Crystal Castles - Glasgow ABC

Fresh from releasing the excellent Crystal Castles III, the Canadian synth-punks roll into town at the end of their UK tour with a fearsome reputation as a live act preceding them.

Unfortunately, Glaswegian rockers Vukovi are already being rushed off stage when SI arrives at the venue at 7:45 tonight and the rapidly swelling crowd are instead treated to a set from female DJ trio Pretty Ugly. It should be pretty much impossible to spin the likes of Le Tigre’s ‘Deceptacon’ and ‘Paper Planes’ by MIA and not get arms in the air, yet maybe it’s the raised lights or the black clad nature of the gig itself but appendages stay resolutely pinned to sides. Ladyhawke’s ‘My Delirium’ manages four hands, two of which are attached to the same body (mine). After Pretty Ugly vanish (preferably without a trace) the house DJ’s decide to treat us to the complete back catalogue of Wu Tang Clan, which without inherently being a bad decision sits rather awkwardly with a mostly teenage, white and Scottish crowd; all of whom look fairly unlikely to have first-hand experience of New York gang life. The headliners are elusive though, and leaving almost an hour before taking the stage raises a couple of boos from the crowd. 

When the lights finally dim however, chaos duly ensues as Crystal Castles ensnare Glasgow in their dark grasp. Opening with the evil one-two of ‘Plague’ and ‘Baptism’, Alice Glass and Ethan Kath unleash the gates of sonic hell upon a sell-out crowd of gig-goers, triggering a mess of flailing limbs and enthusiastic pogoing. Charisma and attitude undoubtedly win out over vocal talent for Alice Glass. She’s a menacing, magnetic presence and when she stands astride a sea of hands, mouthing ‘I love you’ to adoring hordes it’s as if she’s a vampire drawing strength from the energy and enthusiasm of the crowd. Far from the druggy vibe of this summer’s live footage tonight she looks focused and energetic, throwing herself around the stage and twirling her microphone out into the crowd as Ethan disappears in clouds of thick smoke. 

Drenched in blue light she purrs through a monstrous ‘Black Panther’ backed by Ethan’s electronic arsenal of synths n’ tricks and a live drummer. Debut single ‘Alice Practice’ is a formidable statement of intent but even live the chorus is too awkward and un-danceable to make you move your feet. If anything it’s like being dropped into an angry and disorientating Gameboy game. Amidst an hour and a quarter of craziness the duo drop in tracks from all three albums but special cheers seem reserved for the colossal synth-rave of ‘Sad Eyes’ and ‘Wrath of God’ from Crystal Castles III. As possibly the only tracks on which Alice’s voice can be heard clearly, they may yet mark a path towards an increased emphasis on melody over crashing beats and ear-piercing sirens. 

Everything you’ve heard about Crystal Castles being an electro-gig with the vibe of a hardcore-punk show is almost vindicated by the razorsharp attack of ‘Crime Wave’ or the dubstep drops of ‘Pale Flesh’ though the twisted, distorted thump of ‘Insulin’ is only for those who liked CC best when they sounded like a toaster going through an existential crisis. Even if you remain unconvinced by the raw old-school synth attack of their records, live Crystal Castles are a thrilling prospect.  

Max Sefton

We'd like to extent a thanks to Glasgow's finest in the form of RaveChild for allowing us to use their lovely photos by Juliet Eccleston. HERE

Crystal Castles - iii

Crystal Castles have had a relatively painless career to date. Since the wave of popularity swept in whilst all the kids watched Skins on E4, Ethan Kath and Alice Glass have been riding the top like a schizophrenic Poseidon. Their 2008 debut album sits pretty comfortably with a Metacritic rating of 73 whilst their second effort two years on had an equally comfortable surf into shore; but as the Canadian duo enter their third record, will more of the same suffice?

Well if the first track we heard from the imaginatively titled iii, Plague was anything to go by; possibly. Whilst the howling Alice Glass that we’ve grown to love over the years is present, Kath’s more reserved pulse signals some distance from the more reckless days of Castles. What it builds into is a frenzy of beautifully produced synthesia that proves to be a standout from their entire catalogue to date. The confidence in reservation doesn’t hold up either as you power through the record. Kerosene sees the video-game samples that made the likes of Crimewave so enticing take a backseat role as Glass presents a more delicate version of herself. “I’ll protect you from all the things I’ve seen” she sings, recognisably.

The attention to aggressive soundscapes that found its way through the first two records has been all but replaced by attention to slow crescendos and a refinement of a sound that could fill more grandiose scenes than perhaps they’ve been used to before. If Crystal Castles had written Pale Flesh, Transgender or even Telepath three years ago, they would have been a (more than welcome) assault to the senses. You’d have a hugely increased pulse from the raw energy Glass demanded from you whilst Kath would stand behind, sulkily forcing wave after wave of computerised sound into your nervous system. Now however, they sit, delicately placed in the Crystal Castles roster, comfortable in their maturity. That’s not to say that they’re not enjoyable, nor is it true that there’s not still some of these tracks left. Sad Eyes, whilst the smoke is Glass’ echoed voice, the smoke at the bottom of it is a throbbing beat as full of impending doom as Baptism. Insulin too has a bass sound that will make your ears tremor.

In their third record then; Crystal Castles haven’t taken their ripped clothing and sent it out for another lap, nor have they burnt it in favour of new clothes all together. No, in iii, the Toronto duo have simply taken those clothes, cleaned them up and added a jacket. At their core, they’re still the band that played to Tony and the Skins gang, only now they’ve grown up and that’s fine with me.

7.8

Braden Fletcher

Crystal Castles - Plague

It’s not an unusual or worrying absence when Crystal Castles are missing on the music radar, but more of an exciting adventure, like being led blindfolded into the unknown, being careful not to trip on the trail of empty bottles of Jack Daniels left behind in their midst like the Hansel & Gretel of indie electro.

The next stop on their sonic journey, ‘Plague’, opens with ethereal yet tortured synthesisers that whilst are reminiscent of the haunting of the deathly reverb that distinctly define their style, sound more apocalyptic than ever before. As the beats start to pulsate with an ominous sense of foreboding, the song begins the soundtrack to the recurring nightmare that much of the witch-house vibes that ‘Crystal Castles’ embody seems to conjure.

Whilst the step up from self titled debut album sees them move from a raving in games arcades to graveyards, ‘Plague’ almost takes you to the depths of hell itself. There is no remarkable change in sound or style but more a development on the direction in which they continue to head in. Whilst Alice Glass’ vocals are, as usual indecipherable and suffocated below a thick layer of distortion, there is less of a coarseness to them, and a more subdued shrillness.

The main source of disappointment here is the anticlimax after the euphoric rush of ecstasy, the song makes no effort in dropping back down to what seems like a lazy garageband copy & paste job on Ethan’s part.

It’s a surefire target for hipster cynics, arguably proof that ‘Crystal Castles’ haven’t got much left to offer following the demise of the 8-bit electro fad that they seem to have outlived but in Ethan Kath’s own words: “There’s no departure. We like how we sound. We don’t wanna change.” 

Bella Roach

Teeth - U R 1

Teeth’s Whatever has been a vodka shot in amongst the heavily diluted releases of 2011. Quicker than Pacman trying to get away from ghosts and definitely not the kind of racket you’d enjoy your housemates waking you up with in the morning, Teeth use bleep synth loops and shouty vocals that creates music not far off Crystal Castles/Heartsrevolution. ‘U R 1’ starts off with crunching synth lurches and robotic vocoded vocals that sound like a computer slowly breaking down and carries on at the same pace; making it probably the most downbeat song on their debut. Short broken-down lyrics that don’t follow a rhythmic pattern serve to compliment the instrumental; similar to the abrupt nature of the synth loop. ‘U R 1’ is a strangely romantic song from the East London trio that recalls the juxtaposition of electronic beats and love themed lyrics from Daft Punk. 

By Aurora Mitchell