Last night I went to one of two gigs that in my life I’ve managed to find 100% enjoyment from (The other being The Strokes…they were awesome). The Antlers are an odd breed of indie-downtempo-dream-pop music which is something not to be missed. They performed a flawless set with a not-half-bad warm-up act called Worship, an electronic heavy emo-grunge band (similar to Paramore, but with more synths).

The Antlers 2009 album ‘Hospice’ was the concept album of the decade and the collective niche that have been lucky enough to hear it will know that it is an incredibly emotional record. Through the success of ‘Hospice’, the band went of to write ‘Burst Apart’, again an emotional but slightly more up-beat album with a bit more of a range than ‘Hospice’. Now, I can’t stand it when you go to a gig and see an incredible band and all they want to play is their new material without the classics. It would be like going to see Robert Plant and him playing no Led Zeppelin just his strange new breed of country.

In this particular category, The Antlers did not disappoint. They opened with a track from ‘Burst Apart’ and then immediately followed it with their classic intense song ‘Kettering’ from ‘Hospice’. I will admit I was shocked but in the best possible way. Not only did the band’s set list not disappoint but their performance was unbelievable. Vocally, Peter Silberman was astonishing managing to hit and sustain notes that i could only reach if immense torture was applied to my genital region. All in all an excellent performance and a band that should NOT be missed. Keep your ears open because they will be big.

THE ANTLERS
Concorde 2, 8th November 2011
Words by Leo Tramer
Photos by Hazel McCoubrey