Danish "blackgaze" outfit, MØL, stopped by the O2 Institute in Birmingham during their "DREAMCRUSH" tour alongside Tayne and Cold Night For Alligators.
A night that had to be unfortunately downgraded to one of the smaller rooms at the venue, but a decision that would ultimately make the night all the more enjoyable; a MØL show is one that should be experienced in as intimate a setting as possible.
Before we get onto the headline act, we were first treated to fellow Danes, and possibly the best-named band that we have seen in a while, Cold Night For Alligators, with a hypnotic blast of progressive metalcore.
COLD NIGHT FOR ALLIGATORS
Like our headliners, Cold Night For Alligators are also touring on the back of the release of a new album, 2026's With All That's Left. The brief 30-minute set kicked off with two tracks from the new LP "Dance for You" and ".44 Lifeline."
The set finishes with "No Connection" (The Hindsight Notes, 2022), probably their most ethereal-sounding track that also includes an absolutely disgusting bass drop. By the end, the small room of the O2 Institute had filled to suitably 'cosy' levels, arms were up in the air clapping along, and the vibes were most definitely vibing.
And on we go to the next one.
The filling to tonight's Danish sandwich is Dublin native but London-based 'Industrial Noise Pop' trio Tayne, who inject a dose of heaviness alongside a shot of chaotic energy into the night.
TAYNE
The band released their first full-length album, "LOVE," last year, and from what we can tell tonight's set list is essentially a front-to-back play-through of that.
The senses were well and truly overwhelmed, in the best way possible; the staging, backlit and shrouded in fog, predominantly cast in a red light, fit the tone perfectly. When the breakdowns kicked in (and boy were there some breakdowns), the strobing lights enhanced the sense of chaos even further.
The penultimate track is "In This Trend" and is possibly the heaviest of the night so far, a mixture of industrial electronica with some fierce breakdowns but an uplifting vocal performance over the top that has earned the band at least one new fan tonight. If you ever get the chance to see them live, Tayne are very much edging into the 'unmissable' bracket.
The stage darkens again, and the DJ returns to the playlist of 80's synthwave tracks that has been on the go between bands all night, as we prepare for the headliners.
Tonight's main event is MØL, who amalgamate black metal and shoegaze, putting their own spin on the genre and creating a totally unique sound of their own.
Their previous two album releases, "Jord" (2018) and "Diorama" (2021), for this reviewer at least, are near perfect and are genuinely unskippable from start to finish. With this tour being in support of their latest endeavor, "DREAMCRUSH," which was released right at the end of January, outside of the first single, "Garland" (that was dropped back in October), I have made a point of waiting until this show to experience as much of the new album material as I could in this live setting for my first listen.
The setlist that the band brought together tonight pulled from all 3 LPs and really showcased not just how their sound has evolved in those 8-plus years, but also how all-encompassing their sound that they create is and how passionate they all are when performing it. I do not say this lightly, but seeing them live really does feel deeper than just the music entering into your ears; it really feels like a shared experience of catharsis amongst friends and amongst community.
The opening number that we get is straight from the new album, "Hud," the band filling the relatively small stage, emerging from the fog, backlit in pinks and greens and blues, strobe lights pulsating away, allowing the crowd to be fully encapsulated in the performance.
MØL
Following a song from the new album, we dip straight into the previous two releases with "Penumbra" ("Jord," 2018) up second, which sees vocalist Kim Song Sternkopf first visit the barrier, passionately making sure that everyone on the front row absorbed every lyric and elevated themselves up to his same level of energy; "Vestige" ("Diorama," 2021) would follow.
MØL
Later in the set we would get "Garland," the first single released from "DREAMCRUSH"; I think this track in particular emphasises the evolution of the band's music the best, their sound that has always been filled with both emotion and melody, but now it is elevated to true stadium levels and to a point where you could easily see this track making the crossover to a more mainstream audience.
"Young" and "CRUSH" are our last two visits into "DREAMCRUSH" before we go back to a pair of the heaviest of hitters from 2018's "Jord," first up, the title track.
The final track is then greeted with a huge cheer from the Birmingham crowd, with Kim vaulting the barrier into a space cleared in the middle of the audience, sharing a moment with a few individuals directly:
"If you know these words, Danish or English, scream them from the top of your lungs. We are here with you, and we are so grateful. Thank you. This is what it's all about...THESE THROES, OUR PLIGHT, BOUND BY MORTAL SIGHT, STILL WE THINK OURSELVES CHAINLESS, THESE DREAMS ARE FAST, OUR GLOW WILL FADE AND DIE, STILL WE THINK OURSELVES TIMELESS!!!"
There is only one way that a MØL show can come to an end, and that is with one last release of collective energy and "Bruma" ("Jord," 2018).
The music now over, and all our souls all the more full because of it, the sound desk plays us off out into the cold Birmingham night with another 80s classic, Depeche Mode's "Enjoy The Silence," and I will want the memory of the last hour and the shared experience to stay with me for as long as possible.
Having started in mainland Europe, the DREAMCRUSH tour heads back to the continent for a final few dates before the end of February.
