TUESDAY 21st July 2009
Times : 8pm
Tickets : £6
In the twelve years since Mike Ward and Mike Cross began working as Longstone they have been busy. Without the luxury of a major label budget they have released 6 albums, 2 studio mini albums, 2 live recordings (their performance at the New York CMJ festival (10”) and Live at Highbury Garage with Will Sergeant) and have contributed a multitude of tracks to assorted independent 7”, compilation and fanzine releases. They also play live around the U.K. on a regular basis (including appearances at the 2008 Cheltenham Jazz festival and Stranger songs festival) both as Longstone and in other guises, including The Serpents and Brickwerk. They have worked with other artists and musicians including Will Sergeant, Sonic Boom and Paul Simpson and are currently collaborating with members of the Guillemots on studio and live projects.
This time round sees the launch of their latest album Kabuki on Ochre Records.If you were at any of last year’s gigs, then this album comes very close to representing the recent live sound of the band. The experimental electronica of Mike Cross and Mike Ward blends organically with improvised woodwind, percussion, and guitar, creating a fascinating suite of music - ranging from alien soundscapes, through to Krautrock infused, beat driven workouts.
When not playing with Longstone the other band members are equally busy performing, recording and collaborating with many other acts;
Chris Cundy - The Guillemots, Grace and Delete, Gannets, Courtesy Group, Nik Turner and many more.
Kev Fox - 90 Degrees South, The Serpents, Brickwerk
Steve Moody - Silverman, Brickwerk
Stuart Wilding - numerous improv groups and performers including Keith Tippett, Lol Coxhill, Hugh Metcalf
http://www.longstoned.com
http://www.myspace.com/longstone
Eidetic Band
Following their first release on Bo’ Weavil records in 2006 and two subsequent self released albums, Eidetic Band (now consisting of JDunn, JBrown, ARees) took two years away from playing live. In this period they studied phenomena whose circumstances demonstrated aformal, consistent principles of composition. These included among other things - the improvised genetic distributions of sonic bacteria and the harmonic interactions of intensifying climatic systems.
Principally deploying hoodoo chang ba and drone styles of playing, EB’s improvisations for this Café Oto performance will take inspiration from the songs of the Sawaba weavers of the Ulhiz valley in Central Asia, who believe that their songs are visiting forms of life from planes located just beyond human visibility (the Sawaba say that these are literally located between 15° and 17.5° lateral to human visibility).
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