gig report: SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE - VALLEY BAR, PHOENIX, 27.4.2018

Opening the night we had Sunn Trio who for the now actually are a trio. Fierce Arabian guitar matched to a tight rock rhythm section. Their scorching jams blasted away the audience who all gave the necessary love. A stunning set, late arrivals lost out.

After seeing that furious power trio, my brain was hardwired to see an electric 'Ascent' style Six Organs but instead Ben Chasny came out alone with an acoustic guitar, a microphone and a fucking huge talent. Unsurprisingly, he proceeded to kill it. It felt like a major retrospective with him playing at least one song off every album I own plus two killer cover versions.

With the music industry's current reissue fetish, it sometimes feels like we are forever reading sleeve notes telling us how great the past was, how the 70s was the heyday of folk and how dead musicians are the best. Seeing Ben up there on the stage with his hands conjuring guitar string magic and his gentle but sinister voice blew all that out. This is happening right now. He's been around so long and so under our skin that you could end up taking him for granted but that would be a grave mistake.

How can you do Coil's 'Fire of the Mind' or Faust's 'Its A Rainy Day Sunshine Girl' as solo acoustic numbers? Impossible on paper but Ben can and own it. Not just note perfect but spiritually correct cover versions. It must be fifteen years since I discovered the music of Six Organs of Admittance but this is the first show I've seen and it gives me enormous pleasure to report the fire is burning as bright as it ever was. My heart felt like it was exploding for most of the set. Never sleep on Ben's stuff and never pass the chance to see a show.