15-11-2015 Shining

[schema type=”event” evtype=”MusicEvent” name=”Shining” description=”Supports: Jack Dalton, Caligula’s Horse” sdate=”2015-11-15″ street=”De Helling” city=”Utrecht” country=”NL” ]

Shining is back on tour with the new album “International Blackjazz Society” in the pocket. They took two bands with them for the show of Utrecht (Netherlands).

The first one is called Jack Dalton and they are about as wild as Shining self. They are from Norway and go more to the Hardcore side of music and come with an enormous dose of energy. But what is to say about the guys is that they also know when to give the intensity the moment of touchdown, let the people soak it in when they are hitting the brakes, just to continue rage after that right away.

Sometimes the whole appear to be a bit messy though, but some chaos is not unknown to this kind of music and surely has its charm. Most recently the guys came with the album “Past Swallows Love” which they are promoting this evening. A worthy opener for Shining!

Caligula’s Horse is a band from Australia and they are much calmer than both the other bands. Where they get their shine from then? Well, the guys are making Progressive music that has its complexity to be upfront. Often it are the guitar riffs that make you listen. Some 80’s rock influences, sure, but above all just very playful and a major part of a Caligula’s Horse experience.

The Australians are releasing their third full length album called “Bloom” this year, which they played some material of and they seem to have no problems with entertaining and warming up the audience. Perhaps the bands intensity is channelled in a slightly different way, the music keeps you listening.

Shining is giving us madness tonight. Straight from the beginning the strobes were strengthening the feeling of opener “Madness And The Damage Done”. The catchy track is from their famous “Blackjazz” album with which they have built their audience. Some more of that album is played but also songs of the band’s latest “International Blackjazz Society” like “House of Control” which digs a bit deeper.

The audience by now have become quite rad. Headbanging, moving around or simply soaking it all in, the atmosphere here is amazing. Frontman Munkeby shares some words here and there in between the songs but does not let the whole cool down. Before you know it, the man is moving himself in front of you with his saxophone, so close, so intense to the song. And then a second later, he rotates a monitor to climb on top of it and look at the audience from above with his guitar to break it loose. During all this intensity, that is exactly what broke: his guitar. But another one is found and in no time we are bac k in business.

The full of passion “I Won’t Forget” is played and people know not to mess with Munkeby in case the past hour had not really made that clear yet. But the sad part is that it is one of the last songs played tonight. There is an encore “Exit Sun” but then it really ends.

What an energetic night it was, so much passion, such a great atmosphere. We can safely say that it was one of the best performances we experienced this year! Go Shining!