Rolo Tomassi, The Borderline, gig review: A savage and sublime display from one of the UK’s most singular bands

One- of-a-kind math rock bruisers celebrate a new album cycle with a sold out show in an intimate central London venue

Rolo Tomassi's Eva Spence and Chris Cayford (Derek Bremner)

Few bands can claim to be as unconventional and inventive as math-prog-hardcore-dreamscape quintet Rolo Tomassi. For 12 years, they’ve been ripping up rule books and doggedly pursuing their own unique vision, paying no mind to the zeitgeist or trends. Tonight is Rolo Tomassi’s first gig back in London since the completion of their forthcoming fifth full-length album Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It and doubles-up as a sort of launch party for the new record.

Fellow Holy Roar labelmates Conjurer open this evening’s proceedings. Early Conjurer gigs were often a case of being battered senseless by a barrage of ferocious riffs and constantly shifting time signatures whilst attempting to keep up hold on for dear life. But time in the studio recording their debut album has added many strings to their bow and this quartet are all the better for it. All corners of the metal spectrum are covered; doom, thrash, stoner, hardcore and black metal are amalgamated in an unrelenting and unholy thick primordial soup of intense sonic perfection.

Once that debut album lands, it will undoubtedly see a broader palette being drawn on than from their debut EP I. What might be surprising to early adopters of the band is how well they take to clean guitar lines and sung vocals, both of which are clearly set to feature on album numero uno if the songs played this evening are anything to go by. But they’ve lost none of their power; when they hit, they still hit like a ten ton hammer son. If sludgy, gut-churning grooves with all the subtlety of a wrecking ball to your solar plexus sounds like your bag, Conjurer are essential listening.

Rolo Tomassi performing at The Borderline in London on 4th November 2017 (Derek Bremner)

So confident are they in the new material that has only just been put to bed that Rolo Tomassi open with brand new single ‘Rituals’. A spooky keyboard intro ushers in an absolute barrage of blastbeats and furious punctuated guitar stabs, whilst Eva Spence’s guttural roar rides across the top. It’s a stunning display of intent for the new album and indeed the evening, particularly as they follow it up by steamrollering straight into a punishing rendition of ‘Estranged’, the opening track from their 2015 masterpiece Grievances.

‘Rituals’ is not the only encouraging sign of things to come from a new record. Rolo Tomassi have made a career out of making a mockery of each proceeding album, and it looks as if Time Will Die and Love Will Bury it will continue that astounding run of form. The Hollow Hour, the only other new song premiered this evening, has an incredibly atmospheric build-up, drenched in delay before detonating in utterly heavy bliss. It confirms that tonight, we are celebrating the beginning of something very special indeed. The fact that after 12 years, this most revelatory of bands is at the height of their powers is nothing short of astonishing.

The band admit to being a little rusty tonight, it’s their first London show in 18 months and their first show back since the summer, but the ragged edges are in no way detrimental to the performance. In fact, the band seem on edge tonight, which if anything adds to the ferocity and intensity with which they play. Eva Spence still utterly beguiles with her shamanistic presence and brother James is a whirling dervish of limbs and energy when he gets out from behind his keyboard and on to the mic. Special mention must go to new-ish drummer Tom Pitts as well, who has adapted to the band’s complex time signatures and stunning turns of pace with consummate ease.

Whilst the focus is primarily on latter day material, concessions are made to their first two albums with a truly transcendent rendition of Kasia and an ecstatic, borderline apoplectic sea of arms greeting Party Wounds. The older material is great but it mostly serves as a reminder that Rolo Tomassi have achieved something very few heavy bands ever manage; making savage music laced with elegance and grace.

Rolo Tomassi post performance at London's The Borderline (Derek Bremner)

Rolo Tomassi are exactly the sort of band that we should cherish; utterly exceptional and with a singular vision that is pursued with unwavering commitment and dedication. They’re a band the UK should hold up as a shining example of how authentically unique and individual our art is capable of being. Tonight, Rolo Tomassi play for 75 minutes with every second that ticks by at once wondrous, mind-boggling and overwhelmingly astonishing. Finishing with stunning versions of Opalescent and All That Has Gone Before, both from Grievances, one might wonder how Rolo Tomassi would ever better such masterful compositions. On this form however, such an unlikely event seems a distinct possibility.