Featured image and gallery: Georgina Hurdsfield
The crowd plunges into darkness as bdrmm take to the stage of a packed out New Century Hall. Opening with tracks from latest album I Don’t Know, ‘It’s Just A Bit Of Blood’ showcases Ryan Smith’s haunting vocals as their ethereal guitar sounds kicks in. Meanwhile ‘Be Careful’ highlights their jazz and ambient influences.
‘Is That What You Wanted to Hear?’ and ‘Push/Pull’ reach into their back catalogue, before closing with 2021’s ‘Port’ and its haunting outro, as the memorable line, “I don’t know about you, I’m sure you know about me,” rings out into the audience.
A video projects onto the curtain prior to DIIV’s appearance, promising the audience a night of unimagined wonder and a transformative, pivotal journey for those in attendance. Perhaps they’re going to indoctrinate us into a sci-fi cult?
Following this the members of DIIV make a casual entrance. Opening with a pair of tracks from their previous two albums, ‘Like Before You Were Born’ from Deceiver and ‘Under the Sun’ from Is the is Are, before showcasing ‘Brown Paper Bag’ from upcoming LP Frog in Boiling Water, set for release on May 24th.
‘Take Your Time’ transports the crowd back to 2016, the swells of the guitar forcing the fans into a head-bopping trance. It’s evident DIIV are exceptionally well-drilled, delivering each song with military precision. The band entwine songs past and present with ‘Soul-net’, ‘Air Conditioning’ and ‘Incarnate Devil’, captivating the crowd with every strum of the guitar.
The encore features ‘Horsehead’, ‘Doused’, and unreleased track ‘Raining on Your Pillow’, which is just as well received as the older tracks. ‘Doused’ is a magnetic way to end their performance, proving once again why each time they return, Manchester welcomes DIIV with open arms.
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