Sunn O))) played Union Transfer – 4/11
Drone metal masters Sunn O))) did not bring their spring tour to Boston, so I brought myself to Philly.
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Nearly 30 years out from their formation, there’s still nobody doing it like Sunn O))). Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson’s monolithic and uncompromising project is still pushing the boundaries of composition and volume – of the entire concept of guitar music, really. They command legions of followers but few imitators. Who would dare try?
Their 10th album, April’s self-titled Sunn O))), functions as a sort of renewal of vows for the duo. Its 80 minutes welcome in no outside collaborators, and apart from the subtly-woven field recordings sourced from just outside the doors of the rural studio in which it was recorded, focuses squarely on the massive low-end tones that are the band’s bread and butter. It’s perhaps the most distilled essence of their heavy metal deconstructionism they’ve ever put to tape.
This spring’s tour also embraced that ethos. Unlike previous outings featuring acoustic Dave Pajo opening sets or expanded lineups with a mirror-helmeted Attilla Csihar and Silkworm’s Tim Midyett in a hooded cloak, the stage at Philly’s Union Transfer was set only for O’Malley, Anderson and their utterly massive wall of amplifiers. Following a pretty amusing bit that seemed to feature an entire set’s worth of Venom stage banter playing over the P.A. (Having Fun with Cronos On Stage?), the duo emerged from their signature wall of chemical smoke and delivered nearly two hours of pure, uncut Sunn O))).
I genuinely believe anyone who’s even a little curious about the experience should wade into the sea of slow-motion riffs and absolutely earth-rattling volume that is one of Anderson and O’Malley’s sets at least once. Meditative, eerie and ecstatic all at once, it’s the rare concert-going experience that remains totally singular.
Having seen the band in both seated and standing rooms over the years, I do think the former lends itself to sinking into the performance a little easier, but Union Transfer’s high-ceilings converted-factory vibe was certainly a good fit for the latter. Even when the building’s fire alarms went off partway through the set – presumably triggered by the incessant fog blasts – the strobes bouncing through the smoke merely added to the atmosphere. And it wasn’t as though you could be distracted by such a sound (or hear literally anything else) while Sunn O))) were holding court.
Scroll below for my gallery from the night.
