St John At Hackney Church

Like Chapel Church in Islington I love intimate spaces like this for gigs and the sound was good too.

I’ll admit that this review is as good as it is as much for the gig itself as the gig venue. Church gigs are awesome. Well, church gigs with suitably atmospheric music are awesome, anyway. I got to see Bohren & Der Club of Gore here who made the most of the setting, impressive considering they’d be equally at home in a smoky, dimly lit bar: as a dark jazz outfit, the minimalist and contemplative sound were a perfect fit for the setting.
Making this more impressive was how they followed up an absolutely earth-​shattering Stephen O’Malley showing (dubbed by the headliners as «the guitar inferno»). SO’M is one of the pioneers of drone metal, best known for his work in Khanate and Sunn O))). Drone metal is not for everyone, it’s not easy to listen to, and quite frankly is often a bit flat on record. However, it’s possible to create a really powerful experience with one man, one guitar, four amps, and profound projections. Part of it is the overwhelming of the senses with a wall of chords, part of it is the projection and the setting itself, and part of it is the fact that the church resonated in a way that you just wouldn’t get with most normal gig venues. It’s stuck with me since, feeling the sound wash over me was similar to standing on a cliff edge in a howling gale.
Anyway, enough about that particular gig — if you get the chance to see an act you like here, I’d highly recommend it (although be warned — the line for the loo can get pretty long). St John’s Sessions put on a lot of experimental/​ambient shows which are so well suited to the space and it really adds a lot to the overall experience. In fact the show was so good that I totally forgot that they kept us waiting for an hour past doors open times (in a light sprinkle) for no discernible reason. Now I should knock off a star, but I don’t reaaaally want to. Because I think more people should go see experimental music in churches.