Live, A Place to Bury Strangers is a relentless sonic onslaught.
Sure, openers Hot Garbage and Shallow Waves had already set the tone for the evening, with each band putting on fairly massive performances in their own right, but once APTBS took to the stage, things were taken to the next level as the NYC noise rock trio proceeded to cover the entire room in layers of beautiful noise.
Actually, scratch that. The band only truly brought it to the next level not when they took to the stage, but when they left it. Midway through their set, the whole band left the stage to play in the crowd. This was not one of your typical “let’s have an intimate unplugged moment mid set” moves. No, this is not the band for that.
Rather, APTBS moved, one by one, into the centre of the crowd to play fully amped up, with Oliver Ackermann wailing into the mic, his distorted vocals soaring above the relentless beat and the feedback-laden guitar. And for practically the entire set, but especially during this moment, drummer Sandra Fedowitz was constantly grinning.
For a band that’s known for its guitar heavy sound, Fedowitz is really their secret weapon, the backbone that drives the whole operation, keeping the beat hard and steady throughout. Rightfully, she was given a moment to shine during the band’s final number, as a couple of drums were moved front and centre while she sang and bashed away to close out the show.
And with that, Ackermann thanked the crowd, thanked the organizers of the festival, and suggested we all go downstairs, where Kill Alters and a few others were playing. I thought about it for a moment, but then decided that my ears had taken enough of a beating for the night, and also, that this was a good (loud) note to end my night on.
See you again next year, Project Nowhere!
