Deerhoof live review: Masters at their craft showing how to do it
After a couple of days of heavy drinking and one early morning flight from London to Memmingen, Bavaria, I was sat in something of a daze that afternoon in the garden of my partner’s father as she and the rest of the future in-laws pottered around. With the sun in full glare, I drowsily admired the colourful mass of flora and fauna on exhibit, with a red kite circling above an antique ash tree in an appropriately hypnotic manner. This pastoral bliss couldn’t have been further away from the stress of the capital, I thought. Ideal. Alas, we’re never that far away now, given the reach of technology, and I received a text that read, “Do you fancy going to see Deerhoof later in the month?” Briefly pulled back into the day-to-day, I responded affirmatively. Who wouldn’t want to see one of our time’s finest experimental rock bands live in action?
It’s always good to get plans sorted for later in the month, and with that, off I went for a brief slumber, basking in the warmth of the Allgäu’s sun. Fast forward a couple of weeks, and I find myself back in the swing of things. I wouldn’t typically do anything of note on a Monday, so to have a Deerhoof gig to go to made it a particularly exciting start to the working week. Additionally, for the first time in the best part of two months, the sun has decided to stay for more than a few minutes, making habitation in London a much more rewarding existence than it has been.
Heightening to the day’s buzz, the show was at Lafayette in King’s Cross, a venue owned by Mumford and Sons’ Ben Lovett. As I’d already caught H. Hawkline at his other venue, Omeara, earlier in the year, it was shaping up to be an evening of exciting firsts. After a couple of pints talking with my buddy about the Spurs’ weekend triumph over Manchester United in the throwback haunt, Big Chill, it was on to Lafayette. Admittedly, we were late, so we missed the support act, Yama Warashi, which I’m slightly annoyed about. They’re on the list, though, so next time they’re in the vicinity, I’ll get tickets.
Nevertheless, Deerhoof’s show at Lafayette was outstanding. On tour to support the release of their latest album, Miracle-Level, which arrived in March, the Californian band – comprised of Satomi Matsuzaki, John Dieterich, Ed Rodríguez and Greg Saunier – were on heat, and this is regardless of them having to restart a song because of an amplifier falling over. If anything, this added to the tangible spirit of the evening.
I cannot recommend seeing Deerhoof more. They have it all; the experience of being in a band for 26 years, well-crafted showmanship wherein the set was intermittently broken up by drummer Saunier coming to Matsuzaki’s mic to jest with the crowd while the band tuned their guitars, taking a breather from the vigour of their music, and of course, undoubted mastery of their craft. At one point, Saunier reminded us that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the quartet’s first show in London, adding an extra dash of significance to the evening.
I know it’s well-known by longtime fans of the band, but what a drummer Saunier is. Watching him live was nothing short of mind-blowing. Fusing the technical dexterity of jazz-influenced rock drummers like Ginger Baker with the expressive complexity of Can’s Jaki Liebezeit, I’d never really seen anything like it, with drummers of that quality very hard to come by. This, in addition to his smatterings of comedic interactions with the crowd, earned the band a star alone; it was incredibly endearing.
The rest of the group were, of course, equally brilliant. The intricate chimes of Dieterich and Rodriguez’s guitars were a sight to behold, with the pair espousing a natural connection as they both moved back and forth on the stage like bubbles on a spirit level. As well as resoundingly demonstrating their individual skill, all chipped in with the comedy, with one particular highlight being when Matsuzaki started talking using “distortion” through her hand into the mic. A demonstration of pure authenticity in every sense, this was another winning element of the set, as the band evidently had the best of times playing, wowing us with a career-spanning collection of songs.
Touching on every aspect of Deerhoof’s sound, from more tender, ethereal moments to roaring psychedelia, this was a definitive performance from the quartet. Highlights included the 2021 single ‘Be Unbarred, o Ye Gates of Hell’, a classic manifestation of their collective potency that bounces between punishing metal and indie euphoria, the scorcher that is ‘Milk Man’ and the indomitable ‘Knight Rider’ and ‘Electric Avenue’ mash-up, ‘Love-Lore 2’.
If Deerhoof comes to your area, I implore you to get out of the house and to the venue. It was a show like no other. As for Lafayette, I’d be getting down there as soon as is physically possible. It was the perfect setting for such a vibrant performance, with the lights bordering the face of the stage changing colour in tandem with the sonics of the group, lifting the sound that bit more.
