• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Loudest Bands

#63
Rob Lewis said:
I just had a listen to Eagle Twin on YouTube: sounded like a heap of shiite to me. Great beard & tattoo configurations, though. No stereotypes there, eh...
Click to expand...


:rollno:

I really wish people would stop using youtube to check out music for the first time. At least go on their Myspace or something. A band as loud as them isn't going to sound good through someones crappy little cell phone camera/microphone. It's a shame people won't give some bands a chance because they first went to some terrible quality youtube vid and made their judgment based on that.
 
#65
Metal Matt said:
For a lot of the bands mentioned, it's not about trying to be cool, or any crap like that. For bands like Sunn, My Bloody Valentine, Boris, etc... it's about creating an experience in the audience beyond that of most concerts.

When I saw Sunn, with the dense fog they pumped into venue, the volume they play at, and the body vibrating synth blasting in the PA, there were many times I felt like what I was experiencing wasn't real, like it was a dream. In one of the songs they played, they hold out a chord for about a minute straight, everyone on stage was motionless during this, and when I looked up from the floor and saw them like that, it felt like time had slowed down or something. The whole hour long set, my body was vibrating, sometimes to the point of it upsetting my breathing. That's Sunn's intent though, to force the audience to face this claustrophobic atmosphere. And the best part is the end, when they all stop, and the tension you've felt for the past hour suddenly goes away. What was for the past hour a test of your ability to face an uncomfortable setting, suddenly turns into instant relaxation and calm the second they stop. I've never slept better than the night I saw Sunn.

Bands like My Bloody Valentine and Boris are using high volumes for the same reasons.

It's these bands that I have to thank for my 3 amp, 5 cab rig. While not nearly as loud as the bands mentioned above, I've seen people walking around after our set looking completely zoned out and that's the point. That, and I feel heavy music should be louder than everything else. I'm sick of seeing local heavy bands playing at polite, people pleasing volumes. I see the use of high volumes as a valid form of artistic expression. It's why I won't turn down when asked by venue staff or a sound guy as they have no right telling a band how their live show should be.

And yes, I realize the risks involved. Don't need any more lectures about it.


I imagine bands like AC/DC, Lamb of God etc, are playing super loud because they think that's how heavy music should be, not to create any sort of atmosphere like the above mentioned bands.
Click to expand...

childish
 
#66
Hmm... the loudest i've personaly experanced was at a local show a few years back.

Some national tour band that formed localy decided to drag there gigantic P.A support into a loft area big enough for a crowd of twenty...

The loft was all wood floors, walls, ect...

4 people walked out of the gig with bleeding eardrums and screaming faces...
 
#67
JoZac21 said:
Awesome idea:
The Worlds QUIETEST Rock Band!!!
We will play unplugged electric instruments (electric drums as well) and only take gigs in large venues (i.e. stadiums, etc.).

Who's with me!!!!


.... Okay, maybe not an awesome idea... but definitely an idea.
Click to expand...


I saw Yes at The Spectrum in Philadelphia a few years back and even though I sat at the back of the venue the volume was VERY low. You could actually talk to the person next to you without learning toward them and screaming and there were times I thought they needed to turn it up to give me the "full effect". UNBELIEVABLE show, though. They played about 3 1/2 hours, played something from every album, and proved they're masters at what they do. After years of going to concerts and feeling my ears ringing for a few days afterward, I actually thought it was pretty cool to be able to hear when I left. In the end, I didn't think the low volume spoiled anything.

On the other hand, I remember seeing Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush open for Rush many years ago and I couldn't believe how loud he was. It was almost impossible to identify the songs he played. Rush came out and was loud, but nowhere near as loud as he seemed to be, and their sound was crystal clear, too.

I also saw The Smithereens at a small venue in Philadelphia (World Cafe Live) and was shocked at how loud they were. They held nothing back. Loved the show, but the volume was way overboard for that small of a place.


After being in pain from hundreds of high decibel shows I've come to realize that outrageous volume levels are simply foolish. Fine, feel free to call me a geezer and to suggest I stop kidding myself with rock music, move to Branson MO, and spend my few remaining days enjoying the Lawrence Welk Band in all their 65 dB glory. I prefer to salvage what's left of my hearing. :D
 
#69
Mogwai
Boris
Dinosaur Jr.
Jucifer

Boris probably had the all around loudest show but Mogwai at their loudest was monsterous. they kinda put you in a false sense of security for their first half of their set making you think, "oh, they're not so loud," but then they blast you with We're No Here, Like Herod, Batcat, etc. during the last half of the set and proceed to knock you flat on your ass

unfortunately i've never seen My Bloody Valentine but from everything i've heard, no one comes close to them in loudness. also yet to see Sunn O)))
 
#70
Spoonman462 said:
Mogwai
Boris
Dinosaur Jr.
Jucifer

Boris probably had the all around loudest show but Mogwai at their loudest was monsterous. they kinda put you in a false sense of security for their first half of their set making you think, "oh, they're not so loud," but then they blast you with We're No Here, Like Herod, Batcat, etc. during the last half of the set and proceed to knock you flat on your ass

unfortunately i've never seen My Bloody Valentine but from everything i've heard, no one comes close to them in loudness. also yet to see Sunn O)))
Click to expand...

+1 on mogwai would have to say they were louder than sunn. Have to say valve sound system is one of the loudest things i've ever experienced it's like a full body massage!
 
#71
The loudest band I've ever heard was an unknown one at a local festival. I remember being 100 yards away and feeling the music in my spine. It sucked. I hate super loud music, and I'm sure that was nowhere close to the loudest band.
 
#74
Metal Matt said:
It's why I won't turn down when asked by venue staff or a sound guy as they have no right telling a band how their live show should be.
Click to expand...

The sound engineer wants you to turn down because your effing up the FOH mix with too much stage volume that's probably out of phase with what's coming out of the mains; not to mention, you're probably most likely drowning out the vocals.

It's your choice to not turn down when asked by venue staff. It's their choice not to hire you back. If you still sleep well at night because you felt like you made an artistic statement by playing at ear-splitting volumes, more power to ya. :hmm:
 
#75
I hear Motorhead and Metallica are loud, lol. I saw Metallica in October and yeah they are loud! Never got the opportunity to see Motorhead though. I also Heaven and Hell (Black Sabbath with Dio instead of Ozzy) and they were really loud and it was an outdoor gig!!
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back