TEN THISQUIETARMY GIGS OF 2014. From a very personal point of view. Dont be offended if the gig you have attended/played/set up is not there, its probably #11. 2014.03.28 - Quebec City, Canada - Le Sous-sol du Cercle Because even though I was already joined by heavy psych pop local band USA Out Of Vietnam twice before, the third time was definitely the charm and it had to happen outside of our hometown. We played near-flawless jam versions of two tracks off Hex Mountains as a 5-head hydra which including a disquiet army of 3 guitars/bass/drums. Yeah, it was pretty loud. And a hell lot of fun. It made me question the future of thisquietarmy as a strict solo live act for a while. But then I played the next 63 shows by myself (minus 4) because not having to ask the availability of 4 other people triumphs all in the long run. Once a loner, always a loner. https://thisquietarmy.bandcamp/album/thisquietarmy-out-of-vietnam-live-in-quebec-city 2014.04.26 - Stuttgart, DE - Contain’t It was promoted as a secret show, in an area that was not exactly clear in terms of legality and purpose. But the city officials knows about it, and its a controlled experimental urban environment where they transform containers into usable spaces to open up discussions about... thats not the point - I ended up played in a disused train wagon by an abandoned paper factory, with a huge sound system inside. It was pouring and it was wet, yet the claustrophobic wagon was packed & shaking in transe, and there was absolutely no escape. Unless you wanted to be soaked wet. instagram/p/nRi5VdxEJo/ 2014.05.02 - Berlin, DE - NK The beginning of the Hypnodrone Ensemble. With Aidan Baker. It started from the idea of having a drummer for this show. Then two. Then three. And it became a real thing as the drummers were more than excited & proactive to rehearse within themselves. We arrived at the venue and we barely tried it out before performing a semi-improvised (fully for Aidan & myself, rehearsed for the drummers) 40-minute that turned into something beyond what anyone expected. By the same token later this year, we got a record out of it, an invitation to Incubate and Berlin studio recording session. vimeo/104395601 2014.05.06/07 - Moscow, RU - Manifest/St. Petersburg, RU - Da:da I dont care how the shows went: I made it to Russia and I got out of there alive. Nuff said! No seriously, the shows were good and it was a pretty surreal experience for a cross-Atlantic Westerner but there are not enough words to describe it. I was also interviewed for tv100.ru (tv100.ru/news/erik-kvech-93144/) and got overdubbed in russian, so weird. https://youtube/watch?v=Dlk5wvE2cgQ 2014.05.09 - Riga, LV - Kanepes Kultural Centrs A very surprising & enthusiastic attendance for this gig. And maybe its because I had just gotten out of Russia by the overnight train a few hours before (hello, multiple border officials at 4am), but I was quite happy to be in a city that felt like it was putting a lot of effort and resources into being an up & coming destination in terms of arts, food & culture. And the Friday night vibe for an evening of experimental music was perfect. https://facebook/BeYourselfADentist/photos/a.635480936530992.1073741826.368730026539419/635481019864317/ 2014.05.14 - Stockholm, SE - Fylkingen I was long due to play in Stockholm, or rather it was a destination I had my eye for a while and it didnt disappoint. Fylkingen was a great spacious place to play - the huge quadraphonic sound and the giant screen made the perfect setting for a/v performances. And despite the vast room, the audience was sitting in a specifically concentrated shape making the performance perfectly intimate and grand at the same time. instagram/p/oJoSTGREJy/ 2014.09.19/20/21 - Tilburg, NL - Paradox / Consouling The Netherlands is probably the country with a frustrating ratio in the sense that I have traveled through the most (to get to neighbor countries) and played the least. So when the opportunity came to play Incubate festival (10th edition), I had to make it work. For such a small town, the city surprisingly more venues than most mid-size cities, and its geographical location made it convenient to attract people from all over the country. The organization and the atmosphere of the festival was stellar, and the Consouling Store pop-up from Ghent added much to it, as a chill meet up & hang out place. https://flickr/photos/incubatetilburg/15120866150/ 2014.10.03 - Rome, IT - Dalverme Roma roma roma. Well, the opening act decided not to show up, so I took the opportunity to play two sets throughout the evening, which worked out for late comers* and for the passionate hot-blooded Romans who demanded more - as it happened with the first roman experience about a year prior when I had played a rare encore. There was also a bass amp available, which I took time to tweak as to boost up some frequencies to turn the set into something a bit more gritty and intense as thats what the atmosphere at Dalverme required that night. Always a pleasure. https://youtube/watch?v=W3_iR46x0j4 2014.10.06 - Innsbruck, AT - Die Backerei An great space that felt like an abandoned bakery kitchen work space. Actually, I think it was that exactly. The PA system and the space demanded a quieter type of set, as to use the most of the natural reverberation of the mix of ceramic tiles and concrete, as to fully wrap the sound throughout and gain full control of the minds & psyches. And for a Monday evening, the concert was well-attended and well-appreciated by all. https://facebook/skinonmarblebooking/photos/pb.644378548967646.-2207520000.1419977958./741466779258822/ 2014.10.18 - Tokyo, JP - Warp Kichijoji I couldve picked Kyoto, the first show of the Japanese tour. But the final show in Tokyo, which sounded & felt better, makes as much sense, as a full circle. A circle or enso, in many sense, because it all happened from re-recording an updated best-of album as to present the current representation of the project to the Japanese market via Tokyo Jupiter Records, as well as the intent to play a TQA classic set, which I did in Kyoto, to then experiment with different things throughout the tour, and to end with a better performance of the classic set in Tokyo as the final representation and the final remembrance in some way. Its all so very zen. https://youtube/watch?v=-63DJsdwt1o Honorable mentions: (2014.04.13) 32 Tattoo, Bern - a tattoo shop instagram/p/mxls94REAQ/ (2014.04.23) Vrijplaats, Leiden - a cinema in a workshop instagram/p/nJA8ChxEFx/ (2014.05.01) Westwerk, Leipzig - an ancient metal factory instagram/p/nfixdHxEL8/ (2014.07.05) The Insectarium of Montreal - summer outdoors instagram/p/sDz-MTxEKG/ (2014.12.20) Geary Lane - converted warehouse space - Toronto instagram/p/w2Tpt-xEEs/
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 23:35:20 +0000
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