Friday, January 25, 2013

Purity Ring @Mohawk

Purity Ring played Mohawk, Austin on January 22nd. The show was “sold the f*** out”
according to signs posted in the bar and even relatively early arrivals to the venue were greeted
by a rapidly expanding line - an unfortunate pitfall of indie fame is that secret excellence never
turns out to be much of a secret, especially not in Austin. It was a young crowd and not quite
as hip as I expected. Apparent general youth notwithstanding, the fragrances of a great many
combustibles began to waft through the outdoor venue as the crowd grew to fill the small space.
It didn’t take long for the crowd to get drunk and high and very obnoxious. Par for the course, I
suppose, but still unfortunate.

The opening act, Young Magic, who appear (in part, at least) on the Purity Ring track
“Grandloves,” clearly subscribe to the “All the Way Turnt Up” philosophy of live music. Snare
hits were given particular ferocity in the house mix and the lower notes of the set audibly rattled
parts of the venue. Volume here, though, had the surprising effect of revealing textures and
rhythms that are all but inaudible in the studio recording of Melt, their 2011 full-length. The
aesthetic of the set was palpable; dense red light saturated the stage, perfectly mirroring the
heavy, droning sound of the guitar and vocals, punctuated with crisp, bright drums and drum
samples. The set was brief, focused, and extremely well executed; an excellent warm-up for
Purity Ring’s formidable stagecraft.

Purity Ring wasted no time in taking the stage, a decision welcomed warmly by an audience
that was rapidly devolving into various states of chemical imbalance. Megan James and Corin
Roddick appeared with little fanfare, diving immediately into a set that encompassed the vast
majority of their first and only record, Shrines. James’ showmanship has improved dramatically
in the past months, as evidenced by youtube videos of earlier performances. She moved freely
and relaxed about the stage, playing up the audience and generally appearing to enjoy herself
while Roddick studied his equipment.

If Roddick is primarily responsible for the intricate sonic backdrop and complex stage lighting
that typifies their performances, it is James who provides the spectacle and human drama.
She is magnetic, moving around the stage in ebbs and flows that mirror the pulsing power
of the music. That said, The presence of the band on the stage is thoroughly made tangible
by the beautiful “cocoon” lighting, based on a custom rig with an equally intricate controller
designed and built by Roddick himself. Purity Ring’s DIY attitude doesn’t stop there, either;
James designs and sews the clothes they wear during their performances. Unfortunately,
all the wonderment of the set was short-lived, as Purity Ring moved through the majority of
their catalog, including a cover track whose title I couldn’t decipher through Roddick’s liberal
manipulations of James’ voice, in just under an hour. When Purity Ring reached their set-closer,
“Fineshrine,” which was not followed by an encore, I couldn’t help feeling that the end had come
far too soon. Fortunately, athough the concert was brief, it would seem that Purity Ring are just
getting started.

-Johnson Hagood 
      Student D.J.
      You can hear Johnson on air Wednesdays 12:00 a.m - 1:00 a.m.   
*Photos Courtesy of Faith Bradham

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