There are variables in every live show that impact the end result, operating independently of the quality inherent in the actual musical performance. There’s the unseen and underestimated work of audio engineers behind the scenes. There’s the venue, which can be small, large, dark, smelly, cramped, cold or hot. And there is the crowd. While set on Saturday night eventually overcame the negative impact of this variable, the crowd at the made its presence unpleasantly known for much of opener Michael Gira’s rare solo set.
After a rather disorienting performance by the Howling Hex, the crowd at the Oriental began to swell in both size and volume. As Michael Gira (vocalist and multi-instrumentalist of Swans) took the stage, armed only with a guitar, he struggled to overcome the noise. He asked the crowd, at first calmly, and later, with an f-bomb laden screed, to shut up. From the balcony, a girl screeched “GO HOME, MOTHER F***ER!” after one song and rudely spouted “Really?!” during the quiet part of another.
Photos, below, from Woven Hand’s 2010 show at the Bluebird Theater.
Gira’s set was moody and spare, sprinkled with a few Swans favorites adapted for acoustic guitar. The post-punk elder statesman even released some tantalizing details on the upcoming Swans album, which will feature appearances by Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker of Low and vocals from Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The singer closed his set by thanking those who had traveled to see him, and again admonishing those who had talked through the set. Although Gira’s sparse, dark work might not be for everyone, his appearance was a rarity and warranted more respect than it received.
Prior to this show, my experience with Woven Hand had been with the band’s eponymous first album, and only through headphones. This does not prepare one for the onslaught of a Woven Hand live show. The live version is driving, theatrical and almost metal-like in its scopic rendition of gothic and western themes. David Eugene Edwards’ Chet Atkins hollowbody is at once a percussion instrument, a dance partner and a siren calling to the lost spirits of the west. And even amid ribcage-hammering drums and searing guitars, Edwards can make a mandolin somehow stand apart. With Native American chants, a strong Appalachian influence and just the right measure of showmanship, Woven Hand delivered nothing less than what would be expected from one of Denver’s most venerable bands. But even better, songs like “Kicking Bird” and “Raise Her Hands” brought an intensity that finally, thankfully, shut up the balcony-dwelling hecklers for good.
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Cassandra Schoon is a Denver freelance writer and regular Reverb contributor.
