Live Review: BRUIT ≤, Mountainscape & Spafford Campbell | Oslo, Hackney | 24/05/26
On a hot and sweaty May night the ceiling of the Oslo bar in Hackney vibrates as BRUIT ≤ finish their sound check in the upstairs gig area, an encouraging portent of things to come. Before the French post-rock quartet take the stage Spafford Campbell and Mountainscape are here to warm things up.
Spafford Campbell
The duo of Spafford Campbell kick the evening off, playing to a modest crowd and while the rest of the night promised to be an glorious auditory assault of post-rock and metal, this was a gentle way to ease the crowd into things. Or a way to lull them into a false sense of security as the pair demonstrated that a violin, a guitar, and an array of effects pedals are more than enough to turn what initially sounded like a light, airy folk reel into something altogether more ominous and threatening. Spafford Campbell are the musical equivalent of a ceilidh in a fairy ring, all sweetness and light until, suddenly, things turn far darker. Their two album releases, Tomorrow Held under the Spafford Campbell moniker and You, Golden under Owen Spafford & Louis Campbell really don’t do justice to just how much power they can bring. Definitely an act to keep an eye on.
Photo Credit: Kevin Ashburn
Mountainscape
One scene change later and it’s time for Mountainscape to take the stage. There’s a little bit of everything in their set, including two tracks from their new EP which is slated for release in July, an at-the-time unnamed track paying tribute to the under-appreciated slice of sci-fi nonsense that is David Lynch’s Dune, as well as another track called ‘Closure’ which, aptly, wrapped their set up. If Spafford Campbell are a seductive stroll through a spooky forest, Mountainscape are a frantic dash to safety while the world collapses around you, a storm of thunderous guitar, bass and frenzied blast beats merging into a storm of sound that set the stage for the final act of the night, Bruit≤ and their overwhelming noise.
Photo Credit: Kevin Ashburn
BRUIT ≤
BRUIT ≤ is the French word for noise, but it can refer to any sound from a clang to a chatter, a rattle to a snap. To see BRUIT ≤ live is to experience a soundscape that covers all of that. The thumping of drums and bass, the scrape of violin and cello, music you feel as well as hear. It’s to be on the receiving end of a wave of thunderous sound (and the occasional scream as the shirtless cellist yells into his instrument when it all gets a little too much). It’s an art project as much as it is a musical experience, the band backed by a screen showing videos that relate to the meaning of the song, from the environmental destruction of Industry
Their near 90-minute show runs the length and breadth of their musical library. The setlist included ‘The Fall’ from debut EP Monolith, ‘Data’ from The Age of Ephemerality, ‘Industry’ and ‘The Machine is Burning’ from The Machine is burning and now everyone knows it could happen again. By the end, the venue is a sauna, the band were sweaty, the crowd were every bit as sweaty, but the intensity didn’t waver for a moment. In the aftermath the BRUIT ≤ merch table is awash with fans eager to praise the performance, and part with their hard earned cash for something physical to take home with them.
Oslo is an amazing grassroots venue. A room. A bar. A stage. What more could you ask for? But BRUIT ≤ deserve a bigger venue than this. Their sound needs room to grow, to truly flourish, so hopefully the next time they tour the UK, more people will have realised just what they’ve been missing out on all this time and they’ll find a stage to match their potential. But for tonight? This was one hell of a collection of musicians, showing off what these little venues are capable of.
Photo Credit: Kevin Ashburn