They Made Me Realise (I Needed Earplugs)

I saw My Bloody Valentine at Roseland last night, on the final evening of their three night New York reunion run.

My ears were pummeled. My mind was blown.

The last (and until recently, only) time MBV toured the US, in 1992 I was living in New Orleans, and they didn’t come anywhere near there. But I have friends who still talk about MBV’s show at the Ritz with utter reverence, as if it were Coltrane at the Village Vanguard. I wasn’t about to miss them this time.

The show was like everything I’d expected, and yet, totally ..... beyond! MBV opened with “I Only Said” from ‘Loveless.’ My initial reaction, aside from utter bliss, was “Hmm, this is loud,but not deploy-the-earplugs loud.” But the decibel level steadily inreased throughout MBV’s set, and by the time they played “You Made Me Realise,” stretching it into a twenty minute long drone, I was completely immersed in sound. It was a total body experience. I could feel the back of my throat and the bottom of my spine rattling. It was easily the loudest music I have ever experienced. People around me cupped their ears. I pulled out the earplugs.

The world’s a different place now than when MBV toured the US. Now, of course, you can view clips from any of their reunion shows the next morning on YouTube. But it’s been widely commented that these online clips don’t even come close to conveying the full MBV live experience. After seeing them last night, I agree. Still, this is the best online MBV clip I’ve found. Check it out, and know that if you’re planning to catch one of their remaining U.S. shows, you’re in for a night you’ll never forget.