LIVE REVIEW: Polyphia @ O2 Institute, Birmingham
When POLYPHIA first hit the YouTube scene, playing mind-bogglingly technical shred-athons it was clear that there was immense talent and skill among the group, but few would have predicted they would reach the phenomenal heights they have achieved on their most recent album cycle for Remember That You Will Die.
Although tonight’s show is confined to a mid-sized venue (2000 cap), the queue down the street and snaking around adjacent buildings just after 7pm tells you everything you need to know about the buzz around this band. Shortly after doors the venue is already packed to the very rafters, with fans vying for a spot on the barrier, while attendees on the balconies settle in to enjoy the musical wizardry from a safe distance.
The choice for tonight’s opener is not an obvious one, but then who do you get to open for a band that so fearlessly fuses hip-hop and EDM with experimental rock? Producer-turned-singer-songwriter JOHAN LENOX has the task tonight, and his results are mixed. His tunes are similarly a melting pot of influences, combining trap-adjacent hip-hop with anthemic pop and classical violins. His uplifting pop tunes go down well, getting the crowd warmed up, but an eight-minute classical piece that closes the set doesn’t hit the mark.
Rating: 6/10
POLYPHIA are greeted like gods as they take to the stage with Genesis, the jazzy opener from their latest album. The track lays on the grooves, getting feet moving and the mosh pit circling. Without pausing for breath (or a finger rest) the boys kick into Neurotica, a track that shows off the full technical skill of the tremendously talented guitarists. While the album version with its programmed drums feels almost laid back, it’s a monster when played live.
The band then takes things back to 2018 with O.D. from New Levels New Devils. The thunderous bass grooves set the stage for some sinister guitar licks from frontman Tim Hensen, leaving the room in awe of his sheer technical proficiency. The heavily tattooed virtuoso is a silent protagonist tonight, leaving the job of whipping up the crowd to the effervescent Scott Lepage. Luckily, his fellow fretmaster is an electric personality, leading the adoring throngs with vigour.
Lepage’s calls for crowdsurfers are answered as the band kick into the epic single Goose (named for the premium vodka brand Grey Goose, because of course it is). After blasting through a couple more oldies, the crowd is appropriately prepped for game of ‘sing the riff’ for Champagne, proving that you don’t need vocals for an epic sing-along. The mosh pit erupts for album four’s lead single Playing God. Drummer CLAY AESCHLIMAN shines on this track, firing off polyrhythmic beats like it were child’s play. CLAY GOBER’s groovy basslines deserve a mention here as well, threatening to swallow up the venue in its maw.
The band returns to the stage for a three-song encore, starting with the deliciously unhinged G.O.A.T. before throwing in a thoroughly POLYPHIA-ised cover version of CKY’s 96 Quite Bitter Beings. Euphoria couldn’t be a more appropriate closer for this night of utterly joyful and seriously impressive playing from one of America’s most talented young bands.
Rating: 9/10
Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Birmingham from Max Adams here:
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