Godspeed You! Black Emperor at Austin Psych Fest

By Lillian Jones

Local Music Director

Friday, April 25 marked the first day of Austin Psych Fest at Far Out Lounge in Austin, TX. For day one, I spent most of my time wandering around the festival to get the lay of the land. Around the venue we were able to find spots to sit down, catch a quick breeze from a nearby fan and most importantly, places to get free drink samples. While wandering around, I got quick glimpses of the earlier bands. One of these bands being Blackwater Holylight. This was my favorite of the earlier bands I caught as over on the Janis stage, came the sound of heavy shoegaze from the all-woman band. Just as we were walking away towards the Willie stage, they began to play a cover of a Radiohead song, catching my attention again and granting me a new fan. 

After walking away from Blackwater Holylight, me and my friends remained near the Willie stage for our main attraction, Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Near the stage was a grassy section where most people went to sit down as well as food trucks where I spent $17 on a sandwich the size of my hand (worth it though it was delicious). We took this time to relax and prepare, listening to the bands from afar before we made our way to stand our ground in the crowd. 

Starting off Godspeed You! Black Emperors set at 8:45p.m. was nothing, but a violin and standing bass. They began to play softly, easing the crowd to ending their conversations and directing their focus towards the stage. As the orchestral instruments grew louder, out walked the rest of the band. This included an electric bassist, two guitarists (both electric) and two drummers. Most of the band sat still as one-by-one they each began to play, adding in layers of the ambient instrumental. 

Setting the stage, the background had started as nothing but a dark fuzzy screen. Slowly, the  word “hope” in a handwritten font faded in, flashing and bouncing around the curtain. The visuals throughout the show were mesmerizing, adding a visual element to the story that Godspeed You! Black Emperor conveyed with sound. 

During the second song, “BABYS IN A THUNDERCLOUD”, I was enamored by the drummer who sat in center stage. He had a jazz-style drumming technique that added fun elements to the guitar droning. By this time, the standing bass had been put away to be replaced by a third electric guitar. As I swayed my head to the beat of the drum, even more drumming began, throwing off my head swaying. The second drum kit was tucked in the left corner and had remained stagnant during the first song, but now it was in full swing. As the center drummer continued on with his jazz-style, the corner drummer added depth, pounding onto the bass drum. Two drum kits is a rarity in the music world so seeing it live was a unique experience. As the song progressed, I was able to find the rhythm again through the chaos. 

I found myself closing my eyes during the set. Not just from being tired of the long day of standing in the Texas heat, but also to help focus my senses and really tune into the sound surrounding me. While I wouldn’t keep them closed for too long because I didn’t want to miss out on the cool visuals, I enjoyed this sight deprivation technique. This was extremely enjoyable during the third song, “RAINDROPS CAST IN LEAD”, as it began with twinkling noises. This sound was created with only a violin and the drummers using standing bass bows on their cymbals. This sound mixed with the heavy humidity took me back to young days of camping with my family back in southeast Texas where there was zero light pollution and only the stars to see in the sky. A strong droning noise from one of the guitars quickly disrupted this blissful sound and visuals of what appeared to be large constructed parking garages brushed away my memories of a backcountry facade. The song then kicked off into a full swing, getting faster by the second as more instruments joined in on the fun. 

Between a short break between songs, a person from the back of the crowd yelled for help. Assumingly someone had passed out from the all day experience of heavy humidity. The guy behind me stated he “thought it was a part of the show” right before the band continued. When beginning their song, “PALE SPECTATOR TAKES PHOTOGRAPH”, the serene black and white images shifted into a bright orange of flames. At the same time, an EMS arrived casting the stage in lights of blue and red as the nostalgic droning sounds turned into a sense of dread. The videos of fire behind the band grew more menacing as it went from a single line of fire in a field to refinery explosions, buildings on fire and eventually forest fires. As the stage became more engulfed in shades of orange and red, the music became fuller, heavier and a sense of impending doom overcame me. 

Once the music had calmed, a sense of mourning arose as the visuals flipped back into black and white with depictions of airplanes experiencing engine malfunction plummet to the ground. After this came videos of men sobbing with their head in their hands. Then finally during their last song of the night and the last on their album, NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD, on the right side of the screen played a video of protestors being sprayed with high-pressure water canons. Once the song had subdued, the band silently waved and walked off the stage.

While being a band with no vocals and no lyrics, Godspeed You! Black Emperor is determined to tell a story through sound. This story can be heard through their album, but the visual elements of their live performance really aids in the experience. If you ever have a chance to see Godspeed You! Black Emperor, I highly suggest it.