On Feb 28th and March 1st this year, a two-day festival took place at The Ottobar in Baltimore. Maryland, to honour the life and art of Darsombra’s Ann Everton, who tragically passed away in a vehicle accident in October 2025 as the band was beginning their latest tour. The event was curated and organised by her husband and bandmate, Brian Daniloski, who joined David Brenner onstage for the Gridfailure set which closed the second stage on the first day.
This is a single 23-minute-long piece of music containing all the aggression and shock which we have come to expect from Brenner, while it was also undoubtedly an outpouring of grief and angst from Daniloski as they used an array of percussive instruments including hand drums, shakers, maracas, three gongs, and much more, while they also invited the audience to join them at the end of the set to honour Ann’s memory. I have said many times that Brenner’s work often evokes the feeling of the time after the nuclear holocaust, always in black and white, and here there is a deeper emotional presence as they mine their pain to make this feel like souls laid bare, open to the world for everyone to see. This is not easy music to listen to, it is always difficult and hard, yet there is also a human factor included which makes it even more poignant and special. I know that if I played this album to 100 people at the volume it requires 99 would walk out immediately, but I would need to befriend the one person left behind in awe of what is taking place between their ears, as that individual has a depth of understanding which is rare these days. If ever a band took Can to the extreme, then it is Brenner and friends under the name of Gridfailure, and long may it continue.
Rating: 8/10
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Track list:
1. Live At Darsombra Presents Transmission – A Celebration For Ann Everton