Going My Way Presents...

Cult of Luna + Pirate Ship Quintet - Southampton's Joiners - April 2006
Images: © 2006 DJ Webb
Written by DJ Webb

I didn’t think six people could fit on the Joiners' stage let alone move around on it, but when the Pirate Ship Quintet clamber on they prove it can be done. With their instrumental set pieces these six lads look and sound ready to set the room alight. At times I 'm reminded of bands like Sigur Ros and 65daysofstatic and if I’m the only person to have flashes of Claudio Sanchez, on sight of the lead singer, I’ll eat my hat. The beauty of the Pirate Ship Quintet is in the ease with which they build up, from the simplest of beginnings, to a sound that quite simply knocks all thoughts out of your head. Each song rises to an awesome crescendo of sound before slowly fading into an empty silence. If I didn’t think six people could fit on stage, I knew eight couldn’t.




Fortunately (I guess) for Cult of Luna, they are two men down tonight, their lead singer staying in Sweden with a new born. If the Pirate Ship Quintet’s sound knocked all thoughts from your head, Cult of Luna knocks you to the floor and dances on it. From a virtually non-existent wash of lights these six Swedes blast out a wall of sound that leaves the Joiners positively bouncing. With their apocalyptic soundscapes Cult of Luna prove that you don’t need to understand the lyrics to understand the music. From the three mad moshers at the front, to the event organisers quietly appreciating their hard work at the back, everyone left the crowded floor smiling.