Sunday, October 31, 2010

NISENNENMONDAI (London The Nest, 26/10/10)



Nisennenmondai's drummer must be a cyborg. That's the only way I can reconcile the fact that a 5ft tall Japanese lady can combine the ferociously exact, technically astounding human-drum-machine tendencies of John Stanier with the dazzling free-style wildness of a Greg Saunier or Tyson Vogel. I mean, I've seen perhaps a thousand percussionists in my time, but few quite match up to the jaw-dropping brilliance I witnessed from Sayaka Himeno. At times, she looked like she had been fast-forwarded to 1.5x speed; quite a sight to behold for those of us not hindered from seeing anything by the unfortunate new layout of The Venue Formerly Known As Bardens. Their pulsing, krautrock-y, groove-laden instrumentals may not be to everyone's taste, but it certainly ticked all my boxes- an absolutely blinding performance, and a definite contender for my revelation of 2010.

(Photo: AllThatImprobableBlue (Flickr))

Saturday, October 23, 2010

THE DEER TRACKS (London Lexington, 21/10/10)



I’m not entirely sure about the new glam-rock look, but the Deer Tracks’ first UK show in 18 months generally bodes well for their upcoming semaphore album. They’re understandably a bit rusty after their touring hiatus, but the new material appears to retain the same Mew-like majesty that made “Aurora” such an underrated pleasure, and “Yes, You Are My Broken Shield” remains an absolute blinder of a tune.

(Photo: Anika Mottershaw)
DRUM EYES (London Corsica Studios, 20/10/10)



Although less focused than their End of The Road set, Drum Eyes nonetheless cemented their place in my Top Live Bands of the year list with another stunning performance. Sounding like Dan Deacon remixing Bo Ningen, their mix of melodic synth-heavy electronica and heavy psychedelic rock couldn’t be more attuned to my tastes if they tried. Shame the audience wasn’t quite as amazing as EOTR, but you can’t have everything. Also, mad props to support acts Nedry (Portishead-esque minimalist loveliness) and Devil Man (ear shattering electro-dubstep).

(Photo: Tim Boddy (Flickr))
PERFUME GENIUS (London Cecil Sharp House, 19/10/10)



After all the hype, I must admit to being a little underwhelmed by Perfume Genius. Sure, he’s obviously immensely talented and there were individual moments of delicate beauty, but after the multi-instrumental virtuosity of Peter Broderick, and the terrifying intensity of Soap & Skin, this couldn’t help but feel a little insubstantial in comparison.

(Photo: Christoper Walmsley (Flickr))
SOAP&SKIN (London Union Chapel, 18/10/10)



Woah. In seven years of ardent gig-going, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like THAT. Anja Plaschg is clearly an incredibly gifted musician; but she’s also got some serious demons in her past. Tonight, the 20-year-old Austrian wunderkund performed with a string ensemble, and they certainly added much to the performance; “Cry Wolf” was one of the most achingly beautiful songs I‘ve heard this year, “Marche Funebre” more bleakly gothic than ever. But it’s her personal intensity that makes her such a compelling, unsettling presence. During Spiracle, one of her most powerful songs, she froze - completely. People started to tentatively clap; she shouted at them to stop. She ran to her backing singer who quietly comforted her, and then, a full minute later she returned, imbuing the rest of a song with a vitriolic passion that genuinely scared me a little. Ditto a German song she dedicated to her father; whilst one couldn’t understand the words, the ill-suppressed rage was clear to see. Of course, she could be an amazing actress, but even if she was, that doesn’t detract from the power of her live performance; whilst she can be draining, cold, even frightening, she’s also one-of-a-kind.

(Photo: Anika Mottershaw)

Monday, October 18, 2010

HEALTH (London EC2 Warehouse, 16/10/10)



My eternal disdain for East London is well-documented, but there’s no denying that there’s few places that suit a band like HEALTH more than a hipster-filled warehouse in the depths of Shoreditch. And man, did they kill it tonight, with a show that wasn’t so much a musical experience as a brutal, unyielding assault on the senses. Absolute chaotic brilliance, with one of the most impressive drummers in the business - £15 may have been a steep asking price, but it was worth every penny.

(Photo: Sleeparchive (Songkick))
PETER BRODERICK (London St. Giles Church, 16/10/10)



With the advent of Andrew Bird, Owen Pallett et al., loop-pedalists have lost the novelty they once had, but the depressingly youthful Peter Broderick is something rather special. His lyrics may not meet the ambition and craft of his astounding musicianship (encompassing piano, violin, guitar and musical saw), but when he’s on form, he can send shivers down the spine like few others. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to experience his music in such an intimate setting - it’s only a matter of time before he gets the critical recognition he deserves, and venues like St. Giles are lost to him for ever.

(Photo: Abroadjz (Flickr))
MELT BANANA (London Islington Academy, 12/10/10)



The fact my ears were still ringing three days later was perhaps the best testament to the visceral brilliance of the veteran Japanese noise-rockers. Mixing their “traditional” (but still ear-splitting) fare with their more offbeat sonic experiments (including a series of 7-second songs during the encore), they’re not a band for the light-hearted, but for those who can handle the punishment they make all other music seem weaksauce in comparison.

(Photo: Sukesukesue (Flickr))
NO CARS (London Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes, 09/10/10)



All-girl Japanese three-piece, playing shambolic but strangely endearing lofi 60’s-influenced pop-rock. Worth it for the bewildering banter alone.
GIRLS’ NAMES (Stoke Newington Drop, 08/10/10)



I don’t actually remember much about this gig, but I do recall Peep Holes started promisingly before technical problems scuppered their set. *Think* I enjoyed Girls’ Names, but I also think I’d drunk quite a bit by that stage...
OF MONTREAL (London Koko, 06/10/10)



Review: HERE

(Photo: Anika Mottershaw)
OCEANSIZE (London Koko, 01/10/10)



Yndi Halda are one of the best post-rock bands in the UK, which made it particularly gutting that they were cut off 20 minutes into their set for the breathtakingly mediocre TTNG, one of those identikit math rock bands I thought (and hoped) disappeared circa 2005. As for Oceansize…they were alright, I guess.

(Photo: Sicksadlittleworld (Flickr))
BLONDE REDHEAD (London Shepherd’s Bush Empire, 29/09/10)



Review: HERE

(Photo: Ely Collini (Flickr)
!!! (Toronto Lee’s Palace, 26/09/10)



Indie-funk madness complete with Nic Offer’s idiosyncratic shape-throwing, in one of the best venues in the Western Hemisphere. Coming from a city where the trend is towards soulless corporate outfits, it’s refreshing to see that slightly dingy, really atmospheric independent venues like Lee's Palace still exist.

(Photo: Brian St. Denis (Flickr))
SEA WOLF (New York Knitting Factory, 20/09/10)



Eh *shrugs*.

(Photo: Amanda M Hatfield (Flickr))
OF MONTREAL (New York Terminal 5, 18/09/10)



Similar to this, but with more Janelle Monae, Michael Jackson covers and pig fellatio. God bless you, Kevin Barnes.

(Photo: Teresa Christi (Flickr))
BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE (New York Central Park, 18/09/10)



Like this, but in New York. Can't complain.

(Photo: Marshponds (Flickr))
PAVEMENT (New York Central Park, 21/09/10)



The Official First Pavement Reunion Gig (well, the first to be announced anyway) turned out to be the best of the four I’ve seen this year - for once, Malkmus didn’t seem to resent being there, the setlist was unimpeachable and the sound exceptional for an outdoor show. A fantastic way to wrap up my first ever visit to the Big Apple.

(Photo: Spiral-Stairs (Flickr))
DAN DEACON (London Fabric, 16/09/10)



The first solo DD show I’ve seen, and although mega-fun-times were still had, it paled in comparison to last year’s phenomenal ensemble performances. Then again, he did play Wham City, and Wham City = OMFGAMAZEBALLS.

(Photo: Tim Boddy (Flickr))
END OF THE ROAD FESTIVAL (Larmer Park Gardens, 10/09/10-12/09/10)



EOTR, then. Must admit I wasn't all that excited about the prospect beforehand, but I have no hesitation in saying it's by far the best music festival I've ever had the pleasure of attending. The setting is beautiful, the atmosphere relaxed, the clientele mixed but non-twattish, the food sublime (buffalo burgers FTW!), the weather unobjectionable and apparently there were some bands and shit too. It's difficult to list all the highlights of an incredible weekend, but a few that come to mind are:

- Watching Up in the cinema tent on Friday morning (and Ponyo on the Saturday). Heartwarming kids' films should be a prerequisite of any festival.
- CW Stoneking's New Orleans-style blues was the perfect musical start to the day; he's an excellent raconteur too.
- Freelance Whales mostly lived up to expectations- quite a bit of filler there, but the Generator songs sounded marvellous.



- Wolf Parade's spectacular set. The vocals were a bit low in the mix, but they certainly got the crowd going. GIVE ME! YOUR EYES! and so forth.
- Hearing live renditions of “Float On” and “A Girl Like You” in the space of an hour.
- New Pornographers being the best I've ever seen them. Quality, quality setlist.
- Discovering new bands in the Big Top; Snowmen and Nurses particularly come to mind.
- Monotonix absolutely killing it. Managed to stay near the epicentre throughout, even when they ended up outside the Big Top, playing a bass-drum on top of a stack of recycling bins.
- Iron & Wine's fantastic solo set. No self-indulgent backing band this time round, he finished with “Such Great Heights,” AND he played Freebird (well, some of it.)
- Befriending Edwyn Collins' son, who apparently managed to blag a second meal ticket in the artist canteen by pretending to be one of the New Pornos.
- The late night disco in the enchanted forest, complete with illuminated dance floor. "All That She Wants" -> "Mr. Boombastic" -> "Common People" = MAXIMAL SHAPE-THROWING.
- The subsequent impromptu iPod disco established by my friends on the road back to the campsite. Highlights: an acapella Public Enemy rap-off complete with beatboxing provided by a random American; a rousing rendition of “Starman” and a bunch of randoms joining us to prance about to “Wuthering Heights” at 3 'o clock in the morning.
- Watching some random Jeffrey Lewis fanboy playing Neutral Milk Hotel covers in the woods.
- Increasingly competitive games of Giant Connect 4 in the middle of the forest.
- The last twenty minutes of Pulled Apart By Horses, even though I almost broke my nose when an overzealous fan headbutted me in the face.



- DRUM EYES! The new project of infamous Japanese/Brightonian noisemaker DJ Scotch Egg, it's basically a combination of Japanese psychedelic noise rock and Dan Deacon, and therefore my favourite thing ever.
- Sunday night's secret set at the Tipi. The Felice Brothers and Deer Tick performing old-timey revivalist singalongs? A random guy called Pete resolving his cider surplus by donating copious amounts to me? Uh, hell yes.
- Chatting with friends at 2am under the most star-filled sky I've ever seen, drinking Koppaberg whilst the sounds of Woodpigeon covering TLC's "No Scrubs" and Velvet Underground's "I'm Set Free" wafted over from the arena.

In conclusion: everyone should come to EOTR next year, because it's fucking brilliant. THAT IS ALL.

(Photos: John Gleeson)
FEVER RAY (Brixton Academy, 08/09/10)



Easily the best of the three Fever Ray sets I’ve seen, thanks to the incredible acoustics and sound mixing at the Brixton Academy. Whilst the atmospherics and unsettling costumes have always worked marvellously, their prior shows have suffered from murky, overly bass-heavy sound - tonight, however, was flawless. Whilst I’d still prefer to see The Knife do a proper London show (seriously - I’d sell my loved ones into slavery to see “We Share Our Mother‘s Health) I’ve come to warm to Karin’s new project, and to be honest, if the rumours are true that Fever Ray will be making a second album, well, I think I could live with that.

(Photo: John Gleeson)
FANG ISLAND (London Madame JoJo’s, 07/09/10)



Fang Island: basically the Mae Shi, but with the talent to match their enthusiasm. Four guitars, infectious riffs, a refreshing lack of pretension and a surplus of joie de vivre, and you’ve got one of the downright enjoyable live bands of the year.

(Photo: Zenfroglet (Flickr))