65daysofstatic at Koko

Last night, in a packed KOKO, 65daysofstatic played to a sold-out crowd of devoted fans to celebrate the tenth anniversary of their first record The Fall of Math. The two-hour long performance was divided in two parts: for the first hour the band played their whole first record, and after a 15-minute break, played tracks from their seven other albums

The band are simply great onstage, with a deep knowledge and strong education in terms of live music – technically speaking they’re one of the finest seen in ages. Math rock was popular during the early 00s when everyone was playing it and it was the up-to-date musical genre; thanks to its structure, it can sound pretty complicated (atypical rhythmic, counterpoint, irregular stopping and so on), as it emerged from mixing elements and features from early 80s prog and jazz. Britain has always been one of the most influential places in this genre, thanks to bands like Mogwai and of course 65daysofstatic.

The live performance is without doubt one of the most perfect shows ever seen in London – every single detail is defined and clear. The band are literally surrounded by instruments: bass, two guitars, a drum, two keyboards, two laptops, one drum machine and who knows how many effects for guitars and bass. The songs from the first record The Fall of Math are amazing; Retreat!Retreat! is still a massive hit and the audience jump, finger pointing and headbanging throughout this Sheffield four-piece’s set.

After the break, the band is back onstage for one more hour of post-math rock, perfectly played with massive style and pure passion. If, after more than ten years, a band still have the same energy and power of the early years, we are before genuine skill. The wise man says: “Do what you like and you will never work a single day in your life.” This couldn’t be more true for 65daysofstatic.

Lorenzo Cibrario

For further information and future events visit 65daysofstatic’s website here.

Watch the video for Retreat! Retreat! here: