Seefeel

Seefeel are back. After an eleven-year gap, the English quartet have finally reappeared in the catalogue with the splendid self titled, winning over both old and new followers alike.

The album already seemed quite solid in its studio version, but the chance to see the band put to the test live, all the more so after such a long silence, was not to be missed for any reason in the world.

Armed with plenty of curiosity, here we are then at the famous Fritzclub am Postbahnhof, on a cold but starry night at the end of March.

The evening kicks off right on time with the pre-show set from a little-known Berlin DJ, who offers up nocturnal, atmospheric electronics, at times bordering on hypnagogic. That doesn't seem to be enough, though, to win over the attention of the radical-chic crowd in the room, so far too busy networking and chit-chatting to pay attention to what's happening onstage.

After a soundcheck kept to an absolute minimum, though, the shy Seefeel take the stage.

They launch straight in without preamble with Clifford's guitar distortions on "Dead Guitars", even more acidic than the studio version, but it's only with "Time To Find Me" that the concert really gets going. The rhythm laid down by the excellent Kazuhisa becomes more fluid and steady, the bass is immensely powerful, while the sweet Sarah Peacock begins her gentle vocalizing. What comes out of it is a dense, hypnotic trip that galvanizes everyone present: even the die-hard chatterers fall silent and start swaying, along with yours truly, in a trance-like state. As cold as the four musicians' stage presence is, just as warm and vibrant is the atmosphere their music manages to create. This isn't a concert of "songs" tonight: Seefeel play without any interruption, linking tracks together to create a homogeneous sonic carpet, keeping the audience in its state of ecstasy for the entire duration of the show. "Faults" slows things down only for a moment, before introducing two new tracks, so rhythm-focused that they brush up against tribal territory. They then return to the album's tracklist with the relentless "Rip-Run", probably the peak of the evening, with its devastating noise excursions. The crowd starts swaying side to side again on the dry rhythm and disturbed frequencies of "Airless", while the room fills with smoke (the "Bitte nicht rauchen" sign has been cheerfully ignored), which also adds to the sweltering, "rotten" atmosphere that by now can be felt in every sense inside the Fritzclub.

But "Airless" is, surprisingly, also the last track of the evening. The lights come back on, Peacock breaks the silence with the customary thank-yous and to announce the post-show merchandising. The abrupt awakening is made even more irritating by the bartender demanding back a blue token that was never actually handed over... As the crowd goes back to chattering, it's best to slip away in order to preserve at least a little of that spell these four such reserved musicians managed to cast throughout the evening, despite the mild disappointment over how short it was.

Seefeel's music is cerebral, abstract, and at the same time manages to be incredibly visceral and vibrant, an enormous potential that the CD only captures to a minimal degree.

Looking forward to the next trip, welcome back Seefeel!

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google