FEBRUARYCLUB
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01
RAE MORRIS £11
04
Womenfolk Tour 2015
KATHRYN WILLIAMS, MAZ
O’CONNOR, GEORGIA RUTH £10
06
ABANDON SILENCE 5:3 w/ FCL
(SAN SODA & RED D) £14
07
SPEAKEASY feat. THE DUB PISTOLS
11
THE WAVE PICTURES £9
13
ITCHY FEET £8
18
KATE TEMPEST £12.50
20
THE SUNDOWNERS £8
22
BLOSSOMS w/THE VRYLL SOCIETY £7
26
LIVERPOOL INTERNATIONAL JAZZ
£13
FESTIVAL - GOGO PENGUIN £11
performance does little to refute this thought.
Sounding a bit like a more studio-polished
Television, their songs are packed with disjointed
guitar riffs and minimalist percussion. Indeed,
front man Charlie Boyer's lyrics show more than
a splattering of Tom Verlaine's seedy, twilight
ramblings. In no place is this more evident than
on catchy single Stunners, a song apparently
penned about a notorious transvestite strip club
in the east end.
Undoubtedly, the songs are entertaining
and interesting, having clearly been cultivated
by a collective theatrical/art-school mind-set.
However, whilst creating an image and aesthetic
for a musical project is a well-tested formula,
as the set rumbles on it becomes hard not to
adopt a jaded attitude to the overly affected
expressions and movements on-stage. Yes, Lou
Reed wore a turtleneck and yes, it was cool.
But he also wrote some of the best albums in
popular music. It is becoming clear why the NME
has taken such a liking to them.
Music-world-weariness aside, there are some
genuinely good songs on display, and second
single England Sings Rhubarb Rhubarb is
probably the highlight. Essentially a microcosm
of what this band are about, it encapsulates
the raw musical elements and buried pop
sensibilities that have been present throughout
the show. With a synthesised string section just
below the jagged riffs and popping bass lines,
the track has a gloomy, cabaret quality that
would not sound out of place in aforementioned
transvestite strip club.
While the rest of the members are content
to examine their shoes, Boyer makes for an
engaging front man. Clearly this is his band but
it must be taken into consideration that their
name used to be Charlie Boyer and The Voyeurs,
and was shortened to its current length for their
latest release, signalling a shift perhaps in the
songwriting dynamic.
All in all it has been a fairly forgettable
gig, overshadowed by affectation. Image and
branding in music is of course not always a
negative, and some of the greatest and most
inventive acts have embraced it wholeheartedly
and successfully. It is, however, a trope that
some fall into a little too deeply and eagerly,
drawing attention away from their music when
it is supposed to do exactly the opposite. A quick
glance at The Voyeurs' list of upcoming shows
suggests that they have a bright immediate
future. Tonight's performance just makes you
wonder for what aspect of their appeal the
audiences will be applauding.
Alastair Dunn
RØDHÅD
Mr Paul – Lauren Lo Sung
Waxxx @ Camp And Furnace
Having made his name as an after-hours
specialist in the confines of Berlin’s legendary
Berghain, RØDHÅD can now count himself as a
member of the techno big league. Though he
has been part of the fabric in his home city’s
nightlife scene since the turn of the millennium,
it was not until 2012, with the launch of his
own label, that the rest of the world began to
take notice. Dystopian Records has released
tracks from newcomers like Alex Do and an
established name in Recondite but, importantly,
has been the key imprint for Rødhåd himself,
whose brand of tough, hypnotising techno has
seen his productions garner significant praise
and support from his fellow DJs.
Last year, Rødhåd debuted in Resident
Advisor’s respected Top 100 DJs list at #38,
above the likes of Jeff Mills and Levon Vincent.
In this year’s poll, the results of which were
released on the eve of his Liverpool debut,
he sits at #9, testament to the way in which
his deep, atmospheric sets have hypnotised
people across the continent. Known to play for
up to ten hours on home turf, the man himself
has insisted on playing for at least three hours
for Waxxx tonight, in their new home, the
reincarnated HAUS, now situated upstairs at
Camp And Furnace.
As we enter, Waxxx resident DJ MR PAUL has
just launched into his warm-up set. Showcasing
a diverse selection of tracks from across the
techno spectrum, he effortlessly swings from
the groove of Alan Fitzpatrick’s Skekis to the
frantic assault of Surgeon’s Magneze.
Rødhåd’s set over the next three hours makes
it clear why he is such a universally respected DJ.
Relying less on big hitters, the focus is drawn
to his flawless, machine-like mixing and the
ease with which he creates and modulates the
atmosphere in the rave.
Though not as frantic as a set from UK acts
such as Surgeon or Dave Clarke, his sound is
tougher than many of his fellow Berghaindwellers such as Ben Klock or Marcel Dettmann,
but, while the kick drums hit hard, Rødhåd is
known for crafting and playing techno built
around hypnotic, looping melodies. Tonight he
rolls them out with a clear mastery of his art,
on a number of occasions mixing three tracks
at once. Forget Tiësto, Castles In The Sky and
Kevin & Perry, this is real trance music, drawing
you in, lulling you, allowing a sudden change
in dynamic to hit you all the harder when he
decides it is time to move things in a different
direction.
Moments that stand out as clear highlights
are notable in that they involve tracks released
through his own label, Dystopian; ø[phase]’s
remix of Rødhåd’s own Haumea, with its
juddering halt halfway through, is a perfect
example of the kind of dynamic switch-up
mentioned above but, ten minutes before the
end, it is the menacing tones of Recondite’s
EC10 that really spills drinks. Throughout the
night, despite the atmospherically cold and dark
sounds he pushes, the red-haired giant grins
from ear to ear. Seemingly lost in the music