Russian Circles pack Mojo's
Cascades and Coliseum opened the show.
Published June 25, 2009
It is my first summer in Columbia and is seems as if there are few events and even fewer people, so of course I jumped at the chance to see Russian Circles, a Chicago post-rock instrumental three-piece group, at Mojo’s on June 18.
From experience, I knew the Russian Circles’ following has surpassed cult status in Chicago. They are also well recognized in the growing post-rock scene alongside contemporaries, Pelican and Isis, but I had no idea what to expect of the turnout for a gig in central Missouri.
I figured the local openers, Cascades, would draw a small crowd, which they achieved. The Columbia sludge metal group was suitable for the bill but seemed in over their heads, even at the small venue. Technical difficulties were constantly being solved as the bass player struggled to find what part of the song they were on by eyeing the guitarist’s hand movements. Their set was fairly short and seemed to be rushed by the half-hour delay of the show.
The crowd continued to arrive as Coliseum was setting up. By the time the second band of the night hit the stage, the crowd turnout at Mojo’s had already surpassed my expectations.
“I’ve only seen Mojo’s that crowded once before,” Columbia resident Danny Nabelek said.
During the set, Coliseum vocalist and guitarist Ryan Patterson conversed with the crowd on a personal level. The bassist’s overly energetic stage presence spread to the audience, triggering a wave of head banging that continued through out Russian Circles’ set.
Armed with a backlit drum set and an array of distortion pedals, Russian Circles played a full hour-long set, which included many tracks off their most recent album, Station. The verses came and went in waves, with each gradual buildup topped by a distorted finale. The instrumental group played endlessly, only interrupted by the occasional instrument swap. There were no microphones left on the stage to address the crowd but there didn’t need to be. The music said it for them.
Russian Circle’s short Midwest tour began with Bonaroo and ends with Indianapolis’ Dude Fest in July.