The sludgy husband-and-wife duo that is Jucifer plays D.C. every January like clockwork, but this year felt somehow different. For one thing, their infamous wall-of-noise performance, which bears little relationship to their recorded output, lasted for at least an hour and fifteen minutes on Monday night—-an eternity for a band that typically plays 30- to 45-minute sets. Guitarist Amber Valentine told me after the show that Jucifer’s modus operandi is to start each “tour” (this is a word that has to be used loosely with a band that plays 300 shows a year and literally lives out of their RV) with a specific setlist. As the tour goes on, they add transitional bits and structured improvisations. This show came at the very end of their current cycle, right before they move to a new setlist—-hence the treat we got: an unusually long and punishing show, at least half of which was spontaneous improvisation.

Local hardcore thrashers LTW were the show’s worthy openers; their performance was as brutal and short as Jucifer’s sets typically are.

Here’s the full slideshow with photos of both bands.