Purity Ring

Purity Ring, Teátro Joy Eslava, November 14, 2015

Going to see Purity Ring at the Teátro Joy Eslava, a stone's throw from the very centre of Madrid — the un-plaza-like plaza of Sol — felt like an act of defiance in the wake of events less than twenty-four hours previously up the road in Paris. What happened at the Eagles of Death Metal gig in the Bataclan was the cowardly and evil work of deluded fantasists, and we were not going to let them stop us going to see one of our favourite groups of the last few years. There was a frisson on the crowded streets of Madrid last Saturday night and a sense of giddy watchfulness inside the venue. This city knows all about terrorism: an Islamist attack on March 11 2004 claimed 191 lives; and the Basque terrorist organisation, ETA, spent the best part of thirty years inflicting atrocity after atrocity on the city.
I had seen Purity Ring once before, in 2012 at Barcelona's Primavera Sound festival. The circumstances surrounding that gig and last Saturday's couldn't have been more different. That Primavera Sound gig was at the end of May, and Purity Ring's stage was about five hundred yards from the blindingly blue Mediterranean. When Megan James beat the huge, Lambeg-style drum that preceded the duo on to the stage, it looked and sounded like she was summoning ghostly Phoenician ships into port as some sort of pagan rite. Apart from the mysticism and fantasy that infused that sunny outdoor gig, it was a happy affair, a pleasant interlude before more serious acts. (Grimes was up directly after them, and Wilco and the XX later that evening). Back then, Purity Ring were in embryonic stage: they had yet to release their first album, and members, Megan James and Corin Roddick, looked like a high-school band who had been swept up by the positive reaction to their first couple of singles and were breathlessly touring the world in a dizzy state of disbelief that they were making a mark on the music business.
Purity Ring v.2015 are now one of those serious bands I mentioned above. This years' release of their second album, Another Eternity, which received positive reviews in all the right places, has seen a rapid ratcheting up of their profile and sales, and it would not be inaccurate to now describe them as one of the most popular alternative electronic acts on the go. I was struck by a thought a couple of numbers into their set: in six years' concert going in Madrid, I had rarely seen a band with so dedicated a following. Typically, a Madrid crowd for a band of Purity Ring's drawing power (1-2,000 punters) would be made up of ten per cent fans and ninety per cent curiosity seekers, out for a few libations and a chinwag. So, for example, the Bat for Lashes, St Vincent or Warpaint gigs I've been to contained a core of fans who knew the words, boogied to the music and kept their traps shut during the quiet numbers, but a majority of rubber-necking, beer-swilling members of the gig-chattering class. Purity Ring's crowd last Saturday was almost entirely made up of real fans — people who knew the words, recognised upcoming songs after two or three blips, and went crazy or chilled out at all the right moments. Compared to most of those in the crowd around me, I felt like a lesser fan (and this is as someone who bought both albums the day they came out and can play a mean fingerpickin' version of "Lofticries" on his guitar!).
From their performance last Saturday it is easy to understand the fierceness and solidity of the support they receive in places as far away from their native Canada as Madrid. Their music (aptly described in some quarters as future pop) is peculiar enough to offer a challenge to the listener and mark them out from their peers, but poppy and accessible enough to avoid appearing wilfully weird and alienating potential fans at the first listen. If anything, Another Eternity has more veins of mainstream running through it than debut album, Shrines, but there is still a sufficient dose of out there on its tracks to provide nourishment to those of us up for a challenge.
Another Eternity also saw the addition of a good deal of oomph to the band's sound, and this more than anything else marked Purity Ring v.2015 out from the band I saw three years ago. Whereas before, Purity Ring were a band you closed your eyes and sway-danced to, in the Teátro Joy Eslava they hammered out enough beats to have the crowd bouncing off the walls and ceiling. Megan James, a dramatis persona along the lines of Kate Bush, prowled the stage, living out the spacey, surreal and sometimes disturbing imagery of her lyrics. She has that ability to draw the eye with the slightest of movements and send a shiver through the crowd with the simple act of stepping up on to a monitor. A top-drawer frontwoman, she had the measure of the crowd from the off, and with coyness and a large dollop of cool mystery (rather than the in-between-song banter and shtick you get a lot of these days), she presided over her following like some species of inter-planetary princess over her cloned minions.
Drama is always a word that is always in the air where Purity Ring are concerned. Within their songs there is movement, transport to fantasy worlds, floating, falling, entering and being entered. In the context of a gig, there is the dramatic tempo or shift in sound between one song to another. There is Megan James. There is Corin Roddick behind his sci-fi rig, banging away at those glowing pods, summoning future music from what appear to be relics of a lost civilisation. For this tour, Purity Ring have upped the stakes on the drama front with the most wonderful of light shows. I had never seen the like of it: what appeared pre-show to be a series of curtains of strings with knots in them was in fact a matrix of multispectral LEDs which lit up in various ways depending on the song or section of the song. In a small venue like the Teátro Joy Eslava, the effect was powerful.
So we had drama, we had oomph, we had an emotion-bending light show from Purity Ring. We had a stronger, more confident performance than I had expected. We had charisma. We had intensity. Was there anything missing? Unfortunately, yes. As is the case with many electronic outfits, there was a lack of that spontaneity and improvisation and communion with the crowd that can turn an 7/10 gig (my overall mark for Purity Ring's show last Saturday) into an unforgettable experience. While you don't expect the likes of Purity Ring to pull out the Fender Stratocaster and do a fifteen-minute Neil Youngesque noodlefest, you would like to be presented with some material that's not on the albums, a cover version maybe, or at least a few re-works or re-edits or mash-ups. Purity Ring were so note-perfect compared to on record, that I did wonder for a while if they were singing and playing live. But this is just a small criticism of an overall excellent gig.

Canadian electro duo Purity Ring has amassed a huge cult following since their incarnation in 2010 and despite having only released one album to date, they have crafted a live show of diversity and intrigue.

From the entry to the venue you are taken aback by the ominous glow of the stage set up as the lights constantly change its colour. The duo appears and gives slight acknowledgement to the audience yet appear to be transfixed in their own dream-pop world. The opening bars to 'Amenamy' begins to the sound of rapturous cheers from the crowd and the duo go about recreating this ethereal and atmospheric piece of music.

Most of the set is made up of tracks taken from the duo's critically acclaimed debut album 'Shrines'. Massive reaction is reserved for fan favourites 'Crawlersout' and 'Saltskin'. An unusual cover of 'Grammy' from Soulja Boy gets great applause despite a moment of confusion. The duo keeps the show to a slick operation and as the final tones of 'Fireshrine' fade along with the glowing lanterns, the audience are left in the darkness wishing to return to the dreamlike world of Purity Ring.

So, how do you make up for two kickass albums? You do a kickass show!
Watching Purity Ring live for the first time was a revelation indeed, the stage was superbly lighted with glowing threads that made it look like an electric forest and in the middle of it all is Corinn's set with drums shaped as crystals that glowed in different colours... It felt like being on an electric dream of sorts (kind of like a fairytale) The singer, Megan, was really charismatic and I was baffled at how her singing sounds like just on record. She even stopped to chat with the public during the set ^^
The songs they played were an excellent (and democratic) mix from both albums.
If Purity Ring is playing in your town then you should see it, because it will leave you dancing with joy!

Oh and the supporting act, Born Gold, is excellent as well, he made you dancing madly before the main act!! it felt like a really luxurious concert with two excellent bands. I'm sure that the other supporting act, BRAIDS, is really good as well ^^
So, what are you waiting for! Go and see them before it's too late ;)

The ambience was literal magic. The stage, the lights, the sounds, everything. Fortunately, I was very close to the stage. When Corin revealed his instruments, the crowd erupted in shouts. The band opened with "Stranger Than Earth" and the audience roared in approval. From then on, it was epic after epic, Megan James's stunning vocals complimented by Corin Roddick's sweet instrumental skills. I'm still stunned by it all. The crowd sang along with Megan, especially on the band's more classic hits like "Fineshrine" and "Lofticries". I knew every word to "Fineshrine". One particularly captivating moment was when I reached out and touched Megan's hand during "Bodyache." For me, one of the best parts about the show was that you could tell that they were really humble people. They kept thanking us and telling us that they enjoyed their day on the beach, and we really appreciated that. I have been to many concerts in my life, and this was honestly one of the best. If you have the opportunity to see this band live, just go. You won't regret it.

When you first make your way into a Purity Ring Experience, you're instantly overwhelmed by color. Their stage setup is colorful, the lighting is colorful, their personalities - full of color! Purity Ring is so in tune with their own music that when you hear something remixed by them it actually sounds better than the original song, in most cases.

As they carry you through the evening on, what feels like a magic carpet ride, you feel warm and fuzzy as the beats and clicks and fuzziness of their music envelopes you to cause a burst of energy. You know you have to nod your head to the beat, at the very least. But, you want to do more so you scream, you yell, you chant! Then, when you get ready for the drop, you kick, you fist pump and you jump - because the energy they've created must be released somehow! I guarantee you will not be disappointed by what Purity Ring brings to the stage.

The concert was enchanting. Hearing Purity Ring's otherworldly electronic music live and at blast combined with the visuals was fascinating. The creativity is another thing. They custom made these devices and it made the performance a lot more magical. It was simple and effective and it wasn't this grand act.

Bravo.

A connection with the audience was a bit lacking. Yes they talked a few times but even during the performance it just wasn't that present. It's probably why the crowd wasn't as wild unlike other gigs but I guess that's part of the otherworldy vibes they give off that's present in their production, her voice and the performance as a whole. What they lack in this they make up with the effects.

It had been 5 years since Purity Ring had been to Kansas City, they made their return on October 26, 2016 with a beautiful show at a beautiful venue (The Uptown Theatre). A crowd of about 600 people in attendance. Megan James looked like a "woodland spirit", dressed in white and with her hair often blown by wind machines as she "floated" across the stage and through their forest of lights. The crowd was very enthusiastic and Ms James seemed to be truly moved and then apologetic telling the crowd before their last song that the "scripted performance" would not have an encore. Beautiful weather , beautiful venue, beautiful lights, beautiful voice. Beautiful!

Purity Ring is amazing. I have seen them before luckily bc the event never took place. The night of the show there were thunderstorms, torrential rain, and funnel clouds. Postponed till the following Monday (which was inconvenient and without the band I wanted to see in the first place, Braids, but doable). Then downtown flooded and the redo show was cancelled. I saw from Songkick that the tix would be refunded, but have never heard from Front Gate Tickets or Stubbs' regarding this. As of Wednesday (2 days prior) I have yet to be contacted or refunded. Purity Ring is alwaqys an amazing show...when they are able to play.

Purity Ring delivered more than I expected. That light show was mesmerizing. Their light-trigger instruments were cool. Vocals were on point. This band figured out how to make watching the usual modern electronic band, a dude standing up and pushing buttons with a pretty girl singing, an engrossing and entertaining experience. I brought ear plugs to the show as I normally do, and was happy that I didn't need them. The opening act, Hana, delivered too. She's kinda like Bjork and Grimes had a baby who occasionally sings Eurythmics songs. One of the best shows I've been to this year.

let me write about the opener Hana she was not what I was expecting, she was amazing she reminds me a lot like Grimes, but overall Hana interacted with the crowd and her performance was brilliant. now Purity Ring whom we were all pumped to see, they opened with Stranger than Earth which is great, I thought they were going to open with either bodyache or begin again, but they got everyone pumped. I loved the show, the visuals and everything. I would say this was the best show of the year thus far.