Review: Boris, Fleece

It begins with a huge cloud of smoke billowing into the crowd, followed by a low-end rumble presaging a dirty, Sabbathy doom groove as ludicrously prolific veteran Japanese avant-metallers Boris assume their backlit positions on the Fleece stage to a huge welcoming roar from a packed crowd. Given the trio’s Jim Jarmusch/hipster/alt-whatever cred, it’s no surprise to find a diverse audience pitching up for this gig. But any fears harboured by Boris virgin old-school metalheads like myself that they would prove to be all arty, posturing and solemn are swiftly dispelled. Headset-wearing, screaming, sticks-aloft drummer/vocalist Atsuo, in particular, is apparently under the impression that Motley Crue have a vacancy behind the kit, leaving no pose unexplored in his job application. And whereas many drummers like to include a gong in their arsenal, for most this is an affectation. Not so Atsuo, who beats the living crap out of his on regular occasions, often using both hands.

Bringing back the double-necked guitar to rock, Takeshi rises to the showmanship challenge. But again, this is no affectation as he delivers much of the riffage along with that distinctive bottom end, missus. His fairly rudimentary command of English limits crowd interaction to exhortations to “Drink some beer!”, “Make some noise!” and “Have a party!” – as if we needed any encouragement. Diminutive Wata is comparatively restrained, with fuzz set to stun as she concentrates on psychedelic lead guitar channelled through an expensive Orange amp stack.

On record, the Boris oeuvre is strikingly diverse, as everything from electropop to shoegaze rubs shoulders with metal of every stripe. But this is a 10th anniversary tour celebrating their lauded Pink album, which is arguably the most accessible and upbeat release of the band’s 20+-year career, its many textures making for a custom-built live performance with no shortage of rockin’ out highlights. The sound is certainly bottom-heavy but not – unless all those years and years of metal have finally destroyed this reviewer’s hearing – as bowel-looseningly loud as anticipated given Boris’s association with such notorious noise terrorists as Sunn O))). Musically, this is not especially sophisticated, but it does make for a hugely effective audio-visual barrage. Indeed, while there are probably more fashionable comparisons to be drawn by those hipper than myself, the sonic assault is often reminiscent of vintage Hawkwind.

In the pantheon of Japanese rock bands making an increasingly loud noise over here, this lot aren’t as much fun as the audience-dividing Babymetal, or as unapologetically metal as frequent Bristol visitors Church of Misery. But after fellow critically lauded ‘post-rock’ experimentalists Mono turned out to be dull as ditchwater, it’s a pleasure to report that Boris have no difficulty in living up to their reputation. (Incidentally, fans of what nice Mr. Cope would refer to as Japrock may wish to note that former Can frontman Damo Suzuki has just announced a gig at the Exchange on May 12, 2017.)

“You awesome audience!” proclaims Atsuo after the well-deserved encore. We certainly are. You pretty awesome band too.