{"id":81404,"date":"2023-06-16T21:00:48","date_gmt":"2023-06-16T19:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/?p=81404"},"modified":"2023-06-16T21:00:28","modified_gmt":"2023-06-16T19:00:28","slug":"live-report-boris-serving-heavy-rock-breakfast-across-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/en\/2023\/06\/live-report-boris-serving-heavy-rock-breakfast-across-europe\/","title":{"rendered":"Live Report: Boris serving Heavy Rock Breakfast across Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Heavy Rock Breakfast<\/em> tour through Europe celebrates experimental trio Boris’ 30th anniversary as a band. This report covers the Ireland & UK leg from 2 through 6 May 2023.<\/p>\n

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Boris @ Heavy Rock Breakfast | 02 May 2023 Cork | Photography Ciaran Mooney<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

These shows, along with 2022\u2019s Heavy Rock Breakfast <\/em>tour of North America are Boris\u2019 return to international stages for the first time since 2019. While 2020 was difficult for artists at all levels in many aspects, it ended up being something of a banner year for Boris. NO<\/em> was first self-released by the band on short notice in July 2020 via Bandcamp. It was the first release of works borne of their pandemic recording & writing sessions, which seemed to be another wind creatively for the band. They followed with W<\/em> on Sacred Bones Records in January 2022, stylistically opposing NO<\/em> and conjoining to form NOW<\/em>. The band then celebrated their 30th anniversary with the 3rd iteration of Heavy Rocks<\/em>, released on Relapse Records. They then would finish the year with drone record fade<\/em>. another surprise self-release in December.<\/p>\n

Along the way since 2020, other releases included another in the series of collaborative performances with Merzbow entitled 2R0I0P0<\/em>, split releases with ROCKY & THE SWEDEN and Bongzilla, as well as a myriad of singles. The band has consistently been a big proponent of Bandcamp Friday<\/a> since the campaign began, putting out many exclusive digital releases of live material, unreleased works, rarities, and new releases in order to support themselves in the midst of the pandemic, and continue to do so. They also have had numerous physical reissues of old favourites through Third Man Records, the most celebrated of which was the first vinyl pressing of 2000\u2019s Flood<\/em>. Whilst being one of their most celebrated recordings, Flood<\/em> is also the perfect analogy for what Boris is. Their versatility is such that they are able to be like water – crashing & flowing and taking any form or direction and with releases constant as the tide. There perhaps hasn\u2019t been a more convenient or interesting time to be introduced\/re-introduced to Boris since the last time they released 3 studio albums in a calendar year in 2011.<\/p>\n

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Boris @ Heavy Rock Breakfast | 03 May 2023 Dublin | Photography Ciaran Mooney<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The set for this tour is comprised primarily of tracks from 2020’s NO<\/em> and 2022’s Heavy Rocks<\/em>. NO<\/em> is a frenetic hardcore punk album, a red & black stamp excorsising the frustrations of being involuntarily caught in the present. The tracks are heavily influenced by bands of the Japanese hardcore scene, most obviously split-release collaborators ROCKY & THE SWEDEN and GUDON, whose track Fundamental Error<\/em> is covered on the record and deep into the setlist of the tour. Heavy Rocks<\/em>\u00a0(2022) is a little more tongue in cheek, gauche rock n\u2019 roll album with a proud, obvious leopard print jacket. Produced with suGar Yoshinaga of Buffalo Daughter, there are maximalist additions of saxophone and gabber style kick drums interspersed as they turn over every last heavy rock to find elements they have not employed before. The songs played from this album really shine in a live setting more than on record, and the two albums that make the bulk of the setlist compliment each other well.<\/p>\n

The set begins with the 1-2 of Anti-Gone<\/em> and Non Blood Lore<\/em> from NO<\/em>, before the Heavy Rocks<\/em> lead single She is Burning<\/em> which is a real highlight of the show. The pace set is like a cheetah running with its prey and blood streaking behind, each song bleeds into the next without much pause and seems like there are no signs that it will let up. An important brief pause is made in Cypress Avenue, Cork on May 2 to announce the upcoming collaborative album with NYC\u2019s Uniform entitled Bright New Disease<\/em>, releasing June 16. Yet another release stemming from the pandemic sessions and subject matter.<\/p>\n

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Boris @ Heavy Rock Breakfast | 04 May, 2023 Belfast | Photography Ciaran Mooney<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On this tour Boris appear as a 4 piece, with drummer Atsuo stepping forward as the lead vocalist and leaning heavily into the frontman role. When I first saw Boris on the 25th anniversary\/Dear<\/em>\u00a0tour I don\u2019t think I caught a glimpse of him behind the kit at all through the thick layer of fog, even while standing at the front of the audience. Here, he chews up the scene and transparently has a lot of fun doing so. Traditionally, guitarist Wata and double-neck Takeshi have been magnetic on stage even as foggy silhouettes, but now Atsuo acts as the lightning rod for the audience\u2019s attention. Replacing him on drums is Muchio of KUMORIGAHARA. He has been playing live with the band in Japan through this era of shows since 2021, and now following them overseas. As easily as Atsuo slips into being the frontman, it feels like Muchio\u2019s inclusion is seamless and that he has always been a member.<\/p>\n