Church of the Cosmic Skull. photo: David Wilson Clarke
I was drawn to this gig in part by the mystery of the whole thing - who debuts at the Rescue Rooms on a Friday night? - and in part by the pedigree of the musicians involved. Members of Mammoth Wing, You Slut!, Dystopian Future Movies and The Hellset Orchestra means you're probably in for a good time. What I got was an immersive and intoxicating performance that left me jabbering drunkenly at friends and strangers alike afterwards about how good it was.
Right from the start, when what seemed like about fifteen band members dressed in resplendent white strolled through the haze, backed by an awesome video vignette, and went straight into the sprawling intro to Mountain Heart, I was completely drawn in, appropriately enough given the cultish overtones of the whole spectacle.
Church of the Cosmic Skull. photo: David Wilson Clarke
Even more impressive is that they managed to hold my attention throughout without really moving about too much, which was refreshing as hell, and felt like a nod to stuff like The Old Grey Whistle Test, where you dug bands for the music rather than how many miles they could cover in a set.
If you can catch this band, you'd be mad not to. Their sense of theatrics and showmanship will win you over even in the unlikely event that the frankly excellent music doesn't - I should know, I've seen Rammstein live four times.
The Church of the Cosmic Skull played their debut gig at the Rescue Rooms on Friday 16 September.
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