A blog on gigs, music, art and London.

Wednesday 31 March 2010

Céleste Boursier-Mougenot commission, The Curve, Barbican Centre

I went to The Curve gallery at the Barbican yesterday to see the much talked about current commission by French artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot where tiny zebra finches "play" electric guitars, basses and cymbals. The accompanying notes explained how Boursier-Mougenot is interested in creating works inspired by the natural rhythms of daily life to produce an auditory, participatory experience.

The queue to enter on Tuesday evening wasn't too bad, I had seen some very long queues over previous weekends.

The installation begins in darkness, with black and white images of hands playing guitars projected on to the walls of The Curve. As you move towards the far end of The Curve the light increases and you get a first glimpse of the birds and instruments.
The birds fly freely around the gallery space, occasionally land and hop along a guitar or rest upon an upturned cymbal to take some food or water. Sometimes they perch on a wall edge or the sand below the instruments.

As they bounce gently along the specially-tuned guitar strings the sounds are emitted from speakers around the gallery. Most of the guitar chords are fairly quiet and brief but occasionally a loud chord fires out, much to everyone's satisfaction.



I've never seen so many people simultaneously smiling at an art exhibition.

After I returned home I realised that the commission reminded me of a previous Curve installation by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, (which i posted about here), where the movement of the visitor influenced the sounds that were generated. Another brilliant installation at The Curve, then. It seems that the space is ideally suited to such interactive installations.

Abdullah Ibrahim's Ekaya, The Barbican, 30/03/10

I was at the Barbican yesterday to see South African jazz pianist Abdullah Ibrahim and his band Ekaya play a rare live show. My busy schedule and an element of gig-fatigue had combined to make me consider missing this concert but I am pleased I was able to make it. I have to confess to never having listened to any of Abdullah Ibrahim's music before and largely went out of curiosity and what I had ready about his music / reputation.

The concert began with Ibrahim alone on stage, playing some soft, gentle piano which projected an air of stillness and calm across the Barbican hall. The introduction of the double bass and percussion added an extra dimension to the sound but the playing continued in patient, restrained, almost meditative style. The subsequent appearance of the saxophones, trombone and flute completed the band and provided some smooth, unobtrusive melodic lines.

The concert continued in similar fashion, the pace generally remaining laid-back and mellow, and only periodically being broken by the saxophones gradually rising to assume a more dominant position. Ibrahim seemed content for the piano to take a back seat, and allow his band to almost play around him in effortless, mellifluous fashion.

It was an enjoyable set, very accomplished and easy to listen to. I do love the knowledgeable, mid-set applauding of adept solos or impressive segues that you only get at a jazz concert.

I will definitely aim to pick up one or two of his many albums over forthcoming months...

Sunday 28 March 2010

Florian Hecker sound installation, The Chisenhale Gallery

After leaving The Whitechapel Art Gallery I headed to The Chisenhale Gallery in Mile End to catch the current Florian Hecker sound installation. The installation features a number of small speakers hanging from the ceiling which play four electroacoustic pieces that focus on the relationship between sound, perception and locality.

I caught the end of the first piece which featured disembodied, distorted voices. The second piece started with crisp and slightly jarring beats. Single notes and amalgamated sounds soon took over and began to rotate around the three centrally positioned speakers, ricocheting around the large, minimalist gallery space. Mildly disoreinting, individual blocks of noise appeared to swell and escalate until they suddenly broke off from the main body of reverberating sound. In the third piece fragmented splinters of sound are fired against ceramic tiles on one of the gallery walls. The fourth piece was centred around a series of quickening sounds that were played from five small hanging speakers. Your location in the gallery determined the exact auditory experience received (this was applicable to all four pieces but especially so here). Ambitious, challenging sound art. Very good indeed.  



Where Three Dreams Cross: 150 Years of Photography from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Whitechapel Art Gallery

I went along to the Whitechapel Art Gallery earlier today to see the current exhibition 'Where Three Dreams Cross: 150 Years of Photography from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh'

The totally refurbished gallery was unrecognisable from my last visit there in 2008. The exhibition features a series of photographs from photographers born in the subcontinent, very roughing divided into five themes - The Portrait, The Performance, The Family, The Body Politic and The Street.


I enjoyed the black and white photographs which seemed to be more evocative, strange I suppose when they are capturing scenes from three countries where colour and vibrancy seem to be omnipresent. Even the modern black and white shots seemed to belong to another distant era. I particularly liked the shots of artists, musicians and filmstars. I thought these belonged to section on 'The Portrait', but later realised these were part of 'The Performance' theme. This almost indistinguishable merging of themes continued later with 'The Body Politic' and 'The Street' sections, both containing outdoor scenes ranging from agrarian workers to urban social protest. I couldn't help agreeing with Time Out's comments on how disparate and unorganised the exhibition seemed to be. Most photographs could quite easy be placed into any of the five themes. Still, the exhibition contained some beautiful images and it was good to visit the gallery to see art as opposed to live music.

Friday 26 March 2010

Tindersticks, Shepherds Bush Empire, 24/03/10

I was at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire on Wednesday night to see Tindersticks. It was the 4th time I had seen them after previous visits to the Royal Albert Hall in 2000, the Barbican in 2005 (when they performed “Tindersticks II” as part of the Don’t Look Back series) and Union Chapel in 2008. I arrived early to claim a front row seat in Level 1 (possibly one of the best places to watch a concert from in London??).


Over previous weeks I had been enjoying the recurring lyrical themes which crop up throughout the Tindersticks songs – holes in shoes, 'pretending', sex, male guilt, separation, unrequited love, crying, relationship failure, melancholy etc. Quite a few of these made their way into tonight’s set (I enjoyed how “A Night In” and “Harmony Around My Table” sat next to each other, the both lyrics dealing with holes-in-shoes). Sometimes I think I could write a full blog post just on the lyrics of the Tindersticks. Maybe I will some day...


They opened with the jazzy textures of “Falling Down A Mountain”, closely followed by the delicate, quiet soul of “Keep You Beautiful”. We also got the brooding drama of “Bathtime” & “Dying Slowly” and the lugubrious beauty of “The Other Side Of The World”. An atmospheric, rumbling version of “Marbles” was also performed.


The centre of their set featured two highlights from the new album. We got the exquisite subtlety of “Peanuts”, Stuart Staples’ rich, wavering voice delivering lines such as “I know you love peanuts” with the soulful depth that some other singers could spend a lifetime striving towards. Next was “Factory Girls”, with its sparse, hushed arrangements.

The understated, cinematic noir of instrumental “Hubbard’s Hill” also found a place in the set as did the sophisticated almost-soul-pop of “Black Smoke”. “Harmony Around My Table” closed the set in upbeat style.

I may be getting this slightly wrong but I think the first encore consisted of “No Man In The World” and the hit-that-never-was “Can We Start Again?” 

They came back on for a second encore, playing the sublime “City Sickness” followed by “Raindrops”.

The inclusion of the cello did a pretty good job of replicating the orchestral sound of their albums, especially on set-highlights such as “A Night In”. The band were on confident form throughout and Stuart appeared to be enjoying the gig (despite some grumbles over Shepherd’s Bush).

So, overall a brilliantly judged set from a great band. I went there expecting them to play material largely from their last two albums, but the set included a generous selection from their back catalogue.

Set List (I may have got the order wrong in places but all of the below were definitely played)

Falling Down A Mountain
Keep You Beautiful
Sometimes It Hurts
Bathtime
The Other Side Of The World
Dying Slowly
Hubbard’s Hill
Peanuts
Factory Girls
Marbles
Black Smoke
A Night In
Harmony Around My Table

No Man In The World
Can We Start Again?

City Sickness
Raindrops

On leaving, I picked up a copy of the gig-only CD “Tindersticks Live In Glasgow” and, brilliantly, for the first time in over a decade got one of the bootleg T Shirts being sold outside the venue. Only 40 more days until I see them again at Le Bataclan in Paris and on this form I simply can’t wait.

As an aside - it was good to see David Kitt performing as part of the band. If you aren’t familiar with him, and are curious, I would recommend checking out some of his brilliant solo albums. That guy has one beautiful voice.

As another aside – I calculated that Tindersticks were (I think) the 22nd band I have seen headline the Shepherds Bush Empire. For those interested the others were: Mercury Rev (4 times), Low (3 times), Yo La Tengo (2 times), Big Star, Sufjan Stevens, Midlake, Mogwai, PJ Harvey, Stereolab, Tortoise, Calexico, Cat Power, Lucinda Williams, Sigur Ros, The Charlatans, Badly Drawn Boy, Primal Scream, Embrace, Weezer, The La’s and Half Man Half Biscuit. Supporting these I have seen (amongst others) Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, Broadcast, Doves & Teddy Thompson.

Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra, Camden Electric Ballroom, 23/03/10

On Tuesday evening I was at the Electric Ballroom in Camden to see Canadian post-apocalyptic chamber-rock ensemble Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra. I had seen them play the Union Chapel way back in 2001 when they were still a Godspeed You! Black Emperor side project.

On Tuesday their line up consisted of electric guitar, double bass, two violins and drums. The show demonstrated the extent to which they have changed their sound from purely instrumental chamber-post-rock to a louder, song-based sound bordering on alternative rock (albeit a wayward, ragged version).


They opened with ‘I Built Myself A Metal Bird’ which segued into ‘I Fed My Metal Bird The Wings Of Other Metal Birds’, the electric violin playing out jagged, blistering riffs over Efrim’s cracked, raw vocals. ‘There Is A Light’ followed with it’s slow-building accumulations of orchestrated intensity. 'God Bless Our Dead Marines' with its beautiful, closing vocal refrain was a highlight. They closed their main set with an epic version of current album closer ‘Piphany Rambler’ and a spinetinglingly good ‘A Million Died To Make This Sound’. They played ‘Microphones In The Trees’ as an encore. Overall, a very good gig indeed which seemed to get better the longer they played. I got the moments of super-charged intensity that I went there hoping for.

Throughout the set Efrim engaged in occasionally entertaining dialogue with the crowd. His first attempt went something like this:

Efrim: “So, does anyone have anything to say?”
Voice from crowd: “Bring back Godspeed!”
Efrim: “Aww, man....you fuckin’ bring back Godspeed…..it’s not hard….only 4 chords and a looong runway….”

Lots of similar examples (that I can’t quite fully remember) cropped up throughout the evening, including a 'Save 6 Music' shout from a member of the crowd. I don’t remember Efrim being so laconic during his GYBE days...

He dedicated ‘A Million Died…’ to Nina Simone, Joe Strummer & Arthur Lee amongst many others and invited members of the crowd to suggest others. Mark Linkous got a shout as did Alex Chilton (but Efrim failed to hear that one).

Set List

I Built Myself A Metal Bird
I Fed My Metal Bird The Wings Of Other Metal Birds
There Is A Light
God Bless Our Dead Marines
‘Piphany Rambler
A Million Died To Make This Sound

Microphones In The Trees


My pre-gig iPod Playlist:

Tindersticks ‘Falling Down A Mountain’
Vladislav Delay ‘Tummaa’
Nico Muhly ‘Mothertongue’

Thursday 11 March 2010

London Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Adams, The Barbican, 11/03/10

I was at the Barbican for the 4th time in the space of 6 days tonight to see John Adams conduct the London Symphony Orchestra again.

The programme included 'Preludes' by Debussy, 'Valses nobles et sentimentales' by Ravel, 'Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments' by Stravinsky and the European premiere of 'City Noir' by John Adams.

The evening began with the pieces by Debussy and Ravel which I thought were subtle, occasionally being punctuated by moments of orchestral colour and dynamism. I enjoyed the next piece by Stravinsky which, as always, featured some excellent playing by a pared-down LSO. I picked up on a few noticeable Stravinsky musical traits throughout, although could not help feeling it was possibly one of his less arresting pieces.

After the interval I thought it became clear that the first three pieces were very much "supporting acts" for tonight's final piece, the performance of 'City Noir' by John Adams.

Adams was inspired to write the symphony by the films of 1940s & 1950s Los Angeles. In places it did have a distinct cinematic feel to it. I enjoyed the jazzy inflections which surfaced at the beginning and reappeared throughout the work and especially enjoyed the mountainous sonic landscapes of the second half. It all ended in a near-riotous finale. Wow.

BBC Radio 3 is broadcasting a recording on Wednesday 17th March. Click here for details.

My pre-concert iPod playlist included:

Magnus Lindberg 'Clarinet Concerto'
Einojuhani Rautavaara 'Cantus Arcticus'
György Ligeti 'Atmosphères'

Tuesday 9 March 2010

John Adams LSO Discovery Day, The Barbican, 07/03/10

I was at the Barbican for most of Sunday to immerse myself into the world of one of one of greatest living composers, John Adams.

The first part of the day was an open rehearsal by the London Symphony Orchestra for the evening concert featuring 'Four Sea Interludes' by Britten, 'Symphony No. 6' by Sibelius and the European premiere of John Adams' 'Doctor Atomic Symphony'. I caught the final part of the Britten rehearsal and all of the Sibelius. It was interesting to see Adams directly address and instruct the orchestra.

The rehearsal was followed by a Q & A session involving David Alberman and John Adams. It was an enjoyable discussion and interesting to hear John Adams talk about the creation of the symphony, how he composes, exotic musical modes/scales, the role of developing technology in modern composition, the extent to which he writes for himself/his audience and his views on Sibelius’ Symphony No. 6 (which he thought “had an aspect of clinical depression” and “had a dark cloud hovering above it").

He also talked briefly about his piece ‘On The Transmigration Of Souls’, the commission he received from the New York Philharmonic to write a piece for the victims of the World Trade Center attack. He also talked a little on the subject of film soundtracks (he doesn’t do them anymore due to the lack of control over where/how these are used in films). He did mention however that pieces of his music do feature in a film due to be released later this year called ‘I Am Love’ (which I had read about in the Curzon Cinema guide yesterday incidentally). An enormously likeable and intelligent man.

Next was a performance of Adams’ ‘Shaker Loops’ by members of the LSO at St. Luke’s. It was my first visit to St. Luke’s and I liked it – a decommissioned church that has been restored as a performance/rehearsal space. We were told a little about how ‘Shaker Loops’ was inspired by the American landscape as seen from a moving vehicle. The time it was written in 1978 coincided with his exposure to other minimalist composers such as Steve Reich and Terry Riley.

I thought it was a brilliant piece of string-based chamber-minimalism, featuring subtle rises and falls in pace. It had a distinct linear feel to it which re-emphasised the association with the idea of a journey. This was the first time I was hearing it and it reminded me of modern classical composers such as Max Richter (although chronologically I guess it should be that Max Richter reminds me of John Adams, but nevermind). I found myself being drawn in and thought it far more accessible than I had imagined.

The next part of the Discovery Day involved travelling to the Barbican Cinema 3, located in the outer-echelons of the sprawling Barbican complex to see ‘Wonders Are Many: The Making Of Doctor Atomic’ a film about the creation of Adams’ opera. It was a great, funny film, almost just as much a history of the creation of the atomic bomb as a film about how Adams and Peter Sellars created the opera.
 
The evening concert was the final event of the day. Britten's 'Four Sea Interludes' from his opera 'Peter Grimes' was the first piece played and ranged from sad and moving to lively and dramatic. On previous listens Sibelius’s Symphony No. 6 had not left as much of an impression as his other late period symphonies (4, 5 & 7 to be precise). However, tonight’s performance was different. I heard things in the live performance that I had not heard previously, especially the emergence of melodic motifs and the glacial strings of the 4th movement. There were moments of sadness but I didn't really see enough to make me agree with Adams' earlier comments on the symphony.

I have always found John Adams music to be infused with drama and excitement, huge swathes of high-energy orchestral sound interspersed with moments of calm and beauty. The 'Doctor Atomic Symphony' followed a similar theme, stormy passages being succeded by episodes of quiet reflection. The trumpet solo towards the end was beautifully played but not as prominent as that featured in one of my favourite pieces 'Quiet City' by Aaron Copland.
 
All in all, the event was a great example of what an arts organisations should aspire to – to inform, educate, inspire, excite and challenge.

Monday 8 March 2010

Portico Quartet, The Barbican, 08/03/10

I was at the Barbican for the third night running on Monday to see the forward-looking, inventive post-jazz outfit Portico Quartet. I had seen them 2 years ago playing with Basquiat Strings at Union Chapel. Tonight they played the Barbican to promote their recently released second album 'Isla'.

Tonight their tracks ranged from the free-flowing, melodic sound of pieces such as 'Paper Scissors Stone', 'The Visitor' and 'Clipper' to the quiet, abstract minimalism of 'Knee Deep In The North Sea' and 'Line'. I thought that these latter tracks sometimes almost suggested a kind of musical representation of an abstract expressionist painting. Just on the right side of inscrutable.

Whenever they are written about in the press the main focus always seems to be on the hang. It does give a nice glossy finish to their sound but for me it is the expressive, almost lyrical saxophone playing that dominates and leads the band. Their spacious, airy sound is helped by the intricate, detailed drumming and cohesive double bass. They finished with 'Dawn Patrol' and 'Steps In The Wrong Direction'. Very good.

Hummus Brothers

Before heading off to the Barbican I decided to pay a visit to another of my favourite eateries, Hummus Brothers on Wardour Street. They serve fresh, modern, Greek-inspired food with an emphasis on houmous (as you'd expect) in relaxed surroundings. Once again, I bagged a window seat (not difficult I guess as the place was empty when I entered).


I opted for the regular Fava Beans filling alongside the hummus and pitta bread. I even added the luxury of a boiled egg. For a drink I chose their homemade mint & ginger lemonade. Delicious.


The Manganiyar Seduction, Barbican Theatre, 06/03/10

My final event of the day was to be my first visit to the Barbican Theatre (as opposed to the concert hall) to see The Manganiyar Seduction, a production by Royston Abel which showcased the music of Rajasthan in spectacular, choreographed style.

The stage was set up with 33 interlocking, stacked boxes which together formed an alluring square block. Inside each box was a sitting musician/singer. The piece opened with a solitary musician playing an instrument similar to a sitar. Slowly others revealed themselves from behind the curtain. As the performance progressed various blocks of musicians began playing before retiring into darkness. The conductor/dancer/choreographer (not sure what his official title was) positioned at the front of the stage seemed to exhort sound and energy from the red grid of musicians.

The music itself was a slow building piece which melded the raw, fluctuating, near-transcendental power of the vocals with the hypnotic string and wind instruments and exhilarating percussion. It all translated into a series of energising rhythms which engulfed the theatre. It culminated in all musicians playing together in a joyous finale, an ecstatic, vibrant wall of sound.

Visually it was sumptuous, with the red curtains, glowing lights and traditional Rajasthani attire of the musicians combining to spectacular effect against the surrounding pitch black darkness.

After the performance ended Royston Abel came on stage to say a few words (including a comment about the practicalities of attempting international travel with a group of 40 plus Muslim musicians, most of which have the surname Khan, and in particular the difficulties immigration control at various airports around the world (they tour USA later this year which should be fun for them).

The show held special appeal for personal reasons in that I visited Jaisalmer, the stunning desert-city in north-west India a few years back, where most of tonight’s musicians originate from. As I sat in the Barbican Theatre I was reminded of the almost-otherworldly performance of local traditional music I witnessed on that particular cool, star-lit night in the Thar desert in October 2007.

You can see a clip of The Manganiyar Seduction on YouTube here. If you ever get a chance to see them play live you really should go.

Sunday 7 March 2010

The Road, Prince Charles Cinema, 06/03/10

I made a long overdue visit to the wonderful PCC on Saturday afternoon to see 'The Road'. I had read the novel by Cormac McCarthy (twice) so was quite interested to see how it would translate on to the big screen. I was also quite keen to check out the newly refurbished PCC (the new seats are good!).

As expected, the film was quite heavy going. And bleak. And very grey. With a heartbreaking ending.

It was almost as powerful as the novel, which I wasn't expecting. The novel deals with the relationship between the father and son with real tenderness and moves at a pace which is almost impossible to recreate on the screen I think. I also liked the space which the prose in the novel was afforded. Still, a very sad and affecting film. Probably not the best film to watch when your wife and little boy are on the other side of the world though...

The score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis was minimal and restrained in style which proved effective. It sounded like Arvo Part at times.

Bodean's

After a morning and early afternoon of cultural nourishment I was soon in need of the real thing.

But where to go?

After brief consideration I decided there was only one option - Bodean's on Poland Street in Soho.


I opted for my usual choice of regular pulled pork sandwich with fries (smothered to within an inch of their lives in barbeque sauce), pickles and a Pepsi. Delicious. I managed to secure a window seat so watched Soho go by as I ate. NBA flashed across the TV screens.


 
 

Daylight Music, Union Chapel, 06/03/10

After leaving Tate Modern I crossed the Millenium bridge and jumped on a number 4 bus, sat in the front seats upstairs and journeyed through the spacious and visually pleasing streets of Clerkenwell and Angel before finally arriving at Highbury & Islington, where I disembarked and headed towards Union Chapel for the Arctic Circle's Daylight Music event. Hybernation, Marconi Union and Grasscut were playing.

 
 

I only caught the end of Hybernation's set but it sounded nice - beautiful, organic ambient electronica.

Marconi Union played a sublime, captivating instrumental 40 minute set which transported me to some faraway place. The stillness of the sound in parts reminded me of seeing Labradford at the QEH several years ago.


Brighton based duo Grasscut were up next and offered a more song based, varied, left-of-centre sound, mixing samples with electric double bass/cello, guitars and effects. Their set included digitially processed strings, synths and vocals and touched on electronica, glitch, electro and pop, all sitting together quite well.


I will definitely be checking out more of the Daylight Music events. Where else can you sit in a beautiful Gothic church in central London, drinking coffee and listen to engaging music in the early afternoon?

Van Doesburg & The International Avant-Garde, Tate Modern, 06/03/10

I was at Tate Modern this morning to see the Van Doesburg & The International Avant-Garde exhibition. The exhibition told the story of Dutch artist Theo Van Doesburg and how he inspired and rose to be the central figure in the De Stijl art movement of the early twentieth century. It also featured several other artists, most of which were unfamiliar to me. 



I sensed immediately that it would be an exhibition I would enjoy as Van Doesburg's paintings of beautiful ordered grids and geometric forms dominated from the beginning. Some of his beautifully illuminated abstract grids followed in stained glass. I particularly liked Van Doesburg's 1917 stained glass 'Composition IV For The De Lange House'. The accompanying text suggested it could have been an attempt to portray Bach Fugues in visual form. 

I thought this was an excellent example of his unashamedly ambitious, intellectual approach to his art. This approach was shared by his contemporaries and was emphasised further as the exhibition continued in multi-disciplinary fashion. I noted that in total the exhibition included paintings, drawings, sculpture, typefaces, commercial sector advertisements, architecture, interior furnishings, film and music.


An early highlight was Van Doesburg's 'Rhythm Of A Russian Dance' of 1918, a brilliantly reductive, linear depiction that used coloured geometic blocks to portray a dispersing crowd. Bart van der Leck's series of compositions on workers leaving the factory followed in similar style, more clean, minimal reduction.

I liked how much of Van Doesburg's art may initially appear to be random or purely decorative but was actually based on figures, objects or ideas.

The show also focused on his involvement in the Dadism and Constructivist movements, highlighting his creation of the De Stijl typeface and the iconic statements that were often communicated by it. It also showcased the vivid, colourful paintings of mechanical imagery, the pieces by Victor Servanckx standing out.

Other highlights included Hans Richter's film of geometric shapes appearing on screen and Gerrit Rieveld's interior furnishings which contained impressive, small geometric detailing. 

We were also treated to a video of 'Le Ballet Mecanique', the film directed by Fernand Leger with music from avant garde composer George Antheil. The exhibition also featured Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack's visual translation of music 'Sonatine II Red', a beautiful organ piece with accompanying coloured geometric representations on screen. Musical scores by Erik Satie and Arnold Schoenberg again demonstrated the overlapping, comprehensive nature of the exhibition. The later rooms in the exhibition contained some pieces by Moholy-Nagy and also showcased Van Doesburg's late period of diagonal abstract paintings.

Overall I thought it was a brilliant exhibiton, an almost perfect example of how these should be done - multi-disciplinary, ambitious, wide-ranging and comprehensive. I could have spent hours in the exhibition and will try to return for a secind viewing over forthcoming weeks.

Saturday 6 March 2010

Field Music, The Scala, 03/03/10

I was at the Scala on Wednesday evening to see Field Music. It was the 5th time I had seen them live, following on from gigs at Water Rats, Koko (supporting Stereolab), The Borderline & The ICA.

I calculated it was the first time I had been to the Scala for over 5 years. Previous memorable gigs I've been to at the Scala include Doves, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Broadcast (twice), Super Furry Animals, Teenage Fanclub, Godspeed! You Black Emperor and Mogwai.

Support came from Lucas Renney and his band who played a set of folky guitar pop that was composed, polished and actually very good.


Field Music played a set of carefully constructed, well executed left leaning guitar rock pop that drew from all three of their albums. They started with 'Give It, Lose It, Take It' and focused on their 'Tones of Town' album early in the set. As they started to play tracks from recent album 'Measure' the guitar riffs got louder and harder, with the trademark chord progressions and tempo changes also still in place. Highlights from the new album included 'Effortlessly' & 'Something Familiar', although they opted not to play my favourite 'Curves Of The Needle'. It was good to hear 'If Only The Moon Was Up' and others from their debut album. An assured, enjoyable gig.