Tag: Clive Henry

Solid brickwork

March 2017
Green Door Store

Feed Back Cell

Feed Back Cell

Feed Back Cell were just back from a trip to Iceland, where they’d been doing more development on their modified cellos. Alice Eldridge’s cello seemed to have more acoustic adaptations, apart from the speaker built into the back run off a small car radio amp (with battery) that both were equipped with, hers had sitar style drone bass strings from the bridge up under the neck and some other adaptations, Chris Kiefer had more obviously electronic adaptations with an array of about 25 potentiometers built up over one quadrant.
So; the speakers built into the back can get a feedback loop drone going on, resonating strings and things filtering away. And then you have the standard and extended cello techniques on top of that, and both players have a full repertoire of both, so there’s plenty of that lovely cello rich scrape and drone to go round. There’s a lot of intense watching between the two, odd complimentary moments – and considering the constant changes far fewer of those “who made that sound” looks of surprise than I’d be making.


Clive Henry

Clive Henry

Clive Henry has a simpler setup, notionally, some devices, sampler, contact mic / hydrophone, a big metallic spring and some sleight of hand stuff he keeps hidden behind his back. We’d originally booked him for a Harsh Noise Wall, as I’ve heard he’s about the best at the full on blast of static. But, what we got was a set of subtlety and variety, richly textured, considered, with a surprising dynamic range. To be sure there was some pretty terrifying high frequency wail, and some clothes flapping bottom end, but this was tempered with quiet, sombre passages and the odd moment of comedy boing. And Theresa May which we’ll gloss over. The set seems split into three sections based on originating sound sources, each with their own particular set of sonics and peaks, and their own version of the burst full throttle noise.


Gagarin

Gagarin

And rounding off the evening was Gagarin, we had three new songs, a couple from ‘Aoticp’ and some of the more textured pieces from the ‘5 Hills in Surrey’ pieces. Yeah, so how do we describe Gagarin freshly? He’s added a phone to the setup since he last played at SoG that has some live time-stretching of samples, but he still largely uses the foot pedal triggered drums and hand controlled pads, with a keyboard added. There’s still that satisfaction of watching him dance between the pedals, even if his mobility has been slightly reduced by breaking his pelvis last year. The new stuff is good as well, it sits satisfyingly deep in the bass bins of the Green Door Store while bringing in the more fractured slower tempos of the looser things he’s been doing recently.


Bring the noise

June 2015
Green Door Store

Hardworking Families

Hard-Working Families For Hardworking Families, a Gibson SG was set up flat across an oil drum table, part of the half input mixing desk setup favoured by HWF this evening. There is something that looks like his chair knocking about, but it’s not his, and he steers clear. so it leaps out all squeals and thrills before Tom reins it in tightly with small moves and the uncontrol gives way to pulses and less harsh high end.


Clive Henry

Clive Henry Clive Henry was second on, he’s very precise with his set-up, a chair with a box in precisely the right place at his side that he has a metronome clacking on. He stands leaning forward hands behind his back with wires hanging out of his mouth. although his reputation is for Harsh Noise, the sounds his mouth is (presumably) making are very tonal. He has excellent control stomping around the stage. The second half of his set is quite different, the metronome is turned into something a bit clackier by some laptop processing and he switches to gutteral thrash singing and the noise levels come up. the stomping turns to stalking. he has great presence and you can see why he’s been barely able to speak all evening.


Slow Slow Loris

Slow Slow Loris

Slow Slow Loris are a duo with laptop and vocals, a cymbal with a resonator, lots of processing, like Iron Oxide in Cleveland they’re trying to bring the processes and ideas of noise into a song based and repeatable format. And pull it off really well. its properly abstract and pretty harsh in places, but with structure and even a chorus or two.


Lorenzo Abbatoir

Lorenzo Abbatoir Lorenzo Abbatoir is another kettle of fish, as abstract as things can get, starting with a crumpling plastic water bottle making a rhythm track he stomps and cracks his body music, like Clive it’s a very theatrical performance. Active and dynamic with every action having its auditory consequences. A kind of un-mime thing.