Reviews: iLiKETRAiNS, Academy 3, 2007

Original article;

http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/content/articles/2007/09/21/190907_iliketrains_feature.shtml

——-

If it was difficult to pin down iLiKETRAiNS before I saw them live, it became an infinitely more complex task afterwards. Any attempts to compare the band to other acts become oxymoronic.

Yes, the influence of Icelandic music is omnipresent and there is more than a little Sigur Ros thrown in for epic measure, but their no-nonsense lyrical style is all their own and their own wall of sound remains something distinctively different and darker.

Listening to their music at home means you’re free for it to take you on whatever emotional and historical journey iLiKETRAiNS have chosen. Live however, a very different mood presents itself.

Is it a gig, a lecture, a history lesson or protest? And if it was the latter, what are they protesting about and why are we so wrapped up in it? If anything, this group are more poetic performers than rock band, but that’s okay. In fact, it is most excellent. If this all sounds too cerebral, it is because that’s exactly what this band want us to do; think.

Thankfully, before all the intellectual kow-towing overwhelms you, the band sublimely back it up with such amazing and beautiful music.

Tonight, they are one cohesive unit, as each instrument, chorus, beat and lick functions as part of an amazing symbiotic whole. There’s little movement but then, the atmosphere that commands you to stay still, pay attention and listen.

If you’re after a quiet night or a rock and roll fest, do not go and see this band. However, if you want a musical hit to your mind’s eye or demand music that inspires you, then you must make time for iLiKETRAiNS.

And don’t worry about the silence afterwards as you drift back to reality is normal. It’s to be expected and something you should cherish.