the God is on speed
GY!BE . Image taken from: http://amusicaltimetravellingdiamond.files.wordpress.com/
Godspeed You! Black Emperor – 9/11/12 Berlin, SO36
I came to SO36 after 9pm, it was fully packed. And the Air Cushion Finish were already playing. I went through the long black corridor all in stickers just like CBGB and the 80s flashed in my mind. I could clearly see new-wave parties, and punks rubbing against the walls. The venue is simple, but certainly very pleasant. Good acoustics. It felt extremely hot right away, as if it never cooled down fromt the previous night. I squeezed in to the front, i felt vicious ( being on medication, 10 tablets in the morning and 10 in the evening, i could not resist to a home made wine and a few beers before). The audience had a good vibe, people from 27 and above, mostly male.
The warm-up band had a positive impact on me. Experimental/ambient folk. I close my eyes and start meditating. I see bright visuals, like kaleidoscopic ornaments moving slowly. My chest opens up and starts vibrating to the experimental sounds accompanied by birds chirp. People hit me time to time, saying :”Excuse me, I am so sorry”… The audience feels selected, lots of visitors from other countries… It feels like tonight here are the ones who are truly dedicated. Maybe the best audience I have ever experienced. I was not mistaken.
Smell of cigar, weed and cheap man’s deodorant. The air becomes stale. People don’t move even after the warm-up. They are glued to their places, this does not happen often.
Are you ready for what’s coming?
Blaise Bailey Finnegan III: Ready as I’ll ever be.
It was sick.Totally mind-disturbing. I could barely stand the tension they were holding. It was 2-hour long trance. I am not sure what they did to us… But i felt hypnotized at times staring at their carefully selected 16mm visuals. I was screaming with all my body after the first 20 minutes of Hope Drone noise and metal drumming:“Hit me, blow me, set me of fire!” And then came “Mladic”…
They played about 50% new stuff and 50% of the old hits. Old hits coming in people en masse started smoking, enjoying long marijuana bongs with their eyes closed. I dissolved in the darkness when they played 15-min long pure noise dissonance.
By the end of the concert the whole venue was moving heads in unison. This few manic shaved-head movements in front of me was nothing but dipping in bliss.
And when there was no air left inside I just wanted them to tear me apart.
They sucked all my juices out, and left us with no encore. I don’t blame them. It was 2-hour long honest show by all standarts.
P.S. it was quite amusing to see the guy wearing CASPIAN t-shirt at GY!BE concert while CASPIAN was playing the same night at different venue… Good choice man!
GY!BE. Image taken from: http://perfectmidnightworld.tumblr.com/
Avant Hard 
Here’s a videotic souvenir from that night, enjoy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2XjErD1mmU