Live Review: Converge @ Tivoli De Helling, 3 December 2012

Tivoli managed to book a great package of four very diverse and big bands on this cold night in Utrecht. With a great new record, Converge is on the road again to tear apart every city they play, and I had the idea that was gonna happen again tonight.

First band of the night is Italy’s The Secret, who play a very fast and heavy blend of Hardcore, Grindcore and (Black) Metal. The band released the excellent Agnus Dei this year, and it is no wonder most songs from tonight came from that record. Apart from some sound mixing issues, The Secret played a very solid set. Because of a long night still ahead and a very early start of the show, the (not that big) crowd acted passive, but everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

A Storm Of Light is definitely the odd one out this evening. The band features Josh Graham of Neurosis and Red Sparowes fame, and plays a mix of Sludge and Post-Rock (called Post-Metal by some). The tempo is a lot slower than the rest of the bands, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is clear that most of the crowd came to see the somewhat faster and more punk influenced bands. Nonetheless the band plays a nice and heavy set with cool black and white visuals

Touché Amoré is a well-known guest in Tivoli De Helling, as they played their own headline show here earlier this year. By the time the Los Angeles band kicks of with their raging Post-Hardcore the venue is completely packed. Almost the entire 2011 album Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me is played this night, together with oldies like ‘Suckerfish’ and ‘History Reshits Itself’. A new song (which will be featured on their split with Pianos Become The Teeth) called ‘Gravity Metaphorically’ was also played.

It is clear now that most of the public came to see Converge, because the amount of singalongs and stagedives evidently larger at earlier Netherlands-shows. Still Touché Amoré plays a very fast and intense set with a lot of heart as always. The show ends with a big bang, as singer Jeremy Bolm jumps in the crowd and screams the ending of ‘Honest Sleep’ together with everyone: “I’m losing sleep, I’m losing friends, I’ve got a love hate love, With the city I’m in…”.

With All We Love We Leave Behind, Hardcore legends Converge released one of the best records of 2012, and tonight follows it up with one of the greatest shows this year. The band kicks off with modern classic ‘Concubine’, and it’s completely clear everything will be fine this gig. Every instrument is perfectly hearable, the band plays top notch and singer Jacob Bannon’s vocal delivery is great.

The vibe of the show was very positive with a absolute insane moshpit and lots of stagedives, with a band that showed love and respect to the people that came to see them. Converge played a good mix of old and new material with picks of their latest album, You Fail Me, Axe To Fall and, of course, Jane Doe. Even a somewhat older track was featured in the form of ‘My Unsaid Everything’.

Converge is a band that merges different genres in their own unique sound, and shows how to do this well too in a live setting. From the slow and Sludgy cuts like ‘Worms Will Feed/Rats Will Feast and ‘You Fail Me’, to the stomping metal riffs of ‘Cutter’ and chaos of ‘Aimless Arrow’, every style is featured.

After a round of applause the band is back for the epic you fail me openers ‘First Light / Last Light’. Converge showed us again they are a one of a kind band with a lot of years still ahead of them.

Setlist Converge:
Concubine
Dark Horse
Heartless
Aimless Arrow
Trespasses
Bitter and Then Some
All We Love We Leave Behind
Sadness Comes Home
My Unsaid Everything
Glacial Pace
Cutter
Worms Will Feed/Rats Will Feast
Tender Abuse
On My Shield
Axe to Fall
Empty on the Inside
Eagles Become Vultures
The Broken Vow
You Fail Me