Back in May last year I was fortunate enough to
catch No Broadcast supporting Dead Favours in Christchurch, since when I
reviewed the title cut of this album when it was released as a single. Their last
album was all the way back in 2015, but after four years hard work the guys are
finally back with their third, and it was worth the wait. The trio of Joshua
Braden (vocals, guitar), Chris Self (drums) and Kieran Colina (bass) are
heavily influenced by the likes of Jakob, Mogwai, Radiohead, Sigur Ros, HDU, Muse,
and the Mars Volta yet they also bring in pop sensibilities of the likes of Crowded
House alongside Simple Minds and even some U2.
As one can understand from the influences mentioned, this is a band producing music of great depth, with multiple layering throughout, and production used very much as an additional instrument as it is such an important aspect of the overall sound. Whereas some bands go into the studio, lay down a track and then go for a beer, one can visualize these guys agonizing over every aspect of every song, possibly stopping for some Chirny’s Coffee now and then before getting back to the task in hand. This is music which feels as if it has been constructed in the studio, although having seen them play I know they are very capable indeed of reproducing much of this in the live environment. Once one gets inside the layers there is no escape as there is only the music, with the drums providing the cut through, the bass a strong melodic line, and then the guitars, all those guitars. Josh’s voice comes across as the natural extension of those, taking the sound to the next level. There is harmony, a beauty within, even though at times there may be distortion and a lack of clarity. It is all-encompassing so that when it is being played there is nothing else, just the album.
This demands to be played on headphones to get the full benefit, as it is only then that the complexity and nature of the music really takes control of the mind when the eyes are closed and there is no outside stimulus. There are times when they do crunch it up, as on On The Fence, but even then it is through the filter of their influences, creating something which is different yet still with lots of layers and a huge sound. Let’s hope they tour this, as this is a huge sound which needs a huge stage.
No Broadcast, a three-piece band formerly known as Anthesiac, move post rock and alternative rock into a dynamic powerhouse of sound, reminiscent of fellow New Zealand bands HDU, Kerretta and Jakob. Their music is surpassed only by the live experience.
Established in Christchurch, NZ in 2007, as Josh Braden (vocals, guitar), Sam Hood (bass), and Chris Self (drums), the three chaps formed a strong musical chemistry that is increasingly rare in bands today. Priding themselves on their ability to instinctively move their music where it wants to go, the group make for a live act audiences can't take their eyes off.
No Broadcast have gigged extensively over the past 5 years, playing various festivals and shows around the country with a variety of other local and national artists. They have played alongside rockers Beastwars, post-punk heavyweights Die! Die! Die! as well as supporting Mountaineater (former HDU members) and internationally renounced six-piece An Emerald City on the South Island leg of their 2011 New Zealand tour.