It’s been a bastard of a week and so what better way to wind down than in the Leeds’ gig-goers’ favourite venue, The Brudenell Social Club. At just after 8:40pm, the early gatherers are faced with RANDOM NUMBER, a one man, some pedals, double laptop and mixer nodding dog machinedroid. Samples are looped, stretched, pitch shifted, filtered and looped again for good measure, with bass dropping in and out in a Kraftwerk fights Dr Who in your face sort of way. For those of you who turned up late, you luckily missed the annoying bastards talking over the top of what Dr Random is doing. What he’s doing, in the week that we celebrate 50 years since Sputnik 1 starting scaring the shit out the Western world, is something approaching the pushing of a Quack Quack keyboard riff to its logical electrospaceprog conclusion. Finally, the backing track of annoying speech fucks off and we can enjoy the rest of the set.
Next up we have the girl/boy duo that is PIFCO, boy doing shouting and guitar, girl doing a job that an octopus might struggle with as drummer, synth player and vox, top work. The songs on offer are short, snotty, start, make their points and fuck off into the night in search of people who talk at gigs while bands are on, in order to cut their still talking tongues from their heads. There’s a Rickenbacker being here, but fortunately it’s played in the way Fugazi play Rickenbackers. I’m getting a feeling of Sonic Youth, and this is a good feeling.
ILL EASE is a 1 woman, guitar loop setting up, drumming alt rock sensation, pop pickers. It’s pretty frenetic stuff, played with pleasure and wanders in and out of time with itself, giving some weird effects, but the time thing never bothered John Lee Hooker, so why should we get mithered about it? Bass loops are them added, and the atmosphere moves in a Breeders-y direction, but the punk rock idea is still there. Some audience members nod their heads, some gyrate and tap their feet haphazardly, some shake small shaky things, good on them. Oddball, odd, and hatstandingly ace.
|
Before PRAM take to the stage, my mind is wandering over the reminiscing going on on the Leeds Music Scene Forum board about PRAM at the Cockpit 13 years back. A collection of aging farts, your scribe included, can trace 1 strand of their musical appreciation to this very band, and for that, we must be thankful. For the first song performed tonight, we get a bit of everything instrument-wise, and there are a lot of instruments onstage, drums, bass, guitar, keys, laptop, theremin, melodica and naturally trombone, all say hello.
As “The Owl Service” drifts from the PA, it’s obvious that atmosphere is the name of the game, and I want to play the game with you. Which is ironic of course, cos the natural place to get this atmosphere, space, wouldn’t allow you to hear the songs at all. Let’s not get too hung up on this, and just enjoy what’s taking place. We are on Earth and we can hear their songs. Lie back, open your ears and let your brain fill up with cosmic pop. It’s very good for you. Some songs are short and instrumental, some are longer and with vocals, all are ace, and perfectly complemented by the projections behind. After an hour or so and 2 encores, the evening closes and another eclectic mix at the Brudey ends. No chaff, good night.
|
