for the record its been two hundred and three days since our last encounter with the four headed, eight legged musical beast that is the miocene, holed up inside its lair perfecting its beats, timing and rhythm, surviving on whatever it finds, throwing us its scraps, has decided to rear its head, to come before us all to see if what its made can exist outside on the mean streets as well as feed our curiousity and fascination with this most beautiful of creatures.

 

cliche riddled, mildy humorous, space filling intro aside, the atmosphere tonight was a calm one, miocene seemed settled and content, whether or not they were, they gave nothing away, in their own words it was to see if what they have been doing inside the rehearsal rooms would work live, the hour long set (forty five minutes in laboratory conditions) they decided was to be strictly what they have been writing, practising and perfecting in their time away.

 

as always i made my way to the front, no one left the room it seemed, its funny how small rooms seem so large when you have to wade through to get to the front, on the way i met some familiar faces as well as meeting some who had travelled rather long ways, both with miocene on their minds, time it seems is of no importance with these most patient of fans, when the music is this good i guess you dont mind holding out when you know that whatever the sounds generated, they are always beautiful.

 

some more cliche as i think of how to write this, lights low, crowd applauding, miocene appeared onstage, assuming their positions as thought they had never left, beginning their set without any introduction.

 

the beautiful dionysus started the night off, the fluid change in tempo and mood never seemed more perfect, from its gentle opening to the ferocious rhythm moments later, slowing once again, building up once again to an amazing fast paced jagged structure of vocals and instruments before slowing down once more to end just as it began.

 

without so much as a breath the band launched into autopia, the instruments united, creating a dark brooding opening sound, ben's vocals matching the tone set, the incredibly smooth changes in rhythm and vocal style as the song flicked from brooding to controlled anger to melody and then to the impressive endpoint of the stop, start rhythm with ben screaming left, right, left, right, several times.

 

a newer side to miocene live was next to be displayed with why emo sucks in 2003, the  attention moving away from the front and to the keyboards on the side of the stage, the vocal sample of a man with a scottish accent began as the band created a relaxed jazz like sound, the words of the man touching all quite deeply judging by the applause,  the blending of the sample and the music working rather well i thought.

 

the pace picked up immediately as the rapid drumming of the track forever to be known as untitled began, a simple yet distorted guitar rhythm complementing the drumming as it slowed down, a track that wanders taking you with it, reaching a point where ben pierces your heart with his voices, then sending pulsesracing as rhyming rapidly, letting out a soulful roar as the songs paces alters once more, closing out in the same manner when it began.

 

the fiery devils with halos sent a short, sharp jolt of intensity throughout the room, its power lying in its lyrics as well as in the music, leaving one charged up ready to take on the world, so much energy in a relatively small period of time, a song designed for that alarm call in the mornings, hehe ;p

 

miocene have always demonstrated that intensity and heaviness has nought to do with turning amps up to eleven, achieving it always with the creation of intricate and deeply moving sounds, regardless of the tempo or mood of the songs being played onstage, the next song displaying just that.

 

at the moment simply known as neuneuone was a blend of all that has ever influenced miocene, the drumming at the heart of it all, creating a dark, hypnotic rhythm, creating an atmosphere that "tradition is just another word for the collective habit" does on cellular memory, the introduction of the keyboards into the miocene armoury has really allowed them to enhance their sounds further.

 

the last song of the night currently titled the fall continued from where the previous song ended in terms of tempo and mood, gorgeous from the outset, the blend of sounds was incredible, quite frankly a mind blowing musical moment, running right through me leaving me a relaxed state as all the instruments came together to deliver rhythms that took hold of the audience, the sounds of the keyboards sending shivers down my spine, i dont remember when the song ended, just the big dopey grin on my face from being transported to another time and place.

 

as they downed tools, ben announced that as of tomorrow they will be in the studio recording, smiles on already content faces growing larger, the applause continued as a few dedications were made by the band as they left the small stage, lights back on all looked more than happy with what they had just heard, miocene once again showing that time away is irrelevant when music is this good, this powerful, the wait always worthwhile