It was announced before the last Beak> tour that it would be their last with their founder member Geoff Barrow who has decided to retire from touring and is expanding the Invada universe by going into film production. It was also stated that Beak> would be continuing with Will Young and Billy Fuller. So the story of Beak> continues and what a perfect way to mark the passing of phases than a live album recorded on their final tour.
The shows on this tour consisted of two distinct parts where the first part saw the band run through their last studio album >>>> in its entirety from front to back before they then dived into their now expansive catalogue to play a selection of band and fan favourites. With this album we are instead treated to an amalgamation of the two parts so the newer and the older are blended. This approach helps get a truer sense of how the band’s sound has developed yet also helps remember the rawer sounds of their original incarnation which featured Matt Loveridge (Fairhorns / MXLX) and whilst their studio sound has filled out over subsequent releases it is intriguing to hear how the chore ethics of unashamed experimentation and a love for the Kosmische have remained central to what the band do.
Over the thirteen songs included we hear the band explore the early crowd favourites like the krautrock heir ‘Yatton’ and the sublime heavy march of ‘Wulfstan II’ via the closest they got to a radio hit with the brilliant Brean Down. As listeners we can also hear how the latest songs feel like a return to the band’s more experimental origins with the weird and wonky ‘Windmill Hill’ and the industrial hammer of ‘Secrets’.
Mixed by Barrow himself, Beak> have presented this album in as close to its truest form as possible. It never feels polished or edited to sound anything other than what it is, which is a true capturing of a band on stage in front of an audience playing their songs. This includes moments which maybe do not quite sound as tight as they do on record and it also means we get snippets of band and audience interactions which, if you’ve ever been to a Beak> concert you will know, plays a large part in the appeal of their live shows with many moments of humour interjecting with the seriousness of the music. These elements all add to the charm and enjoyment of the album. Also, as funny as the band can be on stage in between songs you understand how serious they are about the music they create when they lock into each song and one of the definitive elements to that seriousness is the brilliant harmonies that Barrow and Fuller create with their voices. It is often an overlooked factor when people mention the band that the two voices, when blended together, are two of the finest in the alt-rock world. Words can be decipherable and there can be the utilisation of echo and delay for effect however there is something pure that transcends that when placed at the centre of the songs and this album helps really emphasise that vital component to the Beak> sound.
This album is an essential part of the Beak> story. It helps us understand the two distinct phases the band has already been through whilst never dwelling in a sort-of end of the road melancholy. This is a celebration of what Beak> are and have been and is the most perfect full stop on phase two. Now let us look on with excitement at what the future holds for this most wonderful of bands.
All words by Simon Tucker
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