On this day last year, These New Puritans played live at Audio
Audio is a small venue. It's tucked away in the basement of an almost seaside bar. It's not pretty. It's not clever. It's a space where bands can play. At Audio, there's a barrier to separate audience and stage. Its only purpose is to tempt. Any old fool can unlink the barrier. I like to unlink the barrier. I like to watch others take temptation's offer, to breakthrough and climb that low-mounted rostrum.
These New Puritans have had a good twelve months. Eight months after Audio, they played live at The Barbican Centre. Giant steps for thin artists. Their second album, Hidden, was awarded album of the year by NME. This is a band that exceeds its bandwidth. At the end of each month, their online home fills with the clutter of screaming advertisements. A small notice says this website is offline. Success can come in many forms.
How you simulate the sound of a human head being smashed? You glue cream crackers onto a melon. Then you hammer the shit out of it. Employing such techniques made Hidden what it is. At Audio, there was no melon. No one smashed a human head. The brass and woodwind ensemble was noticeably absent. Perhaps the children's choir wasn't allowed in.
In place of hired help came samples; wonderfully discordant samples. And the amazing boom of drums, bouncing off the walls and echoing onwards. Yet, this was no high rate night.
Jack Barnett's vocals lacked strength and gravitas. The man looked moody. These New Puritans offered little in the way of presence; stage, rostrum or otherwise. Meekly displayed in a dirty newsagent window, a scruffy filofax card says: "Urgently Required: odd instruments, orchestral musicians and the eager voice of youth." Something to draw the eye and everything to distract.
On 1st February 2010, I felt sorry for Jack. For once, the barrier at Audio looked limp and uninviting.
These New Puritans went on to claim the year as their own. They showed me.
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The Lovely Eggs have a fabulous new song and video. It makes me very happy. I'm seeing The Lovely Eggs this weekend. I bought tickets last December. This video has made me excited.
I also found out about an amazing Darren Hayman project. With some help from his friends, Darren Hayman wrote, recorded and released a song every day during January 2011. You can enjoy a multimedia diary of his journey at http://januarysongs.tumblr.com. Below are the videos for day ten and day twenty-six.
