Upset the Rhythm
Previously on this blog, regular readers might have spotted an entry in which I lamented the fact that the band Ut have never reformed; in fact, I may have claimed that Ut and Abba are the only two bands left who haven't reformed. That was a lie, and all the more so because Ut are now touring again, and I know this because, reader, I saw them. At the Lexington, in London.
Before them was a duo called Peepholes. A woman who looked a bit like Dave Grohl drummed and 'sang' through a mike so echo-laden that anything she said outside of the performance was entirely incomprehensible (as was, naturally, everything within the performance). Meanwhile, a tall skinny guy layered big slabs of synth over the top. The echo made it all sound as though it was coming from a long way off - about 1980, I'd say.
Trash Kit were a more engaging prospect. They have met both Pedro Almodovar and John Waters, the lead singer announced excitedly. That was almost enough to win me over in itself (she even looked a bit like Almodovar) but I also liked the wonky guitar playing underpinning the short, scrappy, upbeat songs. One was about going to the hairdresser's and they try and straighten your hair - oh yeah tell me about it sister - but the song was basically just: 'No, stop it, aaaaagh!' Which anyone can identify with.
Not a patch on Ut though. Ut really do come from the past, they aren't pretending. Originally they were part of the New York's 'No Wave' scene, which was a bit like the New Wave, but more, er, negative. In fact, its general disinterest in things like 'songs' and 'melody' made tonight's many 'tuning problems' onstage seem a bit ironic. Not that I cared. I mean, here they were: Nina (the nervy one), Jacqui (the sceptical one) and Sally (the customer-facing one). Nina and Sally wore garishly-patterned and quite possibly wipe-clean clothing, which was either an ironic post-feminist statement or the height of fashion. Or both. As previously mentioned, there were many pauses between songs, but it was worth the wait. One of the best things about Ut is that they have three distinct and striking voices - Nina's howl of despair, Jacqui's angst-ridden yelp, and Sally's mellow-but-tough transcendent croon. Mirroring, I like to think, the three stages of catharsis, even though 'the three stages of catharsis' are something I just invented. I expect.
Three women with great voices, then - they'd go down a storm on X-Factor, and they even have the song for it:
'Going down down to the marketplace,
Gonna learn to lie like an evangelist.'
The campaign for Christmas number one starts - and ends - here.
Before them was a duo called Peepholes. A woman who looked a bit like Dave Grohl drummed and 'sang' through a mike so echo-laden that anything she said outside of the performance was entirely incomprehensible (as was, naturally, everything within the performance). Meanwhile, a tall skinny guy layered big slabs of synth over the top. The echo made it all sound as though it was coming from a long way off - about 1980, I'd say.
Trash Kit were a more engaging prospect. They have met both Pedro Almodovar and John Waters, the lead singer announced excitedly. That was almost enough to win me over in itself (she even looked a bit like Almodovar) but I also liked the wonky guitar playing underpinning the short, scrappy, upbeat songs. One was about going to the hairdresser's and they try and straighten your hair - oh yeah tell me about it sister - but the song was basically just: 'No, stop it, aaaaagh!' Which anyone can identify with.
Not a patch on Ut though. Ut really do come from the past, they aren't pretending. Originally they were part of the New York's 'No Wave' scene, which was a bit like the New Wave, but more, er, negative. In fact, its general disinterest in things like 'songs' and 'melody' made tonight's many 'tuning problems' onstage seem a bit ironic. Not that I cared. I mean, here they were: Nina (the nervy one), Jacqui (the sceptical one) and Sally (the customer-facing one). Nina and Sally wore garishly-patterned and quite possibly wipe-clean clothing, which was either an ironic post-feminist statement or the height of fashion. Or both. As previously mentioned, there were many pauses between songs, but it was worth the wait. One of the best things about Ut is that they have three distinct and striking voices - Nina's howl of despair, Jacqui's angst-ridden yelp, and Sally's mellow-but-tough transcendent croon. Mirroring, I like to think, the three stages of catharsis, even though 'the three stages of catharsis' are something I just invented. I expect.
Three women with great voices, then - they'd go down a storm on X-Factor, and they even have the song for it:
'Going down down to the marketplace,
Gonna learn to lie like an evangelist.'
The campaign for Christmas number one starts - and ends - here.
posted by martin at 3:39 PM
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