Pianos Become The Teeth has always embraced their position under the radar. Slowly but surely building a cult following within the underground and moulding and shifting their sound, the band find themselves back on British soil and more precisely a frosty Nottingham with a new album to toy with and to further convert the masses and make everything a little bit more beautiful.
New Native open proceedings and in the vein of Balance And Composure set upon making everyone feel a bit blue. Their timid onstage awkwardness only adds to the performance as cuts from their ‘Twisting’ EP appears to mildly impress the ever-expanding crowd. (3/5)
Talons follow and kick things up a notch. Exhilarating, frenzied and unpredictable the band’s brand of intensity charged math-rock mixed with an epileptic light display make for a suitably apocalyptic half an hour. When a band can leave a room breathless and pretty much stunned to silence, something pretty monumental must have just taken place. (4.5/5)
Silver Snakes have a bit space to fill succeeding such a trimuph, and only to a degree prosper. Their multi-dimensional angsty rock has its blinking moments of genius and vocalist Alex Estrada puts in an impassioned and haunting performance, but it just doesn’t sit right tonight and ends up falling a little flat and coming across mixed up and confusing. (2.5/5)
By the time Pianos hit the stage though there is a real heightened atmosphere around the room. The band walk on and with no words at all, except a motion from vocalist Kyle Durfey for the congregation to move forward, ease into ‘Ripple Water Shrine’. A subdued but effective start to the evening that more than reflects the journey and transformation the band have taken on over the last few years.
Mellower but no less intense, ‘April’ follows and brings the first of many spine tingling moments, before oldies ‘I’ll Be Damned’ and ‘Good Times’ see the front row pulsing and thrashing with unrelenting passion. The connection shared between the band and the fans on show tonight is more deep-seated than just music. There is a different respect and understanding stronger than just flesh and blood. Be it shared experience or inspiration pulled from the band’s struggles, the energy that is thrown back and forth between stage and floor is something to behold.
The set continues by borrowing heavily from last year’s ‘Keep You’ with a lively ‘Enamore Me’ and heart-in-mouth rendition of ‘Lesion’. Pianos have a knack for making their time on stage a real experience. Each member belts out lyrics like their life depended on it. Bursting emotions and hints of pain paint themselves across everyone’s expressions as Durfey flails around and wraps himself in his mic chord. Be it newer songs or old cuts such as the frantically alluring ‘Filal’ or the haunting ‘I’ll Get By’, the band execute as one entity rather than five separate faces. Every chord and beat means something deeper and being able to transfer that to the fans looking on takes something wholly special.
Bringing the evening to a close with an intense ‘Repine’ and effortlessly beautiful ‘Hiding’, an air of euphoria circles the room passing through each and every pair of clapping hands. With a collection of songs that can raise a temple and tear it down again and in the live environment turn even the hardest of souls into a retrospective mess, Pianos Become The Teeth have continued to cement their status as one of the most important bands doing the rounds in the post-hardcore scene right now and one who should be treasured for as long as possible. (5/5)
3.5/5
Words by Jack Rogers (@JackMRog)
