Deerhunter have crafted a career path so varied and dense that live shows now allow them to exhibit a multifaceted side that even their individual records often can’t. Tonight, they are seamless in their delivery, exuding professional meticulousness whilst retaining a sense of raw, unhinged angst - precision spontaneity, if you will. The early outing of Desire Lines ends in swirling, coma-inducing mass of lush, dense, floating guitars. The band’s ability to create these soundscapes, weaving between dream-like states and the crunching, brutality of others, makes the live experience a perpetually rewarding one. Nothing Ever Happened sees a cacophonous onslaught, over ten minutes long, of searing guitars and interlacing melodies so penetrating that they haunt the venue. It’s a beautiful marriage of Neu-like tonalities and Marque Moon guitar duelling, the effects of which are devastating and could ring out all night in continuous harmony as far as the crowd is concerned.
They are undeniably in ‘rock band’ mode tonight, ditching the more sombre moments for the more bombastic, but still never loosing an ounce of emotion or melodic structure. Some numbers even get a revamping that would seem inconceivable and futile; the subtle tinkering of Helicopter is transformed into a rocking and thrashing expulsion - a marvel and an unexpected joy. Even throwing in a cover of Magazine’s The Light Pours Out Of Me only adds to the ferocious but intrinsically melodic output of the evening.
They have honed a sound that is undeniably distinctive whilst the exploration of these nuances itself still feels like a new experience. There is an abundance of bands currently trying to do what Deerhunter are doing, but from tonight’s exhibition, nobody is even coming close.