In 2022, the Canadian multi-media collective Crack Cloud found themselves in the quiet isolation of the Californian Mojave desert. This was, for founder Zach Choy, a vital pause and moment of reflection after years of non-stop touring. A band founded as a supportive space for people to process their struggles with addiction or mental health, this decision to prioritise group well-being made sense. But whilst for other groups this might have culminated in a break from the creative process altogether, for Choy, looking after one’s well-being and creativity go hand-in-hand, and so by the end of their stay, the band had a new album.
2024 sees Crack Cloud emerging from their solitude, refreshed, and ready to return to the fast-paced, populated world of touring, to share Red Mile. After the album’s release in July this year, 6 members of the collective, all of whom contributed to its creation, embarked on a summer tour around Europe and the UK. Their gig in Brighton’s Chalk this October marked the last night of this tour.
After a dreamy acoustic set from support act Clothing, Crack Cloud emerge promptly on stage to an excitable crowd. They spread out in a line across the roomy Chalk stage, cut-n-paste anarcho-punk posters hanging behind. At the centre is Choy and his drum kit, ready to showcase his rare dual role as lead singer and drummer of the band.
The set begins with Crack of Life, the first track on Red Mile, with its intro of sultry, trembling guitar and hushed vocals calming the audience. But not for long, at the chorus, Choy’s vocals are given muscle by the added voices of his bandmates, and the rhythm moves to a reggaeton style beat.
The rest of the gig sees the band working their way through the new album. Highlights come from individual members. Blue Kite finds Nathaniel Phillips playing his sax in place of the recorded strings, a tense staccato poly rhythm landing in an emotive melody that soars and swoops. Epitaph and Lost on the Red Mile platform the whispery sweetness of Emma Acs’ voice, moving from smooth to husky, or settling somewhere in between. Ballad of Billy has Zach’s younger brother Will Choy on lead vocals, his voice wavering above its gravelly, King Krule-esque roots. And of course, there is the spectacle of Zach at the rudder throughout, navigating both lead vocals and drums, his brow furrowed and eyes clamped shut in deep concentration.
The band don’t forget to play some crowd-pleasing Crack Cloud classics, too. Within seconds of the motorik drumbeat that opens Philosopher’s Calling, the audience are cheering. Once the incessant metronome beep is joined by Zach’s monotone vocals, there is thrill in the air and movement across the room. In this moment his intense, trance-like focus seems to lift, his face cracking into a smile as fans emphatically sing along.
They finish with Costly Engineered Illusion, its brassy punk intro floating into a nostalgic bridge with flourishes of sax and glittering synths, before Acs brings the audience back into an edgy reality with a shout of ‘yeah motherfucker put your hands up high’. After a few more verses of the restless punk, the track ends abruptly, dead on 10pm. Crack Cloud make a swift exit, waving happily goodbye to the audience and to their 25 day-long tour. I gladly imagine them going off to a cosy Brighton pub to celebrate and rest.
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