1MM: Isis Lead Patient Irving Plaza Crowd Into the Great Beyond, Even the Ones Who Weren’t Stoned

[Photos/Text by Andrew Parks]

Isis don’t like to be photographed. This much we know from the band’s decade-plus existence, hence the bathed-in-blue and draped-in-sickly-green lighting of their Irving Plaza set last night.

With that said, Isis’ music screams for itself, mimicking the ebb and flow of a Mogwai show while tossing numerous curveballs into the mix, including the spaced-out synths of Bryant Clifford Meyer, the booming beardo vocals and trash compactor chords of Aaron Turner, and the spindly bass lines of Jeff Caxide.  We’ve seen the greatest band on Mike Patton’s label a good six times or so, including a showcase-stealing performance at SXSW a couple years back, and you know what? They keep getting better, as Isis’ five distinct players refine their truly oceanic sound right into the great beyond.

We’ll have a feature about Turner’s acclaimed art portfolio in our issue later this month. For now, some more photos…