Towering Walls of Sound: Sunn O))) at the Lodge Room

Shoshin (初心) live again and mesmerize LA audiences for two back to back nights.

Photograph by Ekaterina Gorbacheva

Words, Photos by Ekaterina Gorbacheva (@ekaterinagorbacheva.art) on

February 5, 2023 at the Lodge Room in Los Angeles:

As the saying goes, less is more and the duo that is Greg Anderson and Stephen O'Malley know it well, compelling audiences through Sunn O))) in ways unique to the band. The band closed their brief Winter 2022-2023 tour run as Shoshin( 初心) earlier this month, using no elaborate gimmicks and pyrotechnics but their signature wall of amplifiers to drown attendees in vibrations.

What you see if what you get with Sunn O))): confounding mystery. The two stood still amidst dim lights and smoke, hidden in their black cloak as A (Drone) opened the occasion. Every strum shook the venue and all stood in awe of Sunn O))).

Photograph by Ekaterina Gorbacheva

2019's Life Metal got some shine with Novæ 1, 2, and 3 being played sequentially, only split by solo moments from Anderson & O'Malley respectively. As one could expect, the album's tracks are more mystifying live than in their studio version, due in part to the hold that the band's audiovisual allure place on the listener. One could simply close the eyes and let the band's craft consume you whole. Mocking Solemnity then made an appearance before Pyroclasts F put the finishing touch on the occasion. Anderson and O'Malley, unhooded, stood before an appreciative crowd, paying their respects for years of support.

Walking out of the Lodge Room was a refresh that reminded me that a Sunn O))) show is more than a performance, but an experience unlike no other. One becomes grounded and further removed from whatever circumstances surround you outside of the venue's confines. Few bands have that impact.

Enjoy a photo gallery of the performance below.