Show Review: A Place To Bury Strangers @ The White Rabbit

A Place To Bury Strangers. Photo by Christina Carroll.

On this particularly muggy Wednesday evening, A2 Industries presented a showcase of great noise rock bands at the White Rabbit Cabaret in Fountain Square. The opening act, Stagnant Pools, comprised of siblings Bryan and Doug Enas on guitar and drums, started the evening with a looping guitar drone that echoed in anticipation. During their set, the brothers proved to be apt pupils of the Kevin Shields school of tremolo bar shoegazing, in addition to the drummer channeling his inner Colm Ciosoig with fill frenzied back beats. 

Stagnant Pools. Photo by Christina Carroll.

Supporting act, Hunters, from Brooklyn, New York, hit the stage with their brand of party punk metal. Pink haired lead vocalist, Isabel Almeida, commanded the stage with wild poses and writhed on the floor throughout the band's set, inspiring an outburst of photography flashes from the front of the stage. Almeida would often trade vocal duties back and forth with guitarist, Derek Watson, who also alternated between upbeat noisy punk and doomy metal guitar riffs. The band appeared and sounded like they could equally play big stages and house shows. 

Isabel Almeida of Hunters. Photo by Christina Carroll.

Headlining act, A Place To Bury Strangers, made their entrance to a dark stage filled with fog and started their set with "You Are The One", from their latest album, Worship, to a barrage of lasers beaming across the stage. Vocalist/guitarist, Oliver Ackermann's beaten up Fender Jaguar shrieked with distorted chaotic abandon and played well with the projections and triggered light show. A couple of times, Ackermann's guitar strap fell off his shoulder, yet not deterring the guitarist's playing style. At one point of the show in mid-song, Ackermann picked up two separate speakers next to his custom built amplifier, and positioned them in the middle of the stage for added feedback bliss while he dialed his unlabeled customized effect pedals like an electronic shaman. I was wise to wear earplugs to this show as "The Loudest Band In New York" lived up to their name in sheer volume.

Dion Lunadon of A Place To Bury Strangers. Photo by Christina Carroll.

Oliver Ackermann of A Place To Bury Strangers. Photo by Christina Carroll.

Compare this to the published review in NUVO and let me know your thoughts in the comments:
http://www.nuvo.net/indianapolis/review-place-to-bury-strangers-at-white-rabbit/Content?oid=2471759


- Mike Contreras