Deafheaven

Seriously the best live show I've ever seen. Their genuine aggression totally annihilates the 'wussy hipster metal' controversy.

I listened to their stuff briefly when Sunbather came out, but it didn't grab me. Everything clicked into place when I saw them live though. Face-meltingly loud for the most part, and George Clarke is a great frontman. He was so violent, energetic and theatrical, with all sorts of bizarre hand gestures and movements, writhing on the floor, messing with the mic stand and all that. Really great with the crowd interactions too. He crowd surfed a few times, and was often right up in front of people screaming; he'd sort of reach out into the crowd an awful lot too. One guy climbed over the barrier at the front and was getting taken off by security when George motioned for them to bring the guy on stage. He gave him the mike, let him scream into it a few times, then he gave him a massive hug and let him down. Also at the front row he really grasped people's hands with this meaningful gesture of shared emotion or something, it was really odd. There was even some sort of laying of hands effect going on, where the crowd would move into him and just sort of rested their palms on him or grasped his shirt. In general, I can't state how aggressively intense the concert was; I was expecting something more subdued, chilled or introspective, but it was decidedly brutal, along the lines of more conventional black metal but with their unique take.

The opener were great too, an electro-industrial group called Youth Code. Their lead vocalist was also extremely entertaining, running up to the crowd at one point and shoving their heads down to get them into it. The accompanying light show was top-notch too!

Chaotic, unstructured and in general just very, very loud, Deafheaven are a band that ooze darkness and play the sort of music that has an overwhelming energy to it. Starting up in 2010, they are fair newcomers to the black metal niche market but have done well to secure a solid fanbase. In July 2013, Deafheaven play a set at Bottom Of The Hill in their home town of San Francisco, quite a tightly packed club that was evidently rich with atmosphere when the band came on. They made a very dramatic opening to their set as the crowd waited through three minutes of mysterious instrumental before the song 'Dream House' finally kicked in. The guitars and drums were ruthlessly repetitive in an attempt to build up as much sound as possible and lead singer (or screamer if you will) George Clarke made sure he was at his theatrical best, leaning into the crowd and yelling his lungs out when required to. There was a break between all the predictable mania when the song 'Irresistible' played but just a few minutes later, Deafheaven performed Sunbather and consequently burst everyone's eardrums. My favourite part of the night was the performance of 'Unrequited', one of Deafheaven's more sinister numbers and the band done well to capture the mood, turning the lights down as George eerily beckoned people to the front. Another thing I enjoyed was the privilege of hearing a clear-ish melody in the song despite the musical ruckus. The Cali-based band certainly tore the roof off of the place, although if you want to see them at future gigs, a pair of earbuds is advised.

Got to the gig only to find that the support act, Myrkur, who I was looking forward to seeing even more than Deafheaven, had cancelled. Apparently Amalie Bruun had come down ill. The owners of the venue could have let people know that through their website, but didn't (I checked it that morning before I left home, and I thentravelled a *long* way to be there). So they (the owners) definitely get themselves put into the annoying category.
Deafheaven's bass-player filled in for Myrkur by playing a short set of techno numbers, over which he put vocals. The audience who'd come to see two black-metal bands, proved pretty generous and accommodating to this. The set wasn't very good, and the guy's on-stage movements had something of the Ali-G about them.
I'd heard (and seen footage that suggests) that Deafheaven are boring live, but actually they weren't. They're entirely carried, though, by the energy of their drummer and vocalist - the rest of the band just stand still on stage, manifesting no energy, emotion, or anything. Overall: the experience was ok, but there's room for improvement on all fronts. Amalie - please do get well soon! I'd like to see Myrkur.

I had seen Deafheaven once before at The Chapel last November, and while I had I great time, I found that the mixing and performance from the band members were kind of incomprehensible. It was really loud and textured, much like their first two albums. It gave a great, dreamy feel. With their more riff focused third effort, their live show has changed to reflect it. Frontman George Clarke orchestrates the crowd with his mesmerizing dances and commanding screams. Kerry McCoy lays down layer upon layer of huge riffs. Even the band's older material feels more powerful and meaningful with stronger mixing a better band dynamic with the excellent new supporting members, who truly surprised me. Daniel Tracy layed down New Bermuda's complex beats with a cool head and powerful strikes. Stephen Clark was a consistently important stage presence, bringing the band together. Shiv Mehra was strong second guitarist, adding to the wall of sound. I would strongly recommend catching them on this tour.

See this band live! If you like their music you will not be disappointed. George Clarke is an incredible frontman (whose stage presence brings to my mind a hard and dark version of Midnight Oil's Peter Garret) put 110% into his performance. Their intense set was basically New Bermuda then an encore of the fantastic Sunbather then they finished up with Dream House. Just perfect! I went home a very happy punter.

Just saw these guys last night and wow! The energy and performance these guys gave was 110%. Seriously Deafheaven could give Shinedown a run for their money as my favorite live band. George Clarke is right up there with Brent Smith with the energy and being a great conductor in getting the audience involved. You need to see Deafheaven live! It was. A great shiw!

Fantastic show. Greg's vocals were even more soul-crushing than in the recordings, the guitar work was very good and the band were really cohesive together. One of the most emotional shows I've been to, especially as they ended with Dream House. Track wise, they played a combination of Sunbather and the latest record.

It was fucking awesome. Great setlist, probably not feasible for them to play longer than 90 minutes. Good song choices. George sounded great, great energy.
Great sound apart from a few blips with the mix and the reverb, other than that couldn't ask for more

My boyfriend and I had a very good time last night seeing Deafheaven’s concert. I am not really a fan of this kind of music, but I liked it very much indeed. It surprised me a lot and I’ll be glad to go to other Deafheaven’s exhibitions in the future:)!

Great live show. Huge sound, incredibly loud. Impressive set, featuring some of their best songs. Massive epics, great job by the band, they were in synch and put out great energy. Excellent show. Side note: Zeal and Ardor were unbelievable as openers.