LIVE FROM THE PIT: Agriculture, Machukha

Mere days before London’s tube strikes made attending gigs into expeditions made by only the hardiest of fans, one lucky writer was sent across London to watch the ecstatic black metal band AGRICULTURE. The four-piece write queer Zen Buddhist black metal that can alternately groove like sludge metal, freeze like Norwegian second wave black metal, or coax you into a sobbing mess of emotions in a way that feels truly special.

Playing upstairs at Oslo, in Hackney, the Los Angeles based band were supported by MACHUKHA, an act based in Berlin with members from all across Europe. Their half hour opening slot could be very rudimentarily described as an onslaught of blackened hardcore, entwined with haunting atmosphere and poetry, but this wouldn’t do it due justice. They began shrouded in darkness, staying that way for most of their set apart from a few ominous red lights throughout, and rapidly pushed the sonic intensity from 0 all the way to 100 - their incandescence rose through the mix and reached out into the audience, each iota of rage, anguish and sorrow dragging every onlooker further into the confines of their clutches. As the set went on, you were never quite sure whether it was all one big song, a few tracks, or a number of cut up sections, but they rode the wave and we merely accompanied them through the deeply unsettling atmosphere of their quieter moments, into the hypnotic grooves of the latter part of the set, before more furious, inhuman howls were released as they worked towards their finale. MACHUKHA were uncomfortable, piercing, and deeply, invariably human.

After a phenomenal supporting slot, the pressure was on for AGRICULTURE to match the raw power of their well-chosen openers. Not only did they do that, they took it further - emotion poured from them, seeping into every vulnerable crack in each audience member’s armour and working to free any baggage. The majesty of The Glory Of The Ocean was overwhelming in all its MASTODON and BARONESS-like heft, whilst newer tracks Bodhidharma and The Weight threatened to wrench open the collective third eye of everybody in attendance. However, without a doubt the most powerful and poignant moment of the whole night was their final track, Living Is Easy. As the guitar starts to begin the song, the melancholic, bittersweet melody washes across the room, bringing people to tears in an instant - before bassist and vocalist LEAH LEVINSON’s raucous screams sear into being, adding a dosage of abrasion that somehow still only makes it all the more beautiful. As the final notes rang out through the venue, there came an eruption of applause whilst the band packed themselves down.

The entire evening was shot with emotive weight, whether from the Ukrainian poetry in the middle of MACHUKHA’s set or AGRICULTURE’s soulful songwriting. Each band has found a style that not only suits them down to the ground, but also connects incredibly powerfully to an audience, regardless of whether it’s their first time hearing the music or the twentieth. As they continue around Europe, we can only hope that these two astounding acts return to our shores in the very near future.

Words: Jasmine Longhurst

Photos: Atoosa Salamat