Battles at the Vic

For those who are not familiar with Battles, the simplest way to describe their music would probably be "futuristic electro-experimental math/dance-rock". That being said, they still seem to transcend any genre assigned to them.

I had the opportunity to see Battles at the Pitchfork music festival just three months ago, and while their performance there more than lived up to their reputation as virtuoso experimentalists, this particular concert was more enjoyable in several ways.

John Stanier

This concert, Oct. 7, was at The Vic as opposed to Union Park, so naturally it was much more intimate and the acoustics were a lot clearer. The intimacy of the venue made Battles seem a lot more comfortable to be much more experimental than they had been at Pitchfork.

While many bands would suffer from the subtraction of a lead singer, Battles has used it to their advantage. In lieu of a vocalist, Battles utilized two large, rectangular screens to display an array of images as well as video footage of the guest singers featured on their new album, "Gloss Drop".

The three piece band (especially drummer John Stanier) is captivating on its own, even awe-inspiring at times. The video screens behind them only added to their performance. The screens were not the only unique aspect of their setup, however. With drummer John Stanier featured front and center, bandmates Ian Williams and Dave Konopka were allowed to experiment freely, with Williams frequently playing keyboard and guitar simultaneously.

David Konopka

Ian Williams

Battles was also more interactive with the audience this time, they even gave us a few awkward minutes of conversation before returning to their songs. Their next to last piece was a percussion-less droning noise-blur, apparently inspired by "Material Girl" era Madonna. While this was enjoyable, the audience was ecstatic when Stanier returned for the last song. That reception confirmed the fact that he is the backbone of the group.

It is always appreciated when a band can incorporate experimental moments and still keep everyone on the dance floor moving, which Battles did with remarkable skill. Despite a heftily enthusiastic performance and an encore, they still left us all wanting more.

Photos by Elizabeth Pritts