Live Review: Cairo Knife Fight at GoodGod

Although audial complexity showcases levels of skill and ability, it can often lead to inconsistencies and result in a sense of artistic disjointedness. This certain logic directly applies to Kiwi two-piece psych-rockers Cairo Knife Fight, who although undoubtedly talented musicians and visionaries, fail to execute their chosen aesthetic with clarity as a result of convoluted instrumental dynamics.

Opening for Cairo Knife Fight were local punk duo Corpus who provided a promising start to the evening, delivering effervescent, high-powered jams to the tiny GoodGod venue. Thrashing out contagious riffs against a pounding beat, frontman Keiron Steel showcased his voluminous vocal capabilities whilst simultaneously convulsing around the stage, igniting diluted slamdancing in audience members. The two-piece impressed with their palpable ability to multitask, with Jack Bruun-Hammond not only demonstrating his remarkably tight drumming abilities, but also his harmonic vocal yells which were intermittently exhibited throughout the set. Corpus managed to find a balance between crowd involvement in their set, communicating directly with their respective audience and enigmatically secluding themselves within their own musical capsule, keeping the crowd relentlessly engaged.

The mood shifted however when Cairo Knife Fight took the stage, immediately dispensing face-melting and over-amplified anthems to the overwhelmed members of the audience. Though the duo strive to innovatively fuse psychedelic, stoner rock and metal, channelling Queens Of The Stone Age and Pearl Jam, as well as illuminating their skilful abilities to layer guitar and drum loops, they provide in something which is slightly too knotted and thus somewhat overpowering. Regardless, Cairo Knife Fight are indisputably epic, with monumental breakdowns and bellowing vocals in The Violence Of Action, which opened the set.

The Origin Of Slaves followed shortly after, a track that was not as dense as others and was easier to consume as a result of infectious synths against looped guitars. The duo deviated from this clarity continuously with The Secrets Of Sin, which was mind-numbingly chaotic and hence re-iterated Cairo Knife Fight's pressing need to refine their sound.