Early on in mxdwn’s existence we had the good fortune to see what was then dubbed the Ipecac Records Geek Show Tour. Tomahawk (then still relatively a new project), The Melvins and the beloved Skeleton Key played an amazing show at the Los Angeles venue the Fonda Theatre. Some twenty three years and change later we had the good fortune to see Tomahawk and The Melvins playing together again (this time without the Geek Show Tour banner) at Downtown L.A.’s The Belasco, this time Tomahawk celebrating the 25th anniversary of their debut self-titled album. The Melvins are routinely active, but Tomahawk has seldom tour in the last twenty years, so this show even happening was a special not to be missed.
The Melvins opened the night with a ferocious set that has brought them the deserved reputation of being the most incisive, brilliant bands in hard rock. Still working with modern configuration of their lineup with Coady Willis and Steven McDonald on drums and bass along with core members Buzz Osborne and Dale Crover, the four-piece is a fierce two-drummer attack. “Working the Ditch” and “Never Say You’re Sorry” got the show rolling, before Big Melvins-era tracks “Evil New War God” and “Civilized Worm” cemented how powerfully the group alternates between Willis and Crover’s drumming.
They brought out perhaps their most revered song in “A History of Bad Men,” an ingenious track that uses four-part harmony and an incredible mounting crescendo to deliver the most rewarding dose of tension and release in perhaps the history of rock music. By this point, the seemingly overpacked venue was exploding in rapture to the precision cacophony. “The Bit” from their amazing album The Stag and “Hag Me” from their now legendary Houdini utilized their trademark slowed-down sludge metal to maximum effect. They ended to massive cheers playing early-career staple “Honey Bucket” and along with oftentimes member Trevor Dunn, a triumphant performance of Houdini‘s ominous turgid master class, “Night Goat.”
For Mike Patton, collaborative bands active for only for a short album cycle is commonplace. The Faith No More / Mr. Bungle frontman has spent the last 25 years expertly juggling numerous projects across a myriad of disparate genres. But Tomahawk, tonight’s headliner has always felt like that dirty little word that bands often don’t want to hear, a supergroup. There’s something magical about where this band and its players land when they gel in just the right way. Though decently active in the years after their formation with their incredible 2001 self-titled album up through 2007, the band has had long periods of inactivity in the years since. So much so that somehow it has been over thirteen years since the band’s last tour and their last show at the Los Angeles (read our review here).
With little set up, the four players emerged for the headlining slot of the show and instantly the high pitched harmonics of the opening to “Flashback” were triggered. The first song from their self-titled debut, “Flashback” has always been a pretty perfect entry point to the band’s sound. Guitarist Duane Denison’s ultra twangy arpeggiated playing sets a building notion of mounting tension until releasing in the opposite direction as Patton let’s loose a ferocious snarl, “Did they make you wear a dress, did they? / Held you down and tickled you, did they?” “SHHH” from their most recent release Tonic Immobility, followed not long after taking the contrast between Denison’s lightly plucked discordant notes and the song’s explosive chorus. “Howlie” and “Business Casual” also from Tonic Immobility also were played, the former anchored by bassist Trevor Dunn’s always precision playing and the latter by John Stanier’s intricate drumming.
Accept for the drum machine programming-led “Capt. Midnight” early on, the band chose to backload the set with their earlier material. Oddfellows cuts the driving “South Paw” and the slower more ominous “I.O.U.” came during this segment. “Fatback” brought a slower BPM tempo to the confection. The droning tones of “Eureka” served as the perfect lead-in for one of the band’s best songs, “Birdsong.” An unusually structured song, that works like Blondie’s “Atomic” as more two long verses as opposed to the typic verse / chorus / verse song structure. The class Mit Gas cut excels as two long crescendos. The deliberate build-up of tension in the first section is as flawless a setup to the song’s mountain-shaking release as music has. Here Stanier’s nimble drumming, Denison’s sidewinding guitar and Patton’s emotive delivery all come together like a startling alien species emerging from a spaceship. The gripping, foreboding “Totem” was the only song from their masterful Native American-music inspired album Anonymous that was played in the set, a shame, as there are some incredible tracks on that record.
Along with a cover of early rock-and-roll era track “Hot Rod Lincoln,” the encore dusted off some of the band’s best tricks. “God Hates a Coward” takes the song’s escalating rhythm to another volcanic, cathartic eruption as Patton alternates between a syncopated verse using a gasmask for a gated vocal effect and then the soaring refrain of “Day / by / day / by.” And then it all ended with “Point and Click,” a ghostly and terrifying song driven by its menacing bassline and artful sound effects. Patton sings in high register “I’ll be there / far away / I’m floating above it all.” It’s hard not to connect the song’s ethereal and sinister tones to its title and the lyrics “I’ll be the one / I bought a gun.” It all takes on an otherworldly urgency and becomes unforgettable.
Therein lies the genius of Tomahawk. The group’s four players draw extremely disparate styles and force them all to sit together without softening their edges. But when it all does come together just right, you forget you’re listening to the sounds of guitar, bass, drums and vocals. It all connects as something unforgettably different and memorable. The courage in the configuration leads to some truly magical moments. The only negative to be had, is all the members are so busy with other bands, hopefully it’s not thirteen more years before we all get a chance to see them again.
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