The Mars Volta at Somerset House
The Mars Volta
Somerset House, 13 July 2009
A month after their incredible gig at the tiny ICA the Volta were back in town, this time taking part in Somerset House's annual series of open air summer concerts and once again they just about blew me away.
After a week of rain, thankfully the sun was out today and whether it was due to this or his upcoming nuptials (word is he's getting married later this week), singer Cedric Bixler Zavala was in a surprisingly good mood, addressing the audience with thanks the moment he walked on stage (in a snazzy patterned shirt and those cool blue and silver shoes again), telling us "let's have a good time together" and speaking often between songs. It was in complete contrast to the ICA gig, where he looked pissed off for most of the night, glarely silently at the audience and getting narky at the lighting man. To be honest I quite enjoy pissed-off Cedric, it makes for a more intense show but his good mood tonight led to him almost taking over the show, literally taking centre stage and dominating the night, while partner-in-crime Omar Rodriguez Lopez, who usually demands equal attention during shows, was left standing back in the shadows a lot of the time.
It was a pretty similar set to the ICA, starting once again with the hard rock riffs of Goliath but wow, this time the sound was so clear, Cedric's voice soaring over our heads and into the night's sky. It wasn't as loud as the previous show, although it did get progressively louder, which probably left a few officials sweating a little. From Goliath, the band rushed straight into Cotopaxi, the first single from new album Octahedron, which still sounds incredible live (haters be damned!) and then, probably my favourite Volta song, Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of). And this is where the show began to differ from the ICA gig. That show, on the whole, saw more concise, faithful versions of the tracks, some scaled back from the epic, jam-monsters they had become, but this one saw them slipping back into their old grooves, with some songs stretched out to almost half an hour. The most notable being Cygnus....Vismund Cygnus, which became this mammoth epic, descending into atmospheric drones with Cedric moaning while clinging onto the microphone in a hypnotic daze, and of course the set staple Drunkship Of Lanterns, which allowed Omar to finally shine on one of the band's older classics. The surprise to me though was new song Luciforms, which turned into this big, dark, gloomy Led Zep-esque monster, so beautifully fitting under the night sky, as it slowly built into its guitar-filled, atmospheric climax.
Cedric was also on good form energy-wise, full of manic dance moves, leaps from the drum stand and swinging his microphone Roger Daltrey-style in the air and bouncing it off his foot before catching it, with ease, in his hand again just in time to continue singing. At one point he slid down his microphone stand until he was lying on the floor and pulled the stand down to his face to sing, while spread face down on the stage. At this point Omar amusingly just stood back watching with a "what the hell are you doing?" look on his face. Then Cedric skilfully stood the mike upright again and slowly climbed up the stand, pulling his body to upright position using just his hands and, once standing, continued to dance like a mad man. Say what you like about Cedric, but he must be one of the best frontmen in rock today, an incredible singer and absolutely riveting to watch. Omar can be just as exciting visually but tonight it was clear he was letting Cedric steal the show.
Elsewhere, other highlights were one of Bedlam In The Goliath's best tracks Ilyena (dedicated, by Cedric, to actress Helen Mirren, who the song is named after, Ilyena being her birth name) and the heavy riff-filled Viscera Eyes, the song that perhaps reminds me most of Led Zeppelin when they perform it live, equally showing off both Omar and Cedric's strengths, like a modern day Page and Plant. Once again though, sadly, there was none of the "acoustic" slower numbers from Octahedron such as Since We've Been Wrong (which I'm sure could be turned into a slow-burning wonder live) and instead we got old favourite The Widow, still sounding pretty good, and the short (for TMV), sharp shock of Wax Simulacra - an absolutely perfect ending to the show.
Not quite as mind blowing as the ICA show for me (where, at times, I really did feel I was witnessing something akin to seeing Zeppelin in their prime) but proof that The Mars Volta are without a doubt one of the most incredible live acts in the world right now.
Cedric was also on good form energy-wise, full of manic dance moves, leaps from the drum stand and swinging his microphone Roger Daltrey-style in the air and bouncing it off his foot before catching it, with ease, in his hand again just in time to continue singing. At one point he slid down his microphone stand until he was lying on the floor and pulled the stand down to his face to sing, while spread face down on the stage. At this point Omar amusingly just stood back watching with a "what the hell are you doing?" look on his face. Then Cedric skilfully stood the mike upright again and slowly climbed up the stand, pulling his body to upright position using just his hands and, once standing, continued to dance like a mad man. Say what you like about Cedric, but he must be one of the best frontmen in rock today, an incredible singer and absolutely riveting to watch. Omar can be just as exciting visually but tonight it was clear he was letting Cedric steal the show.
Elsewhere, other highlights were one of Bedlam In The Goliath's best tracks Ilyena (dedicated, by Cedric, to actress Helen Mirren, who the song is named after, Ilyena being her birth name) and the heavy riff-filled Viscera Eyes, the song that perhaps reminds me most of Led Zeppelin when they perform it live, equally showing off both Omar and Cedric's strengths, like a modern day Page and Plant. Once again though, sadly, there was none of the "acoustic" slower numbers from Octahedron such as Since We've Been Wrong (which I'm sure could be turned into a slow-burning wonder live) and instead we got old favourite The Widow, still sounding pretty good, and the short (for TMV), sharp shock of Wax Simulacra - an absolutely perfect ending to the show.
Not quite as mind blowing as the ICA show for me (where, at times, I really did feel I was witnessing something akin to seeing Zeppelin in their prime) but proof that The Mars Volta are without a doubt one of the most incredible live acts in the world right now.
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