My Bloody Valentine @ Barrowlands, Glasgow (03.07.08)

Words: Conor McArdle

Kevin! Fucking! Shields! Screams an enthusiastic Glaswegian to my right. The band offer no recognition of such adoration, although they must feel it. From every breathing, sweating body here adoration is focused upon the stage, and in particular on the man who’s eyes are fixed firmly on the floor. The man, whose only words to the crowd tonight will be “let’s end that song,” as I Only Said stutters to a standstill. He is standing in front of a monstrous amplifier rack and behind a vicious array of pedals. This shouldn’t really surprise you.

My Bloody Valentine were never a traditionally great live band. They were introverted little geeks that were more interested in the floor than the audience. With each new release their music drifted further and further behind a wall of glorious fuzz. The whole shoegazer tag, once a term of abuse, is now splashed upon almost every press release for the latest up and coming band. But those of us who missed them the first time now have the opportunity to see the band. We heard about the studio bills that nearly bankrupt Creation records. We know about the paranoia Shield’s felt in trying to better 1991’s masterpiece, Loveless. This was enough to prevent the band releasing any new material and fade to the shadows....

Technicolour projectors together with strobe lights adorn the back of the stage. In front of this backdrop the amps lurk like skyscrapers. Earplugs are being dished out at the front, and expectation is in the air. “Magic! Fucking Magic! They’re Magic!” screams the Glaswegian again, his arms flaying around his head, the distortion slipping through his fingertips as he is pulled towards the stage by the wake, sweat drips down his face, he is deaf to anything else other than Only Shallow, Soon, You Made Me Realise – we all are. The guitars smear the soft vocals of Kevin and Bilinda like butter across the PA, all eyes are glazed over.

True to popular legend You Made Me Realise features an extended 20 minute ‘noise’ interlude previously nicknamed as the ‘holocaust section’ by the band. It’s an oddly uplifting experience, the sound suffocates as it pounds at your chest - you feel euphoric and light headed. Other tracks are played with enough energy and conviction to warrant a reunion tour, although it was sad to see nothing played from their early EPs.

What is next for My Bloody Valentine? New material? Their comeback tour has produced more questions than answers. For now let us enjoy their return, and allow ourselves the luxury of brief nostalgia before the pressure is once again pilled on Shield’s shoulders.