Toundra
2015-02-21
Patronaat Caf�, Haarlem, Netherlands
67:03

1. Strelka
2. Marte
3. Magreb
4. Zanz�bar
5. Ara Caeli
6. Kitsune
7. Cielo Negro
8. Oro Rojo
9. Bizancio

lineage: AUD by Jerry(19)70 (3 meters from stage, 1 meter right from centre) > external Aiwa stereo mic > M-Audio Microtrack II (WAV 16/44) > USB > Audacity (normalize, hard limit on applause, normalize again, fade-in at beginning, fade-out at end, export to separate tracks) > FLAC level 8 (16/44)

I was so much looking forward to hearing these guys live! I only discovered what is called post-rock and post-metal less than a year ago (though I have always liked bands like Talk Talk and Gazpacho but never knew they had a name for the sub-genre) and Toundra were the ones I found myself listening to most of all. Other personal favourites are Maybeshewill, Pelican and Russian Circles.

I managed to do an interview with Toundra for DPRP. During the interview the opening act started playing. Doom metal. Not my favourite style. When I went downstairs they started playing - I guess they only did their soundcheck during my interview. A few long and slow songs. And only after half an hour I realized they were singing (slurring?) in Dutch... Their set lasted way too long in my opinion, but it appeared they had also started too late, though I am not sure whose fault that was.

As a result, Toundra started later than planned. And Toundra were further delayed by some technical problems. The bass player and sound technician were in communication by gestures. The intro tape didn't seem to start. After about 10 minutes, Toundra finally hit the stage - with intro tape. And their music hit me in the face, live even more than from album. Wow, what a tsunami of melodic mayhem this is - I love it! The caf�, with windows and an open door at the front of the building, is not as soundproof as the two venues inside the same building and apparently they can't have bands playing after midnight at the caf�, not even on a Saturday. So unfortunately, the show was cut short! This is the complete recording of a show that was awesome, brutally fierce and melodic.

The Patronaat Caf� holds about 120 people and has a stage of about 5 meters wide. Low stage, so I tried to find a spot with not a lot of people in front of me. Right up front wouldn't be good either, since that would be right under most loudspeakers. Tightly packed, audience audible a few times, between the songs during quiet intros, and the few moments of audience participation (clapping in time). The talkers in front of me mostly kept silent during the songs and I didn't hear them at all on the recording. The recording is a bit boomy at times, but overall I am quite happy with the result.

Enjoy!
Jerry(19)70