From Richard Barnett Sent Mon, Jun 22nd 1998, 18:16
From Richard Barnett Sent Mon, Jun 22nd 1998, 18:16
Plone, Broadcast, Autechre, Plaid Queen Elizabeth Hall, London 20th June This is only a micro-review because the event was my first introduction to Plaid (beyond any compilation tracks I might have heard), Broadcast, and Plone (to be expected as they've yet to release). In fact, I'm going to omit Broadcast and Plaid so that someone more familiar with their oeuvres can comment -- to me, both were OK but didn't make me want to rush out & buy albums. Kickoff was 10pm; John Peel spoke very briefly & handed over to Plone. They used lots of "cheesy" organ sounds, 50s sci-fi noises, and early-Casio Latin percussion sounds, plus some kicking loops & rumbling bass. Some pieces had a fairground sound to them; in general less bass- or drum-oriented than much "IDM" music. Some very good stuff -- overall a retro feel; a friend commented that it was kind of like a 50s prediction of the music of the future. They played until 10.45. In between the sets Warp videos and tracks were played; I was particularly glad to see "Second bad vilbel" (stunning), "On" and "Donkey rhubarb". Oh, and on the way in there were people handing out WAP100 keyrings, stickers, & sweets, and postcards for the new Autechre album. (But there were no Warp/Autechre T-shirts or other merchandise on sale.) Broadcast started at 11 & played until 11.45. Autechre started at 12 and played in complete darkness for 55 minutes. It was the first time I've seen them live, having managed to miss them with depressing frequency for years, but I love all their releases. I was quite shocked, therefore, to find myself disappointed by the set. Firstly, it was as if they'd turned the tempo of their sequencers up to 11; the set was considerably faster than any of their released tracks. (This was particularly noticeable when "Second bad vilbel" was played after their set.) Secondly -- possibly due to the first factor -- I didn't recognise a single track (though I noticed a familiar chord sequence, and some of the rhythm from "Clipper"). That's not to say I didn't enjoy the set -- just that I expected something very different. Pieces were long, and used the rhythmic mutation of "Chiastic Slide"; they were ultra-complex, often loud and discordant, and always interesting. Are all their live sets like this? Plaid played from 1am until 2. Hmm. Maybe not such a micro-review after all. -- Richard