Plié

About

" A bludgeoning, skull-crushing mix of every extreme genre you can think of. "

As a writer, it’s often not easy dreaming up suitable – and cliché-free – descriptions for bands and the music they make, so one must always doff one’s cap when coming across stellar examples. Like that self-penned by Lithuanian sextet Plié: “Nothing short of ballet with broken legs”. Chapeau Sirs! And whatever picture that conjures in your mind, rest assured the actual experience of listening or watching Plié strut their stuff is a far more visceral, pummelling experience. “Do I scare you?” asked singer Matas L while prowling the stage at this year’s Eurosonic Festival, which pretty much sums them up.

Their sonic madness is best described as sitting somewhere between experimental and noise rock – imagine a cross between Rage Against The Machine, H09909, and Death Grips – but there’s also a healthy dose of post-industrial in there and, well, a bit of everything really. Electronica, avant garde, saxophone, lyrics that are not so much sung as screamed or growled…a powerful mix, for sure.

“A relentless onslaught” said one review; “industrial prowess” said another. And really, with songs called things like ‘Naked Man Fears No Pickpocket’ and ‘Guerra Madre’, it’s only right that nothing should be off limits, their wild, brutal, strangely-structured escapades constrained only by their boundless creativity (and perhaps your loudspeakers’ power rating).

They spent most of 2022 and 2023 impressing fans and critics alike at some of Europe’s most prestigious showcase festivals, and with debut album ‘Never Took Place’ already three years old, I guess the time is right for some new material. Having shaken up convention and broken every rule already, it’ll be fascinating to see what they come up with next – and no doubt difficult to describe.