Australian guitarist Plini is one of those must-see musicians whenever they are playing local to you, especially considering the distance an artist such as he has to travel to make a show like this happen! As I have stated before I am a bedroom warrior guitar player, raised by the forefathers of all things shred back in the 80’s and 90’s so this right here is my happy place.
Now I do have to confess, I know nothing of Plini’s catalogue, I know of him and his reputation and have seen minute pieces of him in action on youtube generally on collabs with other artists that I follow, but as I always state in my reviews I always want my first impression of an unknown artist to be that live experience so I try to avoid listening to them beforehand if I don’t already know them, so that I can absorb it all in the flesh, live up close and personal. The beauty of this gig is that it is a nice intimate venue, The Limelight II is a nice size, me, myself and I will be shooting and reviewing so I get the pleasure of getting really up close and personal and I love that even more when the genre is right in my wheelhouse.
Plini though will definitely take me outside my comfort zone at times, but overall it will be fantabulous!
In support this evening we have The Intersphere opening up proceedings, another band unfamiliar to myself so tonight is going to be a musical education indeed! The German band have been busy of late since the launch of their latest album ‘Wanderer’ which landed back in May of this year. Once again I have been putting out press on the band but I am not too familiar with their work but a Quick Look at their website tells me they’re a naughty bunch of little Germans selling everything from Kemper Packs, merch and guitar and drum editions of their work! Touché lads, well played.
It’s a Sunday night in Belfast, the city is quiet and unknowing to many in the city there is a bitchin’ gig just about to kick off in the Limelight, let’s do this.
So let me start off by saying, FUCKING HELL what a performance! The Intersphere are a fucking tornado of a band live! I know it’s a little back-to-front giving you the final opinion before I’ve written the review but from the off these guys are just magnetic!
A four-piece who delivered a breathtaking display of musicianship that just hit the mark with an audience needing to be reeled in. The two guitarists created the most beautiful sonic landscapes whilst the bass player laid down these majestic runs with otherworldly vibes that at times almost sounded world music influenced, jazzy and reggae all at once, there were serious grooves going on, I kinda in my head was preparing for the modern djent prog-metal you get with a lot of the current bands like VOLA, Devin Townsend etc but these guys have a sound all their own. I am going to say maybe the Central European position gives them an advantage there with the world at their feet having global influences all around In Europe they can dip in and out and pull inspiration at the drop of a hat. But Jesus H Christ these guys now how to craft a set, they took us on a rollercoaster ride of massive proportions teasing us with their melodic nuances, huge vocal harmonies throughout and anthemic-sounding songs to build it up to a crescendo of serious heft with the closing few numbers that just left you begging for more! One of the stand-out bands and performances this year for me and believe me I’ve seen my fair share of bands this year, but this was right up there with them, do not let the opportunity pass you by if Intersphere are playing near you! You can thank me later !
https://www.facebook.com/theintersphere
A short turn around and a clear stage means only one thing, Plini is in the house! Two digital boards and zero cabs means we’re heading into a prog-tastic territory! Hold onto those pantalones Toto we’re not in Texas anymore! 9pm comes and the side door of the venue opens Plini and Co. Stand at the side of the stage after just entering the building, just a minute or so to go I can see Plini send out one last sweet tweet before he takes to the stage. The guys have their own lighting at each end of the stage creating one seriously atmospheric look to proceedings, they have twinkle lights behind them also which creates a blanket of starts behind them as if playing outside at night. Their own lighting is bathing them in glorious multicoloured streaks of light, it’s strange cos this venue generally always lacks creative lighting but with Plini in town he has brought all the colours of the rainbow ! 🌈
His sound track is majestic, a collection of the most amazing instrumental tracks to blow your mind. His technical ability is something else, the finger tapping explosions across the tracks fused with the most amazing hybrid picking and time signatures just boggles the brain. I was reading earlier that Plini himself is a big Satriani fan and the melodic quality of his songwriting lends itself to the man himself, I feel that’s where a lot of very talented guitarists can lose their audience regardless of technical ability, a beautiful melodic line will always grab your attention and pull you in and thankfully Plini has that in spades.
I do struggle looking at the headless guitar! I’m old school and that alone triggers me everytime I see one at a gig! Sad I know but thankfully Plini’s partner in crime is playing an Aristides and it helps balance it all out so no hissy fit will be thrown tonight! The lighting is sublime, having brought their own kit to create this glorious ambient vibe, the smoke machine and backlighting does present it’s challenges as a tog, but standing back and appreciating it you juts cant fault it.
The soundtrack is something to behold, Plini takes the audience on a rollercoaster ride of epic proportions, the songs themsleves almost sound like songs within songs, they take you across a sonic landscape like few bands can, the pace can change at will and does quite often, allowing for the audience to absorb everything Plini and Co. throw at them throughout the night, having launched his latest EP ‘Mirage’ back in December there is no shortage of material to turn heads this evening, from the opener ‘The Red Fox’ to fan faves ‘ Moonflower’, ‘Handmade Cities’ and ‘Paper Moon’ we get the full Plini experience and Belfast just has to stand back in awe.
We need more of this in our lives, if you’re a musician, six string slinger, play in a band or just a bedroom warrior like me, we need more gigs of this calibre and musicianship coming through our local venues, i’ve been so lucky over the last 12 months to catch Steve Vai, Paul Gilbert, Yngwie Malmsteen and Richie Kotzen play locally and now the majestic Plini. Life is good, the industry has chnaged massively over the last few years and the likes of YouTube and the digital reign has opened doors to musicians and fans alike to embrace music that we would never get to experience through mainstream channels, the rise of bands like Polyphia speaks volumes. But dont take it for granted, you need to turn up for the gigs, so when an Aussie gets his ass on a plane to Europe get out there and support him!
To wrap up a fantastic and memorable evening Plini closes off with ‘Pan’ and ‘Electric Sunrise’ and as the lights finally come back on you can see the magled faces on those who mentally tried to keep up with Plini from start to finish, go lie down lads in a dark room, in the fetus position and re-evaluate your lives. By Monday you should have recovered for work.
Thanks once again big man for making the journey, and for making that hop across the pond to our wee island.
Photography: Mark McGrogan
@flashartmark #flashartmark @rocknloadmag
https://plini.bandcamp.com/album/mirage
