Cursive – Dingwalls, London 12/05/09

-

Cursive belong to a select group of bands – My Bloody Valentine, Mogwai, 65daysofstatic – that provide a potent reminder of the wisdom in investing in a good set of earplugs. That’s not a slight regarding their quality, because if there’s one thing this sparkling show at Camden’s Dingwalls proves it’s that they’re pretty damn good, but my God- they don’t skimp on the volume. Their relentless loudness is matched only by their insistent energy; despite them clearly getting on in years, they certainly haven’t lost their ability to rock faces off.
Striking an excellent balance between the new and the old, they dip liberally from their back catalogue as much as new effort Mama, I’m Swollen, ensuring that almost all their releases are represented somewhere in the setlist. Tim Kasher is an intense vocalist, perhaps not the greatest conversationalist (although his bizarre and rambling theory behind the Immaculate Conception of Jesus, which may or may not have included an act of onanism in a bathtub raises a few titters) but his focused, ever-passionate delivery makes him a fascinating figure to watch. About halfway through the set, he begins his first foray into the audience, invading part of the Dingwalls stage that juts into the audience for ‘Some Red Handed Slight of Hand,’ covering those lucky/unlucky enough to be posted at the front with a torrent of Kasher-sweat. Before long he had migrated to the speaker stack, performing new album closer ‘What Have I Done?’, a slow-building track that eventually erupts in a satisfying explosion of guitars and brass, and by the time they’d reached the encore he’d abandoned the stage altogether for the side balconies, surrounded by grinning fans. The cacophonous punk-rock anthemics of ‘Big Bang’ were a personal highlight, punctuated with klaxon-like horn blasts straight out of some 70’s TV cop show but there wasn’t a single moment that fell flat in this succinct but accomplished set. Even the lack of cello couldn’t diminish the quality of the show- the trumpet added more than enough colour to compensate for its loss.

Great music, great showmanship, great gig.