Thursday 30 July 2009

Scorn 0)))

There was an interesting point in the Friday night schedule at this year's Supersonic Festival (Birmingham, UK) when SUNN 0))) and SCORN both played separate sets in different rooms, at the exact same time. I personally took the plunge and watched SUNN 0))) (my 8th time I think). But I really wish that I had taken the opportunity to check out SCORN... even if only for a few minutes... after all, anything involving Mick Harris has got to be worth checking out. Ah well, I made my choice and I will stick with it. SOMA & THEE LORD rarely fail to deliver and they didn't on this occassion either.

But.

I am hearing that there was a chance to experience a totally unique performance, by BOTH bands at once, at the same time, in one go. What?? Rumour has it that Birmingham was treated to a weird-yet-huge humming sound, across a half-mile radius of the inner city. However I imagine that there was also a small pocket of space in the Custard Factory complex, located somewhere between the 2 sets being played where, if you chose your positioning carefully, you had an opportunity to centre yourself on a patch of ground where the sounds of the 2 artists combined together to create a one-off, unrepeatable band - SCORN 0))).

The source of the legend is none other than Sir Walter Of Roadburn, who described hearing the event from afar as follows:
Another highlight was definitely Scorn 0))). It was incredible to hear Sunn 0)))'s low end assault and Scorn's industrial dub step on top of it. It was like seeing this imaginary band at the bar near stage 2. I went back early on Friday night, and while staying at the Paragon hotel (which was like a mile away) I could hear Sunn 0))) perfectly at my hotel room. What do you expect from 131 db's???? It was also utterly surreal when walking back, accompanied by Sunn 0))) and seeing some industrial wasteland in Birmingham by night. This had a profound impact on me.

What chance luck this man has! This is as rare as a solar eclipse landing on your doorstep. No wait, rarer still. At least you can predict solar eclipses, for Christ's sake.

The only thing that can possibly make me feel better (for being present but not witnessing this enormous yet unnoticed occurrence) is that I was at the THORR'S HAMMER / CORRUPTED show in London 2 days later to watch Runhild from TH crowd surfing during CORRUPTED'S set. But then, again, that also meant I wasn't back at the Custard Factory to see GOBLIN doing their thing.

Scheduling can be both the bane and the elixir of life. Your choice which way you see it folks!

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