Xiu Xiu: Eraserhead live review - A sonically baffling but loyal tribute to a cult classic
The American experimental band’s tribute to the late David Lynch will leave audiences enthralled and terrified in equal measure.
Their tour aims to offer a fresh interpretation of the soundtrack and ethos of Lynch’s debut film in an unconventional manner; there are little-to-no recognisable songs, but instead allows for an immersion into the atmosphere of the film.
The performance has been described by the band as wanting to express the “bizarre emotionality, conflicted sexuality, relentless darkness, singularly unsettled moonscape” of the 1977 ‘midnight movie’.
Music News Blitz writer Freddie Thomas-Neher was at the Quarry to see how the duo fared at tackling one of cult cinema’s classics.
Walking onto the stage to Toccata and Fugue in D Minor is quite a statement of intent, and when Jamie Stewart and Angelo Seo assumed their positions in front of the sold-out crowd, a realisation seemed to dawn across the venue that this would not be the hour they expected.
Ambient, intimidating and eccentric
Very little recognisable music is played for the entirety; the duo are situated atop the stage with an electronic deck in front of them.
They pair their effects with a carefully curated visual accompaniment in line with the ethos of the film.
The imagery behind them is incredibly disconcerting and, at times, grotesque.
Xiu Xiu shifts between a baffling array of miserable and occasionally shameful visuals which are impossible to not be both immersed in and frightened by.
The duo’s approach to creating the sound effects are massively unconventional, including percussively using a dremel on sheet metal into their microphones, springs, a slide whistle, occasionally even pulling a synthesised kick drum from underneath their desk as further accompaniment.
An incredibly hellish addition was the use of a delay unit to turn cartoon sound effects into horrific drones.
A faulty projector was the only technical issue of the night, with half of the screen flashing white at points, but the malfunction almost seemed to add to the broken down, terrifying industrialism that was conveyed.
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Interpretation, not replication
The band used the original soundtrack as a guidewire to establish a macabre, almost desolate atmosphere with little similarity to Alan Spielt and Lynch’s organ-heavy score, but still managed to feel authentic.
Their set largely consisted of ambient experimentation, but became intermittently loud at unexpected points to the shock and surprise of all concertgoers.
This was not remotely the kind of concert for dancing, although a confused attendee three rows in front of me did briefly attempt to headbang to the confusion of all surrounding him.
The progression of the concert is intentionally linear, following the arc of its source material.
Although fairly alarming, when Seo screamed ‘shut up’ into the microphone, the motif brought the set into alignment with the film, which was occasionally humorous depending on the scene.
Twenty minutes of ambient accompaniment being unexpectedly punctured by someone shouting ‘OK, Paul’ is quite a shock, but a welcome one given the bleak direction the duo had taken us.
The band has a history with Lynch’s work and embarked on the tour as a tribute to his death on January 16, 2025.
They previously released the album ‘Plays Music of Twin Peaks’ in 2016 with the blessing of both the late director and his longtime collaborator, composer Angelo Badalamenti, consisting entirely of covers of the legendary television soundtrack.
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‘In Heaven”, broken glass and a bow
The most recognisable part of the original score is the Lady in the Radiator’s performance of ‘In Heaven’, an original composition by Lynch that has since been famously covered by Pixies and, most recently, Fontaines D.C.
Using this as the conclusion of the set, Xiu Xiu traded the original’s organ for a synth and tuned bells, with Stewart taking the vocal lead.
An emotional, vibrato-heavy rendition of the film’s timeless expression of desperation tied the performance together, its lone song.
Stewart then rose from his seat and, in accordance with the film’s surreal, aggressive ending, proceeded to fill an oil drum with empty bottles and smash them with a broom.
Stewart and Seo then took centre stage and bowed as the performance concluded, a simultaneously disconcerting yet massively impressive experience.
More performance art than a traditional concert, Xiu Xiu comprehensively and effectively brings Eraserhead to a new audience in a fashion that will undeniably leave a lasting impression on audiences.
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