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Deafheaven - New Bermuda


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Back in 2012 or so, he wore leather gloves that he'd suck on and slide down his throat. He also did a lot of grinding / mounting with the mic stand, during those early shows, and would intensely stare at audience members without blinking, for uncomfortable lengths of time.

I love when performers really try to make the audience feel uncomfortable. I would have loved to see him do this, haha.

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Yup. I can assure you that "being the coolest guy in the room" is the last thing on George's mind when he's performing. Dude is super reserved and chill when he's not doing his thing. He's performing in a band, on stage. If you don't realize it's all an act, that's on you. And if you let it interfere with your ability to enjoy the live music you're hearing, that's your loss. And you're probably twelve.

He's actually seriously toned it down over the years. Back in 2012 or so, he wore leather gloves that he'd suck on and slide down his throat. He also did a lot of grinding / mounting with the mic stand, during those early shows, and would intensely stare at audience members without blinking, for uncomfortable lengths of time. It was way goofier (and more erotic?) than any stage antics he has now, but I always felt like I was getting additional entertainment on top of seeing the band play live. I certainly wouldn't allow it to ruin the show for me.

 

Didn't know the two of you were friends. Nice of you to defend him. I still stand by what I said. I've seen 100s of bands, pretty good for a twelve year old, and his performance ranks as one of the worst. Act or not, it came across as forced. He didn't/couldn't pull it off. 

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Didn't know the two of you were friends. Nice of you to defend him. I still stand by what I said. I've seen 100s of bands, pretty good for a twelve year old, and his performance ranks as one of the worst. Act or not, it came across as forced. He didn't/couldn't pull it off.

I mean this with the utmost respect: shut the fuck up
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Your opinion on his performance is understandable, it's not for everyone. Still I also think it's a bit harsh to dismiss the performance of the whole band due to the singers antics.

I wasn't dismissing the band at all. I thought they were great. I also think they're really the only factor that makes the records interesting. His vocal sameness gets a bit tiring. 

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When I saw them here in Vancouver a couple weeks ago, I thought that George's performance made the show. Yes, they sounded amazing, but visually the band is boring as fuck to watch, they just stood there with no presence at all. His whole cult leader posturing schtick was entertaining, and he seemed to have command of the crowd. Without the flair, it would have been nearly pointless to actually watch them.

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When I saw Cattle Decapitation Travis Ryan was insane. There was a slower moment in their set, followed by a heavier section, and when he screamed that part, he grabbed someone in the front row by the hair and yelled it in his face.

 

That said, yeah, George Clarke's earlier performances were definitely a little odd. I'm a bit glad he's toned it down, too, but it's whatevs.

 

Anyone get shipping confirmation on their purple yet?

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Personally, I regard George Clarke as being one of the greatest frontmen I've ever seen. There are certain bands and musicians the seem to be able to almost remove themselves from their stage presence, making you forget that they're just some person in a band. George is just like that for me. Watching him, I get the feeling that he's just entirely consumed by the music. And then outside of performances, he's a very genuine guy.

The guitarists/bassists however, are a different story. Those guys seem way too relaxed and bored up there, especially the bassist. For such beautiful music, you think they'd get into it a bit more.

 

Also, I miss the George stare-downs. Always loved that.

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Those guys seem way too relaxed and bored up there, especially the bassist. For such beautiful music, you think they'd get into it a bit more.

How enthusiastic and happy are you when you work 7+ days in a row doing the same thing every day? It gets tedious to be on the up & up all the time. Playing guitar and bass while bouncing around like in a music video isnt easy live.

 

I think they put on a great show and experience and really thats all im personally looking for.

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How enthusiastic and happy are you when you work 7+ days in a row doing the same thing every day? It gets tedious to be on the up & up all the time. Playing guitar and bass while bouncing around like in a music video isnt easy live.

I think they put on a great show and experience and really thats all im personally looking for.

Not saying you're wrong and I don't know what this band looks like live but if I got to play music seven days a week as my job you can guarantee I wouldn't ever think it was tedious. I think most people with a 9-5 or whatever would think the same haha
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How enthusiastic and happy are you when you work 7+ days in a row doing the same thing every day? It gets tedious to be on the up & up all the time. Playing guitar and bass while bouncing around like in a music video isnt easy live.

 

I think they put on a great show and experience and really thats all im personally looking for.

 

You should be enthusiastic and happy to be playing on a stage in front of people on a nightly basis.  If it becomes tedious and you want to go through the motions, then I don't want to pay to see you play the music you (the band) created.  I can easily listen a record on my couch if that's the experience I want.  Why drive and pay good money to see some bullshit called in performance?  If that's how you want to spend your money, cool, but it seems like a massive waste of money and time to me.

 

That being said, I don't think Deafheaven is that great live after digesting the performance last night.  Yes, they sound good, but they're a pro band, so that's to be expected.  Other than George, who is pretty standard for a frontman, the rest of the band is pretty much just standing there.  I would never pay $27.50 to see them again.  In fact, I don't think I would ever go see them again, there are far better live bands out there.   I think they're great on record, and I'll continue to support them by buying their music if they continue to put out solid albums.

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You should be enthusiastic and happy to be playing on a stage in front of people on a nightly basis.  If it becomes tedious and you want to go through the motions, then I don't want to pay to see you play the music you (the band) created.  I can easily listen a record on my couch if that's the experience I want.  Why drive and pay good money to see some bullshit called in performance?  If that's how you want to spend your money, cool, but it seems like a massive waste of money and time to me.

 

That being said, I don't think Deafheaven is that great live after digesting the performance last night.  Yes, they sound good, but they're a pro band, so that's to be expected.  Other than George, who is pretty standard for a frontman, the rest of the band is pretty much just standing there.  I would never pay $27.50 to see them again.  In fact, I don't think I would ever go see them again, there are far better live bands out there.   I think they're great on record, and I'll continue to support them by buying their music if they continue to put out solid albums.

Live music =/= playing a record at home.

 

I see what youre saying and I agree. I just feel like its a different type of music; its dare I say more serious. I dont see it as called in. They've seemed fine and lively when I saw them a few years back. They could have had a few off shows recently is what im saying. Touring is a long and tedious process everyday.  

 

You seem to be conveying that they were on stage and acted like they didnt care or put in any effort to trying. Which if the case, is not worth the money.

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Personally, I regard George Clarke as being one of the greatest frontmen I've ever seen. There are certain bands and musicians the seem to be able to almost remove themselves from their stage presence, making you forget that they're just some person in a band. George is just like that for me. Watching him, I get the feeling that he's just entirely consumed by the music. And then outside of performances, he's a very genuine guy.

The guitarists/bassists however, are a different story. Those guys seem way too relaxed and bored up there, especially the bassist. For such beautiful music, you think they'd get into it a bit more.

Also, I miss the George stare-downs. Always loved that.

http://thehardtimes.net/2015/01/14/deafheaven-bassist-falls-asleep-onstage/

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How enthusiastic and happy are you when you work 7+ days in a row doing the same thing every day? It gets tedious to be on the up & up all the time. Playing guitar and bass while bouncing around like in a music video isnt easy live.

While it's certainly entirely true that touring is tiring, the vast majority of bands I've seen on long tours still are very very into their live sets. Any exceptionally good band is likely very emotionally attached to their music and stoked to play every show at least to some degree.

I'm not exactly saying I expect front flips between each riff, but simply moving around a bit (headbanging, swaying, etc.) is something I've grown to see as very natural in a guitarist/bassist, but none of the 3 in Deafheaven seemed to do that much, even during simple parts that didn't necessarily require intense focus.

 

Though I will say that when I saw them two or so years ago at a much smaller venue, I don't remember feeling this way at all. It's possible it was just the specific show this time around. Either way, they don't miss a beat live so at least they've got that down. Everything sounded beautiful.

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