On the face of it, Godflesh and Loop are unlikely touring buddies. But then, back in the mists of time, when seemingly incongruous bands did play together, they were very much mutually supportive, even releasing a split single on which each band covered the other’s song. Loop’s Robert Hampson would also join Godflesh for a time following Loop’s demise in 1991.
On hearing the two sets played back to back at tonight’s double header show, it all makes sense: while stylistically the approaches are very different, both bands repertoires revolve around repetitive riffs that go on and on and on, to hypnotic effect. They’ve both fans of volume, too.
Loop are up first and surge through a mesmerising set that’s lapped up by the near-capacity crowd in the Cockpit’s main room. They may be older and have office job haircuts these days, but they’re as tight as hell, blasting off with ‘Soundhead’ from 1987 debut ‘Heaven’s End’ and proceed to serve up a succession of bass-driven heavy psych epics.
It seems strange to think their initial career lasted but five years, yielding three albums: returning in 2013 after 22 years absent, their sound seems more in-step with contemporary bands than at the time, with bands ranging from A Place to Bury Strangers and The Black Angels all indebted to Loop to some extent.
There are a couple of crazies in the second row, shouting loudly – but indecipherably – between each song. Hampson takes it in his stride, laughingly noting how happy some audience members are and later asking for some of what they’re having. Mostly, though, the audience are as immersed in the swirling guitars and relentless cyclical basslines as the band.
Singles ‘Collision’ and ‘Arc-Lite’ land mid-set, although the strength of the performance lies not in individual songs, but the cumulative effect of the twin guitars which duel and intertwine atop a thunderous rhythm section that just keeps on driving. Their allotted hour flies and leaves us happily dazed.
Godflesh clear the stage of equipment and fill it with smoke (‘we want Sisters of Mercy smoke. that’s Take That smoke’, Justin Broadrick tells the stage guy when he and G.C. Green take to the stage in plan sight of the audience. Smoke up and lights dimmed, the volume soars as they launch with a new track, ‘New Dark Ages’, which is immediately followed by ‘Ringer’ from the hot off the press new ‘Decline & Fall’ EP. Green’s bass fair rattles the ribcage and shakes the bowels, while Broadrick’s 8-string guitar sounds like three guitars.
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Then things really take a turn for the heavy as they grind into a pulverizing rendition of ‘Like Rats’, and from hereon in there’s next to no let-up. ‘Christbait Rising’ and ‘Streetcleaner’ wrap up a blistering ‘Streetcleaner’ trilogy, by which time Broadrick’s perspired around five pints. The slower-burning and more delicate ‘Monotromata’ (these things are relative, of course, but there’s emotional range to be found in the angry grey world of the Godflesh back catalogue) is about as close as it gets to respite during the 10-track, hour-long set. They close with ‘Bigot’ followed by a punishing ‘Crush My Soul’.
Green slings his bass into its case and exits clutching his bag of tobacco on the last drum beat, leaving Broadrick to wring sculpures of feedback from his guitar for another couple of minutes before finally graciously and humbly thanking the enthusiastic bows.
The atmosphere as we all file out is one of joy: it feels like we’ve just seen two headline acts, and while Godlfesh are brutally loud and gut-churningly heavy, to witness a performance of such intensity is pure catharsis and truly elevating.
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