Experimental noise-rock outfit, Xiu Xiu, made a quick stop at The Coast in Fort Collins this weekend on Saturday, October 26th, in support of their 14th studio album that was released just a month prior. 13” Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips is easily the former duo-now-trio’s most accessible work, with a majority of the songs featuring driving rock beats from drummer/percussionist David Kendrick, whose first appearance with the group was on Xiu Xiu’s previous release, Ignore Grief. 13” has been receiving critical acclaim from fans and critics for the group’s approach to stripping back the experimentation and abrasiveness of their classic sound, to unearth a more intimate and vulnerable immersion to the themes of self-deprecation and loss that Xiu Xiu explores with this new album.

Before Xiu Xiu came out to play their set, two local indie supporting acts warmed up for them. The first was a solo set from frontman Jae Smith of the emo/alt-rock group Hotel WiFi. Many of the songs were reminiscent of Smashing Pumpkins-esque riffs with beds of ambiance from various delay pedals beneath his performances. After Hotel WiFi’s short set, local indie slacker-rock group Safekeeper came out to perform a stripped set, with frontman Zachary Visconti and keyboardist Abigail McDonald. While Safekeeper describes their sound as a resemblant of 90s indie-rock bands like Modest Mouse, Pavement, and Slint, this stripped-back set included lo-fi drum beats, field recordings, and ambient interludes, in addition to Visconti’s catchy and distorted guitar riffs that reminded me of Pinback, or Alex G.

As the crowd cheered, Xiu Xiu entered from backstage and quietly set up. I assume that since this show was so close to Halloween, Xiu Xiu intricately picked out some of their most existential, sinister, and frightening pieces. The show opened with an off-putting track entitled “The Silver Platter”, one of Xiu Xiu’s deeper cuts. After the song ended, and actually after all their songs ended, the audience would applaud, and then the whole venue would go quiet. This one was one of the strangest parts of the show: the three-piece did not utter a single word or crack a smile, or show any ounce of emotions, between songs. The crowd erupted into cheer after each song and then fell silent as lead singer Jamie Stweart would re-tune his guitar and set up all his percussive equipment, seeming to pay no attention to the crowd. However, throughout the show, lead singer Jamie Stewart put on an enigmatic performance, as he would switch from aggressively playing his guitar to running around on stage with percussion instruments. At one point in the middle of a song, Stewart bent over—I thought to pick something up off the ground until I saw his feet shoot up in the air—to do a headstand before falling backward and nearly landing on Angela Seo’s head.

Despite there only being three members, there was an abundance of instruments on stage, ranging from ice bells, opera gongs, wood blocks, and shakers, to dog whistles and even an Aztec death whistle, that the members would frequently switch between. Jamie Stewart would often play—more like beat the hell out of —ridiculous polyrhythms on a decrepit cymbal all the while singing his depressive lyrics, occasionally letting out his infamous, ear-piercing shrieks. Angela Seo would simultaneously play her keyboard and percussion instruments at the same time, with various poetic spoken word interludes like “Wig Master” that ended in frantic shouting. David Kendrick solidified his position in the band, with intricate and lyrical drum grooves that grounded some of the abrasive sounds the band produced. Much of Xiu Xiu’s music that I knew beforehand felt sporadic when it came to some of the noisy sections in some of their pieces, but experiencing the same songs live demonstrated how well-rehearsed and intricate their music really is. The show ended on a relatively more upbeat note, with songs like “Common Loon”, and “Veneficium”, both of which are some of my favorite cuts from Xiu Xiu’s new album. Before closing the show with “Get Up”, Stewart finally broke his silence to sincerely thank the crowd for their attendance and overwhelming support. Overall, this show felt less like a concert, and more like a surreal experience, with the audience left to interpret the show for themselves.