Sunday 10 April 2016, 5pm
Great quadruple-bill label showcase for London's Upset The Rhythm, who've been a vital part of London's music scene since their inception in 2003.
NORMIL HAWAIIANS communal take on post punk sprouted leaves from its mouth in 1982, and began carving out a new furrow. Greater emphasis was awarded to improvisation within the group and as a result their songs embarked on longer, freer journeys towards the beaten bounds. They wanted these new songs to bear the weight of their new collective spirit so comfort zones had to be left behind. Tape loops, echo boxes, extended percussive sessions and duteous faith in the tones emanating from a particular old wah-wah pedal were all employed by Normil Hawaiians to stretch their sonic fabric into wild and redolent new dimensions. Within three years the band went on to record three astonishing records, their ambitious double-LP debut ‘More Wealth Than Money’, ‘What’s Going On?’ with its radical collage of movements and ‘Return Of The Ranters’ which teamed up their free experiments in compelling arrhythmia with a more confrontational approach. Upset The Rhythm have released ‘More Wealth’ and ‘Ranters’ recently in remastered form, and this special live manifestation at Cafe OTO celebrates the reissue of 1984’s ‘What’s Going On?’ masterstroke (out June 28th). Lucid, candid, politically engaged, rarely metronomic but always humane, Normil Hawaiians conjure vast clouds of atmosphere. Their songs are bedecked with exalted synth trails, clustering guitar rapture, motorik beats, and spun-out raw polemics. Still light years ahead of us all!
BAMBOO is a sublime new project from Nick Carlisle (of Peepholes, Don’t Argue) and Rachel Horwood (of Trash Kit, Halo Halo). Their music is vivid and deeply poignant, locking into a magnetic attraction between between Rachel’s flawlessly resonant folk cadence and Nick’s pristine synth pop production. Far from being a one off, or dare we say side-project, BAMBOO is very much a fully realised pursuit, with the band working on multiple records simultaneously from their Brighton and London base camps. ‘Prince Pansori Priestess’ is the first album to see the light from this pairing of talents (out now on Upset The Rhythm). ‘Prince Pansori Priestess’ was recorded between spring 2014 to spring 2015, this was before the band expanded to a four piece for live performances, showcasing BAMBOO as a very original duo with a sound-world very much their own. It feels very pure, prismatic and even mystical at moments without losing any of its human touch.
http://www.bamboosongs.co.uk/
THE WHARVES combine gracefully minimal psyche-rock with fuzzed out folk. Their songwriting remains consistently rich, largely due to the startling harmonies of Gemma Fleet (bass) and Dearbhla Minogue (guitar) that bond together each song. They invoke the reverberated spook of 60s girl groups, the mid-fi guitar crunch of Kim Deal’s The Amps, the vocal flavours of The Roches and the narrative and structural panache of 70s progressive folk. Marion Andrau’s thunderous drumming drives through these compositions, ensuring the wealth of disparate influences remain focused and celebratory. Following on from last year’s brilliant ‘At Bay’ album on Gringo Records, Upset The Rhythm released a brand new 7” single recently giving all a glimpse of what their next album ‘Electa’ will sound like this year.
https://thewharves.bandcamp.com/
DOG CHOCOLATE sound like a crowded room but are actually four individuals from London. Having played in many other bands including Yeborobo, Limn and Gasp! Cracking Eggs, united they recognise Dog Chocolate as their one true love. Abandoning notions of elegance, cred and professionalism they embrace the ramshackle, instant and fun, capturing a vivid spontaneity with their music. Their sound is a shabby, fast, over-excited ball of wet fur falling down the stairs, knocking over plant pots along the way and staining the carpet. With an average song time of 2 minutes, Dog Chocolate are on to the next treat before fully digesting the last. Chewing up bits of punk, post-punk, noise and pop, Matthew and Robert’s guitars race around each other like wasps, pitch-shifting and phasing all over the place while Jono’s rolled-up-newspaper drums chase them round the room.The band's debut album 'Snack Fans' will be released through Upset The Rhythm on March 18th.
http://dogchocolate.tumblr.com/
