TORONTO - It was so loud you might have gone blind, not just deaf.
British shoegazer-rock founders My Bloody Valentine's nearly 100-minute, 14-song set Thursday night at Kool Haus was as physically and mentally draining an experience as you could imagine from a concert.
Sadly for the brave souls in attendance (and the dumb souls who forgot or chose to not wear earplugs), it most likely will be talked about using sign language.
Although having released just two albums - 1988's debut Isn't Anything and 1991's masterpiece Loveless - the quartet led by feedback fan Kevin Shields finally returned as a foursome earlier this year with no record to support but reportedly two in the works.
And while Shields kept busy with soundtracks such as the fine material found in Lost In Translation and lending his hand in genre-fusing rockers Primal Scream, Kevin Shields' baby is My Blood Valentine. End of story.
With a reported $400,000 worth of gear, amps and equipment to create this pleasing and at times punishing wall of guitar, My Bloody Valentine began its sensory assault with I Only Said. The lovely, hypnotic track featured Shields winding his way around the equally relentless rhythm section of bassist Debbie Googe and drummer Colm O Ciosoig.
After a big cheer, and the first thoughts of how fans might cope with the remaining 85-minute onslaught, the group dove headlong into the powerful, up-tempo When You Sleep with singer/guitarist Bilinda Butcher's voice basically inaudible from the guitars and bass.
What made the music all the more stellar was how the psychedelic imagery, strobe lights and video footage of trees, foliage, wisps of smoke during Cigarette In Your Bed and a nude woman appearing to jump to her death during the Cure-leaning, buzzsaw-sounding Thorn added to the overall effect. While arena shows have plenty of glitz and sizzle, few would come close to having such dazzling eye candy complementing the ear candy.
Even more miraculous was how the gear held up under the constant demand. There was one exception though when My Bloody Valentine stopped Come In Alone a minute in because Shields couldn't hear his vocals. A quick microphone change remedied the problem, although by then most realized the vocals weren't exactly crucial to what they were experiencing.
The middle portion seemed to be toned down, albeit slightly once the slow droning wails of Only Shallow began. Here the crowd seemed enthused despite portions of the song sounding like a million fingernails scratching against a chalkboard.
As each song finished, the looks on faces ranged from shocked at the volume and intensity to elation for what was taking place. The evening's lone sonic diversion was Soon, a danceable, groove-riddled number which brought to mind British bands like Stone Roses and Happy Mondays.
With Shields, 45, and Butcher, 47, thanking fans for coming, My Bloody Valentine began its final song You Made Me Realise. The first two minutes were a blazing, punk-meets-garage rock affair before things changed drastically.
For the next 20 to 25 minutes, an almost stomach-turning, deafening roar and rib-rattling rumble (a section of the song dubbed The Holocaust) permeated the Kool Haus as the quartet continued with the instrumental portion, leaving most completely at a loss for words before reining it back in to close.
Fans filling about two-thirds of the venue left looking a bit dazed and confused, but such expressions spoke volumes about how affective and effective My Bloody Valentine are.
