Saturday 14 February 2015, 8pm
The purveyors of draconis and drone altar (of Set/gheude) erectors, Skullflower will appear (with special, secret guest) at Cafe OTO on St Valentines night, for an increasingly rare (first time in albion since 2013) live ritual: an electric storm from the Hideous Plateau of Leng / West Yorkshire moors channeled through fingertips and voices, bewitched fx and howling amps, and clouds of incense.
Skullflower, one of the most important and influential British noise bands, formed in 1988. They are eternally led by Matthew Bower (Pure, Total, Sunroof!, Hototogisu, Mirag), the current lineup featuring Lee ‘Culver’ Stokoe and Samantha Davies. Recent studio recordings and concerts have featured original drummer/vocalist Stuart Dennison.
“After you pass the pain threshold and start to immerse yourself in the sound, the music becomes hallucinatory as you hear human voices, orchestras, insects, motorways, bagpipes and birdsong among the billowing amplified waves. It also evokes a surprising variety of atmospheres; from the malevolent detuned gurgle of opener ‘Cauda Draconis’, which abruptly breaks off into seething Black Metal mids before moving into the sun-stunned modal mantra of ‘Dazed Nymph In The N.O.X.’. Likewise, the second disc scales the heights of thrilling sonic brutalism with the crude wah manoeuvers of ‘Alien Awakening’, which are cut short by the blissful malfunctioning drones of ‘Autumns Trinkets’. Yet another potent recording from a true visionary.” – Norman Records, review of Draconis
