Death Grips // Village Underground, London 2016 – Warren Bradley
When I think of David Lynch, one of my favourite directors, I visualize the first time I watched his experimental film Eraserhead. I was full of confusion, anxiety and stress. The film was able to elicit visceral emotions despite the fact I didn’t quite understand what was happening. And yet, I wanted more of it. So when I look back at myself, standing in the midst of the crowded Village Underground, I can’t help but compare it to a Lynchian nightmare.
As if to mirror a screenplay, the night was a journey. A surrealist three act drama portraying a young man eager to reconvene with his friends, who were nowhere in sight. The search for them just happened to be occurring in the middle of a roaring industrial hip hop concert. What a soundtrack it was.
The journey began with an intense introduction to the act shrouded in darkness on the stage. It ended with a reunion. In between? An exciting and perilous slog through what felt like the depths of hell. I discovered that my friends had an opposing night to mine, one losing his wallet and the other hurting his leg. We wanted to cry but couldn’t help laughing. Death Grips—how aptly named.