Friday 13 July 2018

Oh Sees - o2 Academy Leeds, July 11th 2018



San Fransico's (Thee) Oh Sees must have surely seen just about everything in their twenty-plus album career spanning the same amount of years, perhaps until tonight. Scheduled to appear as soon as England's world cup semi final with Croatia is over, we're already late into the evening by the time John Dwyer and co can hurridly plug in and tune up. 'It's been a hell of a day... dig in' he encourages us as they rip into Orc album's opener 'The Static God'. 


Oh Sees don't fuck about, ever. Never has a band been so keen to get on with the action. Dwyer, guitar perma-welded to the underneath of his chin, tears through the songs with characteristic furious energy and football's recurring shattered dream is hastily forgotten for this next ninety minutes or so.


The set flips back and forth through the bands extensive back catolgue of work. 'Withered Hand' (Mutilator Defeated At Last) and 'Ticklish Warrior' (A Weird Exits) sonically testing even the most robust of ears. Oh Sees play LOUD. Dual drummers centre stage, flanked by guitar - left, and an uncompromising bass – right, provide a relentless rhythm that the band work around. Even a broken string and necessary adjustments can't bring the music to a halt. Improvised jamming until Dwyer's handywork is complete and a song made up on the spot, just for Leeds. Though I suspect this may be a regular occurrence given the singer's/guitarist's level of commitment and fervour.

'Toe Cutter – Thumb Buster' (Floating Coffin) and it's looping beat sounds immense pumping out of the Academy's speakers. As does Orc's 'Animated Violence', Dwyer yelping and growling as he flings about with the guitar making all kinds of glorious walls of noise. 'This is an old one, and it's a long one...' he says for the final time as the sounds of 'Contraption/Soul Desert' fill the air. I turn reluctantly for the exit to catch the last bus home, catching Dwyer picking at the strings with his teeth before I leave. The streets are almost deserted, the cup staunchly remains not coming home, it's even rained a little. With an Oh Sees live fix firmly under the belt, I feel a sense of normality has resumed.

Words - Pete Jackson