a concert, with perhaps only DMBQ as a competitor (and obviously a very different kind of spirtitual experience anyway). | | 18 |  | Sigur Ros
ÁTTA
The setlist was the same as Tokyo, although they dropped Heysátan for some unknown reason, despite it appearing on the setlist on the band's website. Truth is, I didn't even notice. I was so enraptured, so captivated, and shedding so many tears that nothing was going to pull me out of my trance. Jónsi was also back at his best, although now I'm not sure if that was true or just a result of my seating and/or mental state at the time of the Tokyo show. Whatever. This was undoubtedly the best show I'll see this year, maybe ever, and I can't wait for the next chance I get to see this band again. If this does end up being the last time, though, what a way to end it. | |
SAPoodle
03.18.25 | List is still in progress | Wildcardbitchesss
03.18.25 | Converge are the goats, Ben took a pic of my Jane tat and put it on his story a few years ago. Ridiculously nice guy. | Dewinged
03.18.25 | Oh shit i was at that Converge/Neurosis show lol | SAPoodle
03.18.25 | Nice! I've never met a fellow Sputniker in real life, pity we missed each other haha | Dewinged
03.18.25 | Yeah it would have been dope, I went with a friend of mine, the fool didn't have earplugs and he had to tap out 15 minutes into the Neurosis set haha It was a great show though. | SAPoodle
03.18.25 | Oh man, earplugs are an absolute must. My tinnitus can attest to that haha! Were you just at the Osaka show or did you go to others on that tour as well? | Wildcardbitchesss
03.18.25 | …I saw them in Chicago on that tour lol | Dewinged
03.18.25 | Nah I live in Osaka so I just saw them there. I also know Shinji Masuko from DMBQ very well, in the band I used to play, we recorded the last album with him, absolute legend and really cool, down to earth dude, we also played with him a few times. DMBQ's drummer is a beast too. | costofnothing
03.18.25 | I saw a local rock band at a festival one time and before going into the last song the vocalist gave this long speech about how it's a song for people who have never felt like they belonged anywhere, the weirdos, the outcasts, the losers, etc. and how we have the power to achieve all in our dreams if only we go out into the world and seize it without fear and I felt like he was speaking directly to me and I saw my entire life flashing before my eyes and I was also on a ton of shrooms | keaton_86
03.18.25 | I've seen Sigur Ros 5 times, and nothing I have ever experienced will compare to their Glastonbury 2016 set. Good fucking god that was easily the best live performance I've ever seen. Awesome list. | SAPoodle
03.19.25 | "Nah I live in Osaka so I just saw them there."
Oh damn, I live in nearby Kobe! Maybe see you at a gig sometime? American Football, perhaps haha?
"I also know Shinji Masuko from DMBQ very well, in the band I used to play, we recorded the last album with him, absolute legend and really cool, down to earth dude, we also played with him a few times. DMBQ's drummer is a beast too."
They seem like awesome guys, would love to catch them again sometime soon | SAPoodle
03.19.25 | "and I was also on a ton of shrooms"
Your whole comment made sense by this point
"I've seen Sigur Ros 5 times, and nothing I have ever experienced will compare to their Glastonbury 2016 set."
I've also seen them 5 times now, though on 3 tours. I think the 2016 show was possibly just a bad day (either for me or for the band) and my expectations were sky high. | keaton_86
03.19.25 | Yeah I wouldn't say they're hit and miss, more like, extremely good or holy fucking jesus what did I just witness good haha. |
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