{"id":73220,"date":"2018-12-03T13:00:37","date_gmt":"2018-12-03T13:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/?p=73220"},"modified":"2018-12-02T15:18:07","modified_gmt":"2018-12-02T15:18:07","slug":"live-review-vennart-with-pijn-the-deaf-institute-manchester-23-11-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/live-review-vennart-with-pijn-the-deaf-institute-manchester-23-11-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Live Review: Vennart with Pijn \u2013 The Deaf Institute, Manchester – 23\/11\/2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Vennart\"After the 2011 demise of Manchester-based Oceansize, Mike Vennart set out solo with the project known as Vennart<\/strong>.\u00a0 September saw the release of new record \u2018To Cure a Blizzard Upon a Plastic Sea<\/em>\u2019 to much acclaim. After a short tour, this is the homecoming show. Sold out, the Deaf Institute\u2019s wooden floor is straining under the weight of the bodies pressed into the space. A tense atmosphere lingers.<\/p>\n

As Pijn<\/strong> (4\/5)\u00a0take to the stage the tension ratchets up a notch. With their debut record \u2018Loss\u2019<\/em> barely a month old, they\u2019re keen to make a big impression. Within moments, they have. The six-piece band (drums, bass, guitar, cello, violin and slide guitar) all appear to be doing their own thing, yet it perfectly sets the scene. Imagine a horror film set in the marshes during a damp autumn, an anguished figure walking in the distance, these mournful strings and distressing guitar chords could be the soundtrack.\u00a0 A smoke machine shrouds the band in a miasma, adding to the eerie feel. Then everything comes together.\u00a0 A wall of post-metal, rolls across the audience, augmented by the groaning and sighing strings. At times the music becomes so heavy the wooden floor feels to sag. It\u2019s never anything but arresting. Playing for an unbroken 30 minutes, Pijn <\/strong>astounds throughout.<\/p>\n

Bringing Pijn<\/strong> along for the ride was a genius move. Vennart<\/strong>\u2019s (4\/5) work contrasts marvellously while clearly belonging in the same genre. With the bar set so high, they really have to pull off a coup to come anywhere close. They do. Creating songs from swirls of guitar effects and huge scuzzy basslines, the four-piece are brighter but no less atmospheric and simply marvellous to watch. So many effects pedals clutter the stage, it\u2019s surprising the band even fit. Yet it\u2019s not overkill, every sound has its place. The guitar tones are superb and when they break out the big riffs, oh boy, does it sound powerful.<\/p>\n

Cuts from their first album, \u2018The Demon Joke<\/em>\u2019 are dotted throughout a set heavy on new material, but it doesn\u2019t seem to matter, the crowd are loving it. \u2018Operator<\/em>\u2019 comes across as the<\/em> most massive pop song, which is a surprise, considering the songs it sits between.<\/p>\n

Mike Vennart himself is wonderfully assured. Wearing a silk shirt that telegraphs his laid-back style he dances throughout the set, his long legs tapping delicately amongst his pedalboard, clearly having real fun. Dean Pearson also deserves a special mention. He\u2019s a ferocious drummer and his massively powerful style keeps everything moving. On the slower numbers, he easily holds the crowd\u2019s attention by himself.<\/p>\n

The transient set flows and never settles. Nothing feels repeated and you\u2019re surprised again and again by right-angled switches in tone and approach. \u2018Robots in Disguise<\/em>\u2019 and \u2018That\u2019s Not Entertainment<\/em>\u2019 receive the biggest fanfare, it\u2019s delightful to hear these songs presented like classics. Finally, two Oceansize songs close the set. It\u2019s what the fans want and the cheers are the biggest, but it\u2019s a shame because Vennart\u2019<\/strong>s own material offers just as much.<\/p>\n

Words by Ian Kenworthy (@WhisperingSand<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mike Vennart returns home to Manchester with an assured display.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":73539,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[15621,5881,1233,889,10326,4796],"class_list":["post-73220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-live-reviews","tag-ian-kenworthy","tag-live-reviews","tag-manchester","tag-pijn","tag-the-deaf-institute","tag-vennart"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLive Review: Vennart with Pijn \u2013 The Deaf Institute, Manchester - 23\/11\/2018 - Already Heard Staging<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Mike Vennart returns home to Manchester with an assured display.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Live Review: Vennart with Pijn \u2013 The Deaf Institute, Manchester - 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