LIVE REVIEW: blanket @ The Key Club, Leeds

It was a night that saw Leeds’ burgeoning skyline drenched in rain clouds, setting the mood perfectly for a melancholic evening of post-rock weariness. Blackpool outfit BLANKET topped the bill, dragging Manchester up-and-comers PIJN along for the ride, and from the moment this show was announced at The Key Club, it promised to be a faint glimpse into the future. It felt more like a co-headliner, with both bands reminding us just how potent the UK’s progressive scene can be; something that is often forgotten in a swirling blizzard of metalcore and hardcore.

Leeds post-metal outfit HELVE were the local support of choice on this particular occasion. Offering crushing riffs with long lead times, they boasted a carefully built ambience that shifted comfortably into more pummelling affairs. But for a few misplaced notes early on, the execution was mostly intact, and more importantly, the tracks felt like they held a purpose. Quite often post-metal bands tend to focus on long, drawn out tracks that never seem to reach any conclusion, but HELVE have an eye for structure; be it their vocalist pacing through the crowd to punctuate the heavier sections with his demonic screams, or the rise and fall of the twin guitars interlocking with the ambient drumming. It wasn’t a set without it’s imperfections, and there is certainly some room to grow but as they work towards completing their first record, they will certain remain on our radar for the foreseeable future.

Rating: 7/10

With the show taking place on the Friday night, a day after Halloween, the crowd turnout had taken a clear beating. HELVE had only managed to draw a handful of bystanders, and PIJN managed to entice a few more avid punters into the room. As they took their place, violinist Robin Koob knelt to the ground wielding her bow, and what followed was a show stealing barrage of head-bending wizardry. The Key Club has never been best known for its sound quality, but even still every instrument felt emancipated from the grip of sub par acoustics, cutting through the venue with esteemed ease.

One by one, the rules of physics were debunked by sheer excellence. PIJN have built a reputation for going against the grain, and as towering riffs blistered alongside the soaring strings it is easy to see why. They have taken a step away from more traditional post-rock, opting to meddle with song construct rather than simply building tracks to a final crescendo, and the resulting sporadic, dizzying effect is about as hard-hitting as a solid punch under the jaw. Robin was equally capable of building a serene backdrop as she was slashing at her bow to add a harrowing shriek to the mix, and the odd well-placed scream added to the anguish. PIJN have captured the real essence of human emotion, jumping from highs to lows and putting their instrumental mastery to best use in the process.

PIJN are an organic being, allowing members and their respective instrumentation to come and go as they please. They refer to it as a ‘revolving door policy’, and this essentially means that aside from the core aspects of their music, every tour or every show could end up sounding subtly different. This fluid approach is intriguing. On this occasion, they sounded absolutely spellbinding, but the fact that the next night a solo could sound completely different is a truly mouthwatering prospect. PIJN are a band that rewrite the rules, and for them the future is truly a blank page.

Rating: 9/10

By the time BLANKET made it to the stage, the small crowd was still reeling from the preceding masterclass. After a few minor technical difficulties early on, the Blackpoolians proceeded to prove themselves as worthy headliners. PIJN‘s set may have taken some beating, but here we heard a totally different take on the genre. They add a tint of shoegaze to their attack, and this bode well for a set largely dominated by their 2018 album How To Let Go. TV screens at the stage edge were a deft touch, building a more visual experience; whether it were digital colour or imagery from their hometown.

Still capable of feeling heavy at times, BLANKET focus more on the exquisite, and for the most part their soundscapes glided effortlessly while rising and falling with elegance. The odd guitar crunch pierced this serenity, and perhaps the most mouthwatering aspect was the drumming. Sticksman Steven Pellatt was sensational, taking ambient drumming to another level as his flourishes skimmed through the mix. Again they are a band that clearly enjoy experimenting with placement as opposed to following trends, and their meandering methodology could lend itself comfortably to a film soundtrack – a feeling that was only heightened by the visual graphics on stage.

Perhaps a better sound quality and setting would have lent itself more to such demanding music, but despite these challenges the evening served as a stellar landmark in UK post-rock. It may not be a thriving scene, but it’s heart beats strong regardless, and we can only hope that the three bands we witnessed on that dreary November night will continue to pour their passion and soul into their music for many moons to come.

Rating: 8/10