The Mars Volta

Apollo, Manchester on Thu 13th Mar 2008

The Mars Volta are an unusual band. Their songs have feverish intensity and complex structure that is seen no where else. From this platform Cedric’s vocals tell stories. 'De loused in the Comatorium' tells the tale of Julio Venegas (Cerpin Taxt in the story), a late friend of the band, who after years in a coma, awakened only to cast himself into rush hour traffic. 'Francis the Mute' is, again, a story about a friend of the band, Jeremy Ward's, untimely death.

The new record, however, called 'The bedlam in Goliath' goes further and tells a story that could potentially involve everyone who listens to it, for better or for worse. Omar Rodriguez Lopez, the producer and guitarist, bought his band mate Cedric Bixler-Zavala, the vocalist, a present back from a trip to Jerusalem: a Ouija board known to the band as 'The Soothsayer'. After making contact with an entity called 'Goliath' the band began to take lyrical inspiration from the stories this 'Goliath' told them. When the demands of the board became too threatening, Cedric buried it and work on the new album took on a dark purpose. To consecrate the soil under which the 'Goliath' lies.

Soon, though, it became clear that the curse was still upon them as blow after blow of bad luck befell the band. Tracks were lost, Omar's studio was flooded and the sound engineer had a mental breakdown. Finally the record was finished, though, and the plan is that everyone who listens to the album will become the new owners of the Ouija curse in the hope that the Goliath's power will be stretched to thin to be a threat. It could mean that the Mars Volta have collectively just cursed a substantial amount of the planets population. Thanks guys.

So the scene is set. Hundreds of fans are about to see a show that will either save The Mars Volta from their curse, or doom themselves. Even if that were the case, however, given the standard of performance I am sure everyone there would happily take the curse upon themselves. The show was spectacular. In front of a huge disturbing and psychedelic back drop the Mars Volta gave something to their music that cannot be heard on CD.

The complicated array of plucks and percussive sounds at the beginning of 'Drunkship of Lanterns', for example, is something that you wouldn't expect to be reproducible live to such a standard, but the new drummer and the percussionist as well as Omar ever impressive guitaring made every part stand out and yet fit together so well. Cedric's vocals were on top form as well. Not only was he spot on with the vocal lines recognisable from the albums, but during the improvised parts where the musicians jammed, moments at which most vocalists would sit out, he used his voice as one might use an electric guitar, making strange and wonderful noises through the mic, or at a distance to vary the volume. The only part of the music that left the listener wanting was the brass. The saxophone could rarely be heard. Only at quieter moments, or points where it was just the sax playing, but during the intense parts, where the music could have really benefited from the frantic jazz influenced brass found on the CD, it couldn't be heard.

The showmanship is something that deserves mentioning. For a start the band played a set that neared three hours in duration with out so much as a breather. No encore either; the band just played right to the end of their allotted time. At one point the music died down so that Cedric could speak to his fans. He took this opportunity to rant about the insurance policies that prevented the stage from being any closer to the crowd. He felt so strongly about this that he demanded the first three or so rows of people come up and sit on stage in front of him while the band continued with their set. This moment created a personal feel, and made the crowd, even those that didn't manage to get on stage, feel that much closer to the band and their music.

article by: Robert Knowles

published: 17/03/2008 15:40



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