Karnivool/Tesseract UK Tour

120_Minutes

Karnivool will play London's Koko venue in camden on nov 21st. This is great news to me as i wasnt about to go to a festival just to see them, or trapse to the middle of mainland europe.

I'm guessing its part of a UK/Euro tour but this is the only show confirmed so far. If there's a UK tour i'll probably go to all the dates for the craic.

Now to wait till november

Mushy

Ah gonna be very tough for me to get to that!

jenizzle

Flippin' awesome! Surely they won't venture all the way there just for one date!

Mushy

Just thinking, will a tour be announced next weekend as they playing Download?

Irish Halo

Mushy wrote: »

Just thinking, will a tour be announced next weekend as they playing Download?

+1 Download is usually followed/accompanied by a raft of UK/Euro tour announcements,

120_Minutes

I've been waiting months for a euro/uk tour announcment. i'm planning on going to as many as i can/afford.

also, anyone that sees them at download can they report back here... interested in hearing if any new songs make a debut.

While i like the refusal, i'm kinda hoping the new album isnt like that. the fact it's been left off it is a good sign.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cjacfhkt25c

xerces

I'd love to see them, but I won't make it to the UK around that time. Any possibility of a Dublin gig do you think or would there be enough of a following over here?

120_Minutes

I'd love to see them here. I think over here at a guess, they'd have a button factory/academy sized following. it would one of those planets aligning kind of shows, the right night of the week, the right venue and a far bit of promotion. I have a friend who used to be a small time promoter and fan, and he wanted to bring them over a few years ago, but i dont know how serious he got about it.

demanufactured who posts here, and who i know IRL is Ian Kenny's (who was born in ireland) cousin so in essence this forum has a direct line to the band. they're all pretty approachable, i'm friends with 3/5 of them on facebook (personal pages, not fan ones)

If enough of us mailed one of the smaller promoters it might be a possibility. but i've been out of the gigging scene a long while so i'm only speculating. Perhaps someone with more recent experience could chime in.


maybe "if you book them, they will come"

edit: just texted a mate who would know. button factory has 750 capacity with academy 800-850. make of that what you will.

seachto7

Can anyone recommend a Karnivool album to listen to? I'm only familiar with the singer's other band "Birds of Tokyo".

xerces

I'd go with Sound Awake. It's a great album overall, and the opening three tracks always blow me away. Another one to note is the single 'All I Know'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2CSsQjJXm8

120_Minutes

seachto7 wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a Karnivool album to listen to? I'm only familiar with the singer's other band "Birds of Tokyo".

sound awake is a modern prog masterpiece. they get unfairly compared to tool but thats only because they share similar attitutes, long songs, soundscapes, heavyness and a singer who sings. Now I love tool, but saying they're a tool rip off is lazy. I hear oceansize, porcupine tree and a couple of other bands on sound awake before tool.

standout tracks: all of them (hmmm maybe not illumine)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeohN5JMeYY

Themata, their first album (and one i heard second) i didnt like much at first but it grew on me, its a bit more eclectic, with elements of djent. Karnivool started out as kids as a bad korn rip off, and they're just shaking of the last of nu-metal on this album.

standout tracks: themata, roquefort, lifelike (for the nu metal)

they also do a great cover of sleeping satellite, with guitarist Mark Hosking on vocals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZLliumYrQ8

Mushy

November: 13th - Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms
14th - Bristol The Thekla
15th - Nottingham Rock City
16th - Glasgow Garage
18th - Sheffield Corporation
19th - Manchester Academy II
20th - Birmingham Institute Library
21st - London Koko

120_Minutes

Sweet, I know what week i'm taking off now!

also, new video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_E5ae9ZTwk

New album "asymmetry" out July 19th. Limited edition with live dvd also.

*edit* full tour details now on www.karnivool.com.au

Tesseract supporting in UK!

120_Minutes

taken from the live dvd bundled in the deluxe edition of asymmetry:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYhjhvcy7xo

ticket bought for amsterdam! now just to get glasgow and london tickets and i'll be set.

xerces

Wow, July 19th for their new album? I didn't realize it was that soon.

I haven't heard anything off it yet, but it's understandable to have high expectations after Sound Awake.

I'll certainly be giving it plenty of spins when I get my hands on it...

Cousin it

http://www.karnivool.com.au/listentoasymmetry

Album is streaming for free

120_Minutes

I'm midway through the first listen, it's......ok. It's a different animal to sound awake, less subtle, heavier, more dissonant. I like the fact that its not sound awake pt.2 but i also dont like the fact that it's not. I think it bears repeated listens, and definitely on headphones.

one things for sure, steve judd and jon stockman are playing their asses off.

stereojam77

Hey. Karnivool is a wicked band. Glad there's some others in Ireland who feel the same. I'm living in Brisbane at the moment and got to a few of their gigs last year. They do put on an amazing show live. A perfect reproduction of the songs with a great sound. I just booked a ticket for a show here in Brisbane on Aug 7th so I'm looking forward to that. It would be cool to see Karnivool in Ireland. I didn't realise Kenny was born in Ireland! That's surely promising for future gigs. They haven't listed a date on this tour but there's plenty of UK shows to get to.

I got the new album too and it's a beast. I came away confused after a first listen though. I felt there was no hook or stand out moments. But I've listened to it probably 6 times through since while really paying attention to it (I recommend walks by night with good headphones!). It's a fantastic album and a real work out mentally. I'm able to process the whole rhythm section better now and can pick out the groove and feel of the songs and in doing so it's opened up the album like a flower. It's powerful stuff. They album feels driven by strange pollyryhthmic patterns and dissonance filled lines in the first half but softens to more melodic soundscapes in the second half. Steve Judd deserves a mention for his drum tracks. They are complex, often chaotic and immensely pleasing once the listener finds the feel. As with Sound Awake the bass is the real focal point here especially in the songs with more space. It ties the guitars and drums together and is often the main melody generator but most definitely the instrument that allows the listener to get the groove. Kennys vocal melodies are strong on here too. He has a knack for creating beautiful soaring leads. I haven't had a chance to pay attention to the lyrical content just yet though and they aren't printed in the booklet which is disappointing. Guitar wise, there isn't any in your face moments. No catchy riffs like in Themata or typical guitar solos. That's not a bad thing though. The guitar work on Asymmetry is quality. The rhythm driven heavy sections are on there along with the etherial lines of Sound Awake but they aren't as prominent as in the past efforts. It's becoming apparent Karnivool are lessening themselves as a guitar orientated band. I guess this disappoints fans who want more songs like Roquerfort. I'm loving it though. Guitars are used as methods of creating tension, dissonance along with tranquillity and beauty. As a guitarist I really appreciate the tones used. There's a lot of work from the zvex fuzz factory and lots of other strange effects. Oh and the artwork is beautiful too. The deluxe version (which comes with the live dvd of a gig in 2011/2012) is the pick of the bunch here as it opens out revealing the full design.

Karnivool evolving sound has put them at a level where everything as a whole comes together perfectly creating an album of contradictions, of edginess and roundness. They have become truly unique musically which is impressive. I'm not sure if the name album title itself is influencing me but 'asymmetrical' is a perfect description of the album. It's often disconcerting to the listener but then can be soothing at the next turn. There's no doubting the work and thought that's gone into the album. The effort is genuine and sincere with no filler. I feel it's very deliberate in it's intentions. An album to evoke unpleasant emotions but offers the remedy also. By the end you feel like you've been dragged sometimes unwillingly to areas that are unsettling and lowered back down to areas of familiarity. And it's cyclical, it ends with the exact sound as it begins with. The album is more and more impressive as I hear it and begin to understand it. It's best listened to in it's entirety to fully appreciate the journey.

I'm looking forward to see how it translates live and can let ye know after I see them in August if ye are interested! Sorry for the long post. I didn't intend it to be but I guess it was cathartic and helps me understand the album!

120_Minutes

Great post stereojam, I'm also starting to share your opinion, but I need more listens. I'm gonna wait till the deluxe edition arrives on my doorstep before i really listen to it again. please do report back on the august gig though, i'd be very interested in hearing about it.

Have you watched the dvd yet? is it just a gig or is there any studio footage or interviews? I'm really looking forward to checking it out.

stereojam77

Thanks! I do feel with a bit of time given to the album it shows it's true colours. Ya, I've watched some of the DVD. It's all live performance so no interviews or studio footage unfortunately. Though the quality is excellent and far superior to anything on Youtube so it's still worth the extra few bob. Yep, I'll let you know how the gig is for sure.

Also if you're looking for another band in the melodic/heavy/progy genre check out Breaking Orbit. They are another Aussie band that aren't very well known but put out a decent album called 'Time Traveller' last year. Here's one of the standout tracks for ya.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlvp2w7p7-4

120_Minutes

I've heard breaking orbit mentioned in the same circles as karnivool. I'll check em out when i get a chance (at work now)

disappointed there no studio footage or interviews, the trailer for the dvd suggested otherwise.

stereojam77

Ya, I checked out the DVD preview on Youtube again. It's the same live footage as the Asymmetry DVD alright. Maybe they plan to release the interviews and studio clips in some future package. It's a shame. The recording process would have been interesting to see.

120_Minutes

stereojam77 wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlvp2w7p7-4

wow, that **** is good.

Mushy

So listening to Breaking Orbit right now...this is some of the best stuff I've heard in years. Machiguenga has some serious Peart-esque solo drumming sounds going on. Once again I'm in the debt of this forum for pointing out some new music for me.

stereojam77

Ya I agree, Breaking Orbit are wicked. I reckon they will be big in years to come. Following in the footsteps of other great Aussie prog bands like Cog, Karnivool and Dead Letter Circus. It's mad though, I've seen them twice here in Brisbane and both times there can't have been much more than 100 people at the gigs.

They actually use a 2 drummer effect on some songs. Like on Machiguenga. The lead guitarist sets up a few small toms, a few splash cymbals and joins in with the drummer. It's a huge sound! Very tribal. The same guitarist also uses a baritone guitar for all the songs which helps give the heaviness droptuned sections.

120_Minutes

Downloading Breaking Orbit's debut now... also looking forward to DLC's new one, there's another rhythm section that are unreal.

stereojam, have you seen Cog's DVD? the documentary is worth a look. I love "the new normal" such a great album.

stereojam77

Ya I picked it up last year. I must get around to watching that again actually. It's a good show. Gotta love their attitude. They had a message, said it passionately and moved on. They are one band I would love to have seen live though. Sharing Space is my favourite from them. Their drummer is playing in a new band called The Nerve. They don't have an album out just yet. Here's a link to the single.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G40XcJanFqo

Ya I'm looking forward to Dead Letter Circus new one. I wasn't a huge fan of 'This Is The Warning'. It seemed to loose pace after the first few songs. The lead song off the new album sounds promising though. I just checked it out a few mins ago.

jenizzle

Asymmetry is still a grower for me. Every time I hear it, I hear something new. Listening to Sound Awake a lot again, too.

Listening to Breaking Orbit now, so thanks for the recommendation! I can't get enough of this style of music

I really, really do have to organise a trip to the UK to go see them! Have any of you booked anything yet?

xerces

I also got hold of Breaking Orbit's album yesterday after hearing them described as similar to Karnivool :P.

I thought this was a well written review of Asymmetry, I found myself agreeing with a lot of it:

http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/57965/Karnivool-Asymmetry/

I won't make it over for their UK tour, I'll wait it out and see if they decide to play here at some point, however unlikely that is.

120_Minutes

jenizzle wrote: »

I really, really do have to organise a trip to the UK to go see them! Have any of you booked anything yet?

Not for the UK, waiting until i can afford it. the plan is Glasgow/Sheffield/London but London may be the only one i'm able to attend. I'm deffo seeing them in Amsterdam though.

xerces wrote: »

I won't make it over for their UK tour, I'll wait it out and see if they decide to play here at some point, however unlikely that is.

That'll be 2014...if ever.

120_Minutes

jenizzle wrote: »

Asymmetry is still a grower for me. Every time I hear it, I hear something new. Listening to Sound Awake a lot again, too.

Listening to Breaking Orbit now, so thanks for the recommendation! I can't get enough of this style of music

Then check out these Aussies:

Dead Letter Circus "This is the warning"
Cog "the new normal"
The Butterfly Effect "final conversation of kings"

and from the UK:

Oceansize "Effloresce" (sadly no more, guitarist is now Biffys 2nd touring guitarist)
Kasper Rosa "Icebreaker" (from Belfast)

stereojam77

120_Minutes wrote: »

Kasper Rosa "Icebreaker" (from Belfast)

Good call with that. Just listening to them now on Youtube. I like!

120_Minutes

stereojam77 wrote: »

Good call with that. Just listening to them now on Youtube. I like!

They're very good friends of mine, if I could be in any Irish band right now it'd be them.

http://kasperrosa.bandcamp.com/

you might also like Kill Goliath, Irish but based in the UK, supported Karnivool in London the last time they came over.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18wYWsBfL-Q

stereojam77

120_Minutes wrote: »

They're very good friends of mine, if I could be in any Irish band right now it'd be them.

http://kasperrosa.bandcamp.com/

That's cool. I'd also love to be in something similar. I just found em on FB too so I'll keep an eye on them. It's quality I must say.

jenizzle

120_Minutes wrote: »

Then check out these Aussies:

Dead Letter Circus "This is the warning"
Cog "the new normal"
The Butterfly Effect "final conversation of kings"

and from the UK:

Oceansize "Effloresce" (sadly no more, guitarist is now Biffys 2nd touring guitarist)
Kasper Rosa "Icebreaker" (from Belfast)

I have Dead Letter Circus already, really enjoying them. Had one Oceansize album (Self Preserved...) but I never listened to it properly. I shall acquire the rest and get listening

Richy06

Oceansize's best is certainly Frames.
Asymmetry is revealing itself to me more and more with each listen! I love records like this!

120_Minutes

If anyone is on facebook and likes dead letter circus, they have a facebook app called "the inner circle" and they're uploading content to promote the new album, some if which is hilarious, check it out.

I can also say that the breaking orbit album has become my album of the year (even though it came out in 2012) thanks stereojam for putting me onto it.

xerces

Listening to Asymmetry a good bit on my phone, as you say 120_Minutes, it's obviously a different animal to Sound Awake.

I like that I feel drawn back to it repeatedly, as if I know there's lots about the album that I really enjoy, but can never fully nail down the details of. My favourite track at the moment is 'Aeons'.

stereojam77

120_Minutes wrote: »

I can also say that the breaking orbit album has become my album of the year (even though it came out in 2012) thanks stereojam for putting me onto it.

Glad you like the album 120_Minutes. I love putting people onto them. I think they deserve more recognition for sure. They are also on Facebook if ya wanna follow them. They have some songs on iTunes that are worth checking out too. In particular a cover of Massive Attack 'Dissolved Girl'. I think my album of the year has to go to Steven Wilsons 'The Raven That Refused To Sing' though. That's a masterpiece. I did check out some of the DLC vids on youtube. They have a particularly funny one about the methods they used to record the bass on the album.

I've listened To 'Asymmetry' a lot now and I do think it's a great album but I regard 'Sound Awake' better overall. I agree with Xerces, I think 'Aeons' is my favourite track. Though 'Nachash' and 'Sky Machine' are up there too.

The start of August is gonna be good! Karnivool live on the 7th and Dead Letter Circus new album on the 9th!

120_Minutes

stereojam77 wrote: »

Glad you like the album 120_Minutes. I love putting people onto them. I think they deserve more recognition for sure. They are also on Facebook if ya wanna follow them.

And I have paid it forward already.

roast

Wouldn't mind seeing Karnivool but I can't justify travelling over twice in one month.

Saw Tesseract a while back at the UK Tech Fest too. For anyone who hasn't seen Ashe with them yet, you'll be blown away. Brilliant live.

120_Minutes

My deluxe edition arrived today. Bit of a warning, the live DVD says its region 0 (region free) but it's actually region 4 (AUS) so i did a bit of jiggery pokery and managed to rip it. It's a great concert, and that bass tone.... wow.

Kess73

120_Minutes wrote: »

My deluxe edition arrived today. Bit of a warning, the live DVD says its region 0 (region free) but it's actually region 4 (AUS) so i did a bit of jiggery pokery and managed to rip it. It's a great concert, and that bass tone.... wow.

Might be just your one, because mine has a region free dvd with it.

stereojam77

Urgh, I just wrote a lengthy re cap of the Karnivool gig last Wednesday and my internet crashed. No way I'm I writing that again but here's a quick summary for ye guys.

-Gig wasn't sold out mainly due to being far from Brisbane city centre and being midweek.

- Support act were a poor djent band with screams and forgettable melodies thrown in among the usual type riffing. Didn't fit with Karnivools vibe whatsoever.

-Karnivool played a good few songs off Asymmetry. Asymmetry, A.M War, We Are, The Refusal, The Last Few, Aeons and Alpha Omega.

-Only one song of Themata. C.O.T.E

-Sound Awake songs were Simple Boy, Goliath, New Day, Set Fire To The Hive and All I Know. I might be forgetting one here...

-Band played well overall. No doubting their ability. Just a few issues throughout the gig I picked on.

-The new songs didn't go down so well. The audience couldn't seem to find the groove. Kenny also didn't seem as into them. I'm sure this is due to the fact the album is recently released and these are really warm up shows for both the band and the fans.

-We Are sounded very strange. I could almost hear a polka beat driving the song. Didn't feel right either way.

-Sound wasn't as good as it was at last gig I saw Karnivool. Bass was mushy overall which was a big disappointment. I was up on the balcony however and this may have played a part.

-New Day and Set Fire To The Hive were highlights. New Day was mind blowing.

-Accompanying light show for new songs was very poor. The band often just played to near static green lights. The other songs had good lights to compliment the songs. It was almost as if the lights guy didn't know the new songs or something.

-Overall I was a bit disappointed with the gig. I've seen them twice before and both times were a better overall show. I feel I know Asymmetry well now but the new songs don't seem to gel as well live. They were definitely overshadowed by the Sound Awake era offerings and cemented my view that it's the better album. Aeons and Alpha Omega work well live but The Last Few just doesn't. I think it's Karnivools weakest song (apart from Omitted For Clarity! Ha) and it's almost like it was thrown in as another heavyish song. I would much rather Sky Machine be played instead. I'm sure some issues will be ironed out by the European gigs and it will also give the fans more time to appreciate Asymmetry.

-Got the T-shirt!

Oh and I picked up Dead Letter Circus new album yesterday. It's good. I much rather it than This Is The Warning already and I've only had a few listens. Highly recommend it!

stereojam77

120_Minutes wrote: »

My deluxe edition arrived today. Bit of a warning, the live DVD says its region 0 (region free) but it's actually region 4 (AUS) so i did a bit of jiggery pokery and managed to rip it. It's a great concert, and that bass tone.... wow.

Agree about the bass tone on the live DVD. Sounds like a musical fart from a blue whale! Just massive.

120_Minutes

Kess73 wrote: »

Might be just your one, because mine has a region free dvd with it.

Could be, My ps3 wouldnt play it at all and my macbook would after i changed the drive region.

stereojam77 wrote: »

re cap of the Karnivool gig

i kinda suspected thats how the new stuff would go down, thats a pity. Maybe they will gel in time. I hope they dont leave Themata and Roquefort off the set for too long, those are my favourites of that album.

No Deadman? strange....

Have the new DLC but havent listened to it yet, thats what my day off tomorrow is for...

jenizzle

Pity they left out so much from Themata - it really is my fave album. I know it took me aaaages to get into them in the first place, so I won't judge too much yet, but the album just seems to be lacking something for me. I've listened to it a good few times now, and it's not gelling the way the others did.

120_Minutes

jenizzle wrote: »

the album just seems to be lacking something for me. I've listened to it a good few times now, and it's not gelling the way the others did.

it's not just you.

120_Minutes

Amsterdam next monday! Turns out this will be the only time i get to see them this tour, so i picked the best city to see them in,

Richy06

Massive grower of an album for me. I think it's up there with their best stuff. Probably my favourite record of the year and there's been a **** tonne of great ones!

120_Minutes

Well after a rocky start Amsterdam was a whopper gig. A lot from the new album and some of it worked better than others.

Only the title track from themata, no dead man.

Highlights: we are, new day, all I know, refusal (jono does the screaming)

Met Kenny drew and jono before the gig. Nice guys, very approachable.

Ian kenny is possibly the finest vocalist in rock right now. He was pitch perfect all night.


*EDIT* the next day whilst strolling round dam square i ran into Ian again, and Steve and Hoss were with him, so i got to meet and chat to them all! Sound guys.