Russia On Ice
Chicago’s Russian Circles are one of those bands that have been around for a while now without ever quite sticking their head too far over the parapet to gain widespread acclaim. They have however toured with the likes of Tool and Minus the Bear and their third album (2009’s ‘Geneva’) was well received by the press and judging by the crowd tonight the word is spreading.
Islington Mill is a new venue on us, being tucked away off the main drag in Salford with nothing more than a door emblazoned with ‘Russian Circles’ in chalk to indicate that anything is happening here at all. Happening it is however as we make our way through to the venue itself, a good sized room with a low stage that is already home to a good 130 or so punters. Some years ago most of us would probably have struggled to name any instrumental bands apart from Ozric Tentacles but the rise of 65 Days of Static and fellow Chicago instrumentalists Pelican has opened the doors to bands looking to explore the wider and darker boundaries of the genre.
They might only be a three piece outfit but Russian Circles have plenty going on in their music. The clever use of samples combined with some striking dynamics make for a really interesting set that goes from heavy to soft and back again with ease. There is a real dark underlying current of menace that pins their sound together, at times reminiscent of the intricacies of early 70s Floyd and at others crashing in with big riffs more akin to the likes of Sword or Orange Goblin. The set flows well with little pause between numbers (if any) and whilst the view is restricted due to the low stage, the energy they exude is clear to see.
There isn’t a great deal of middle ground it has to be said, they take it from the big riffs down to quiet, almost ambient soundscapes and back up again, without bothering to hang around too long in the middle. The majority of the time this works just fine for them and when they take it into a full on break it’s quite glorious but occasionally you do feel there is a little extra missing. There are also a few sections where the sound feels a little empty, yes it’s filled with samples from guitarist Mike Sullivan but it contrasts starkly with the full sounding riffs, perhaps that’s the intention? Overall it’s impressive and engaging and they go down extremely well to an appreciative crowd. What’s good about Russian Circles is that they don’t slot easily into a defined genre, they are likely to appeal as much to the psychedelic fans of Porcupine Tree and Riverside as they are to the indie kids coming at them from a 65DOS angle and that can only work in their favour. Fine fayre in a post apocalyptic rock fusion vein.