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With titles ranging from a fairly understated ‘In Aurelia’ to borderline ridiculous ‘The Bright Ambassadors of Morning’ (courageous purveyors of slippers? Divine bringers of egg and soldiers?!), it’s a disappointment when Pure Reason Revolution don’t arrive on stage cracking whips on the backs of fluttering Cyclops’. Or perhaps accompanied by Pink Floyd’s hallucinogen fuelled Spaceship. Shunning their decadent prog tendencies for unassuming entrances, PRR decide on minimal fuss, letting their opus speak for itself.
Accompanied by visuals ranging from naive sparkles of fireflies to grandiose firework displays, Pure Reason flit equally projector-like from frenzied violin sawing and heavily brash guitars to ethereal resonance. ‘In Aurelia’ throws lightning-bolt riffs and menacingly intense moments of bulk musical blocks one minute, and mocks them the next with sorrowful and dignified violins. The beauty lies with their fusion of the celestial and organic: artificial beats and oscillating synths are softened by their jostles with pure harmonies, saccharine female vocals and earthly visuals. Erring all too near the fine line running between 8 minute intros and twattish pretension, Pure Reason retain humility by inspiring turbulent bursts of pogoing and circle pits: even if only as a bizarre sexual release ritual for the recently pubescent boys confused about ‘funny feelings’ for front-woman, Chloe.
They bravely endeavoured to transform the Acaemy’s air of ambivalence and teenage lank into their own musical universe of grandiose, Zeus-scale epics. Intentions may be stellar, but they land in a slightly smaller cosmos, as their stage presence is yet to be as fully fledged as their ‘Astral folk’ creations. Pure Reason Revolution’s otherworldly plethora of ideas never quite manages to overcome a sense of awkwardness. Despite this, what they do create, in pinpoint moments of clarity, is nothing short of breathtaking. The stingray visuals of ‘The Bright Ambassadors of Morning’ glide eerily through the haunting tension the depths of the song reaches. It’s like watching Fantasia for the first time: it’s beautiful, a million colours, a million ideas, sweetly magical, occasionally absolutely terrifying. Heavy guitar and drums break in like the horrifying broom parade itself, slaying Disney prettiness and Mickey Mouse smiles with cruel nightmares. While Pure Reason have a while to go yet until they become the Sorcerer, they make a magical apprentice until they are.
Photos by: Chris Birkinshaw
