Thou

Thou have released one of the finest albums of their career with Umbilical – and one of our favourites of the year here at Roadburn HQ. Whilst our instinct is to heap praise upon them for this bruising exploration of ego evisceration and existential self-reflection, their instinct is to shy away from such eulogising. So, it is with our excitement contained and as little fanfare as we can get away with that we are quietly delighted to be inviting Thou back to Roadburn to perform Umbilical for us in April. 

Our affection for Thou is well documented, and their ability to turn their hand to any number of special sets is also well known. But Umbilical is such a bold and unwavering statement in and of itself, it doesn’t need our effusive admiration, nor does it require theatrics or embellishment to do it just justice. The ten tracks on the album heave with a suffocating energy as Thou’s sludge is lacerated by the serrated edge of righteous hardcore punk..

If they’d had their way, they would be performing this album set in the dankest, dirtiest basement in town. Whilst, no doubt, that would have been quite the experience for the handful of attendees that could squeeze into the room, we have opted to make this a main stage show. You may be required to summon your own inner demons, and your own eviscerating sense of existential dread to make up for the comparatively calm and pleasant surrounds of the 013, but we are sure that this communal exploration of the darkest corners of our psyches will leave us feeling much like we have emerged from the dirty basement of Thou’s dreams.

– Becky Laverty