A tragic chronicle of OBSESSION, PASSION and INCIPIENT TINNITUS from a man Zach Condon once referred to as a "bum".
Monday, May 13, 2013
KISHI BASHI (London Lexington, 10/05/13)
Owen Pallett and Andrew Bird, step aside - a new
contender for King of the Violin Loopers has emerged. K. Ishibashi's
fiddle playing might not be quite as technically astounding as his more established peers, but his mixture of deliriously joyful orchestral pop, beatboxing and improv is so damn wonderful, it simply doesn't matter.
THE KNIFE (London Roundhouse, 09/05/13)
For years, The Knife had resided near the top of my bucket list of bands I want to see before I die, but having read recent reviews of their “Shaking The Habitual Tour”, I'd tempered my expectations quite dramatically. “Worst show ever”, said some. “A sixth form liberal arts performance,” said others. “Riverdance for cunts,” exclaimed one particularly forthright member of the Twitterati. And you know what- I can understand those points of view. It wasn't a live gig as such. It was a bunch of people in shiny costumes, dancing to mostly prerecorded backing tracks, with some pretty funky lighting. And I enjoyed it greatly.
If I'd been standing further back, or hadn't been previously aware of the “unique” nature of the show, I might have had a significantly more negative opinion. But near the barrier, the sound was crisp, clear and loud, the visuals mesmerising (if not as innovative as the Knife think they are), and the atmosphere was decent enough for a London crowd. It had a fair few flaws- it's a shame they didn't make more use of the cool instruments they employed for the first few songs, there's no real excuse for the lack of live vocals, some bits were inarguably lame (when the band left the stage for ten minutes leaving nothing but the backing track, the choreography for “Full of Fire” and the song that immediately followed) and overall, it probably wasn't worth the £30 asking price. But when you're faced with the full might of “Silent Shout” blasting at a gazillion decibels with SPINNING RAINBOW LASERS encompassing their entirety of your vision, its possible to forgive The Knife pretty much anything.
From their albums, one might be forgiven for thinking Parenthetical Girls would be prissy, reserved live performers. In reality, they're the complete opposite. Zac Pennington struts around the stage, off the stage, on the sound deck and the bar like a camp American Jarvis Cocker. Old songs are given livelier, more muscular arrangements without compromising their beauty. People actually dance a little rather than sagely stroking their beards or crossing their arms in an “I'm too cool to be impressed” manner. It's all really rather excellent.
CHILLY GONZALES (London Cadogan Hall, 30/04/13)
Part recital, part lecture on musical theory, all masterclass of showmanship, Chilly Gonzales proved that solo piano performances can be technically dazzling, innovative, educational and a hell of a lot of fun all at the same time. It's hard to sum up all the genius moments of this show – the understated but clever visuals, the well-judged and hilarious moments of audience participation, his fascinating and deeply-informed talks on subjects like the emotional appeal of arpeggios (referencing Frere Jacques, Glenn Miller and Daft Punk)- but the greatest thing about it is that it all served to augment, rather than distract from, the quality of his own musical talents. A evening of genuine brilliance.
