Over the decades, I’ve come to understand that there’s really good, exciting live bands and that there’s those whose alchemical factors create an interplay and vortex that is, for lack of a more poetic term, magical.
The former category are perfectly encapsulated by local heroes Berliner Lvft, who perform a staggeringly fire support set in Berlin’s barn-like Neue Zukunft venue. Thrashing their guitars like weapons, the four piece sounds incredibly volatile and dynamic, a very accurate representation of the sound Sonic Youth embodied around ca. 1989. Truly an act to look out for, Berliner Lvft exude a strong confidence that is ideal for an opening act – and fitting for the audience that has come to see FACS tonight, readying the room.
Yet it becomes clear as soon as the three-piece from Chicago starts that no opener can really be ideal for a group this good! Yes, FACS belong to the second category mentioned above. They are incredibly precise, unfathomably dynamic, shockingly loud, without ever losing their grip over the audience. Opening with “When You Say”, the band dives full force into a set with hardly any breaks, defined by the inhuman drumming of Noah Leger. Frontman Brian Case has a charming, laid back charisma that shines both in his presence and guitar style, while Jonathan van Herik seems utterly lost in his melodic bass lines, suddenly moving fast across the stage in quick bursts, before returning.
The sculptural quality of Case’s guitar work becomes clear in the intense, loud dynamics of the live setting, as they shift between glowing shoegaze patterns and angular post-punk riffs, exuding a hypnotic magnetism that leads to a rift within time and space. Yes: this is transcendental, brilliant music, euphoric and out of this world. When Leger briefly loses both of his drum sticks in an especially wild moment during “Wish Defense”, only to grab two substitute ones and immediately return to a perfect rhythm, it’s not a sign of flaw, but raw passion and undeniable artistic vigor!
The set mostly is made up of songs off their new album – the incredible Wish Defense – which they almost play in its entirety (only the opener “Talking Haunted” is left out… a shame, as it’s an incredible track in its own, melancholic right). “When You Say”, “Strawberry Cough” and “North America Endless” are the sole representations of the earlier material during the main set, enriched by a strangely infectious cover of “Take Me to Your Heart” by Eurythmics – Case can’t help but briefly grin when he announces the track in one of the few interactions with the audience.
After the incredible, crunching guitars of “North America Endless”, the band ends the set with a breathless and hauntingly beautiful performance of “Sometimes Only”, case finally putting his guitar down to loop its final notes, kneeling besides the amp to listen for the right moment as Leger and van Herik play on, before suddenly cutting off the electrics and rushing off stage.
After a brief break, the band returns with an especially punchy rendition of “Teenage Hive” – their sole track of their arguably most iconic record, Void Moments. Diving one last time into the maelstrom of shoegaze, post-punk, krautrock and avant-garde, the band have conjured one of those rare performances that feel like they changed a life. They’re up there with the likes of Gilla Band, Mandy, Indiana and Swans of contemporary bands that one can not, must not miss to see live!
