Katatonia
Special Guests: Sólstafir + SOM.
Venue: The Garage, Glasgow.
Date: 13th February 2023.
Review & Photos By: Dave Buchanan
With a stunning new album in their back pocket, the Kings of melancholy return to a packed out Glasgow Garage to show why they are one of the most impeccable live bands on the planet. Joining them on this run of dates, we have Icelandic post-metal band, Sólstafir, and kicking off each show, a band I’ve been itching to see, the ethereal doom pop unit, SOM.
SOM
If you missed out on The Shape of Everything by SOM last year, then that needs rectified, stat (cheeky plug of our review here).
The experience of seeing these guys live is just as I hoped it would be. The album shifts seamlessly to the live stage, giving you even more atmosphere and density than I thought possible. Tracks like Animals and Moment sound utterly colossal through The Garage sound system, with the weight of the guitar and bass just sitting right on your chest. But it’s that more ghostly atmosphere that’s dispersed amongst the bands heavier side that really opens up their sound, giving them even more of an imposing size. It’s a shame they were on so early tonight, and the masses hadn’t fully appeared, because I honestly feel that seeing SOM in this environment is the perfect way to experience them. 
(4 / 5)
Sólstafir
So, cards on the table. I didn’t know a hell of a lot about Sólstafir before seeing them tonight. I’d had a listen through some of their extensive back catalogue, and could hear that they are fairly difficult to pigeonhole, ranging from Black Metal all the way through to Post-Metal and Post-Rock. An eclectic bunch, it seems!
Tonight’s performance was a bit of a head-scratcher, to be honest. Opening with the 12-minute Náttmál was a pretty bold choice. A good track, but I’m not sure if it was the right opener for this Glasgow crowd, who seemed slightly lukewarm after the lengthy start. Köld started to pick up a bit of momentum, with a bigger chorus and a far more climactic ending. But those moments of energy, in this 75 minute set, were too few and far between. A lot of it felt awkward or drawn out, and I found myself completely zoning out for portions of the set.
The dynamic between the band was also a bit lop-sided, with 2 of the members being fairly animated, and the lead guitarist completely static. I could tell this was obviously just his style, but as a performance, visually, it felt off-balance. That being said, frontman Aðalbjörn Tryggvason is quite the character, and certainly delivered plenty of head-turning moments throughout the set, some entertaining and some just………(long pause)………awkward.
Unfortunately, overall, this just wasn’t for me as a package. There’s clearly talent there, and I generally do like all of the styles they utilised tonight, but at 75 minutes long, their set just didn’t keep me engaged. 
(2.5 / 5)
Katatonia
And then the countdown was on to finally seeing the Swedish masters of melancholy go to work. I had never seen Katatonia live before, but they’ve been on my bucket list since forever. But with so many great albums, and a plethora of exceptional material to choose from, I knew it was extremely unlikely they could fail here. And they didn’t.
The experience of a band that’s been active for over 30 years shone through tonight, with the band sounding like a well-oiled machine. Seamlessly transitioning from new, choice cuts from Sky Void of Stars into much older material from City Burials, Dead End Kings, Night is the New Day and The Great Cold Distance. The old and new worked smoothly together, but it’s not until they kick into something like Forsaker, that you realise just how heavy Katatonia can actually be – those double kick drums were absolutely thunderous! But to be honest, live, everything had that bit more punch to it. Even tracks from City Burials; an album that is remarkably lighter in tone, sounded hefty.
In all honesty, though, as good as the band were this evening (and they were incredibly tight), the MVP of the night was vocalist Jonas Renkse. His voice was utterly flawless, floating in and out of melodies that sounded just as pristine as they do on CD. Tracks like Atrium, from Sky Void of Stars, were like a masterclass in melody, really highlighting how nuanced and controlled he can be with his voice. Even after 30 years of pushing his voice to the extremes, his tone is still as smooth as it gets.
As their encore came to a close, it was clear to see that the Glasgow crowd loved every second of this. My only small gripe was that we didn’t get a couple more from Viva Emptiness (one of my personal favourites), but with a back catalogue as solid as it is, it was always going to be a difficult task to please everyone in the crowd. That being said, they still put on one hell of a show. 
(4.5 / 5)
