Live Review: Nordic Giants – Lincoln

Post-rock titans Nordic Giants returned to Lincoln to showcase their incomparable audio/visual masterpiece of a live show. You can talk these guys up all you want, they live up to the hyperbole of what people say about them and then some!

Slake kicked off the evening with an absolutely amazing set. Progressive black-metal at its finest, the Lincoln trio are a tried, tested and proven act around the midlands as it is anyway, and it was so nice to see them on a bigger and more deserving stage. They sought the opportunity to play entirely new music, and I’m seriously excited for this new stuff to be released. A great opening act for Nordic Giants; fitting nicely into the mix, satisfying people’s need for heavy and screamy (and screamy it was!) early without being a rip-off or poor man’s version of the main act. Check Slake out at live shows around the UK.

Last of Eden were the main support showcasing excellent production and song writing; a calmer, more guitar driven post-rock warm up for the main event, reminiscent of Delta Sleep in some parts. Strange lighting in their show, in the form of, well, there wasn’t any, just static, coloured stage lights, and I believe that with a bit of a more inspired light show Last of Eden would have been much improved, but it’ll be interesting to see where these guys get to.

Nordic Giants performed, as they do consistently, an absolutely stunning, inspired show. Their setup of live music played to recorded film is matched by no other; the cinema side of the bands live show to be just as important and defining as the musicianship and creativity of the music. Having seen the band a couple of times before, I couldn’t help notice a much darker, bleaker tone to their setup than before (which is kind of saying a lot since they were never exactly shallow to begin with) – their social commentary remaining relevant and on-point.

Musically they continue to impress, not the heaviest live set that I’ve seen by them, but that’s neither here nor there in relation to just how good they were. Nordic Giants are a band that I would encourage anybody with an interest in music, cinema, or performing arts in general to go and watch. Their craft continues to be exciting and extraordinary – there aren’t many acts out there like them, if any at all, so get in with a unique and fantastic live experience!