Sunn O))) - Corsica Studios 22/02/09

ONLY DEATH IS REEEEEEEAAAAAAAAALLL

As the robed protagonists take to the stage the call of a lone youngster on drugs breaks the grim theatrical atmosphere Sunn O))) just spent twenty minutes building up. And the show is all the better for it. This one off gig, celebrating a decade of extended doom, sees the band stripped down to its two founding members Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson, within the notably diminutive confines of the Corsica Studios. An intimate bare bones set up that manages to yield probably the most affecting Sunn O))) set since the first time I saw them.

Going to see them play multiple times is like going to the theatre to see the same play over and over, but with a changing cast in different theatres, so to be wowed anew by them is quite a feat. Everyone there was into it, everyone caught up in it, swaying entranced, and when O'Malley turned around during the final section of amp dial fiddling to see his and Anderson's guitars both hanging from the ceiling surrounded by fog and undeniably sublime frequencies, and to see a crowd of horns raised in approval, he grinned. Which I'm pretty sure is a first.

Flower Corsano Duo/Arrington De Dionyso/Zun Zun Egui - Bardens Boudoir 20/02/09

I liked Zun Zun Egui and I liked the way the dude incorporated slagging off the placid London audience into his frankly weirdo vocal style and managed to make it sound pretty cool still. They were a bit 'world jazz' but enough psychedelic for it to not be a problem when it went all virtuoso instrument noodling. Yeah, fun.

Arrington De Dionyso is fucking terrible and drove me to up my drinking which meant that by the time Flowers/Corsano came on I was too easily distracted by stuff like Big Alan getting punched by a teenager outside and like, pinball.

Chris Corsano looks like he's just been born, like he just fell out of a vagina onto a drumkit and started hitting them and my theory here helps to explain why he plays like he's never heard anyone else play the drums before. Which is a good thing, in this case, in case you were wondering.

Dopplereffekt/Mu-Ziq - Corsica Studios 07/02/09

NOTE: I forgot I went to this gig, so it's out of chronological order. So what? Fucking sue me.

Motherfucking Dopplereffekt! I've wanted to see these guys for a decade. Gesamkunstwerk is amongst my most worn out records and my gawd I'm hot for this shit tonight. They step up in black masks and play korgs facing each other and barely move for the entire set, it's eerie, it's regimented, it's science fiction but it's happening right there and I can see it with my big flying saucer eyes. The audience reaction is mixed, with a lot of people expecting to hear some bad ass underwater Cold War electro type shit seemingly disappointed by the stark alien planet soundtracks seeping out of the speakers, some of them even fucking incredulously standing there for the entire set talking over it about how they didn't like it and shoving their big fucking tarlike hairdo into my face instead of shutting up or getting out like any reasonable person would. Other people did like it though, me included. Apparently it's their penultimate gig and I'm so damn glad I was there.

Mu-Ziq was shit surprise surprise who cares.

Il Goblini/Lasers from Atlantis - Old Blue Last 13/02/09

Lasers from Atlantis are about twelve, they were so cute. You just wanted to eat them up. Aw. Their sound was a nice little psychy proggy sound for kids, it was like a birthday party freakout. It was SO cute. Anyway, maybe I should afford them more respect, but whatever. The guitarist and the keyboardist are probably destined for great things, in about ten years. Bless 'em.

Continuing the kids out past their bedtime theme of the night, Il Goblini are Goblin covers band at a school band bash. Comprised of virtuoso kids dressed up like what they think adults dress like, they've emerged from their bedrooms to bring us the music of the best italian horror funk band, with none of the italian horror funk. It was lacking, like playing pacman on a phone. Il Goblini are the wank, to Goblin's full sex. Sure they're fun, and they're tight, but they just don't compare. But then, how could they?

Cove - january some time.

I ain't been keeping up to date because I've been away, abroad or something, I dunno. Playing with my balls. Anyway, I saw Cove play in January and they were drunk. Especially Dave.