Unfortunately, my own lousy timekeeping saw to it that I missed opening drone merchant Charles Dexter Ward, however I did show up on time to catch the group who initiated the night's proceedings - the ever-excellent Parastatic. Optimised by their customary strobe and shimmering sea of reverb, the trio's eclectic marriage of robo rhythms and drawn-out celestialism essentially melds the sonic imprint of Jason Pierce with more familiar kraut reference points (Nue! Can, etc) to powerful and often mesmerising effect. With new single 'Oscillations' (preceding their second LP, due later this year) among the highlights, the coming months promise much for an outfit whose next hometown appearance can't come soon enough.
Of course, were we to embark on a fully fledged debate regarding the region's most exciting live propositions, you can bet that the group sitting atop this bill would also feature prominently. Comprised of drummer Andrew Hodson and multi-instrumentalist Steve Jefferis, Warm Digits are very much champions of the genre's more propulsive face; the former providing the engine room with a frantic percussive charge, the latter focusing and fleshing-out the vigour with an array of guitars and electronics. Building gradually throughout their 50-minute stay, the duo's dynamic sonic pallet and trademark cowbell gallop were as infectious as they were enthralling, and had the ram-packed crowd moving long before they'd gathered a head of steam. Indeed, with the UK experiencing something of a kraut boom, you'd be hard pushed to find two more fulfilling contemporary outfits, nor a finer night on which to sample their respective talents.
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Official website
Parastatic
Official website
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