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Future days festival: Matmos live at ALT
Matmos, Si Schroeder
Foggy Notions Future Days Festival, Andrews Lane Theatre
Si Schroeder have gradually moved along from their shambolic days as Schroders Cat to what has become a steady duplication of your favourite American indie sounds from 1994-96 distilled by living in Dublin. This is no bad thing but like many of the acts, that they seem to sometimes appropriate when the hit is good it presses the correct buttons, but when the hit misses the vein it attended to reach you can be left fumbling around for a more direct contact. Bright in many places, commendable.
For me though the night was only about Matmos. There has always been something of the chameleon about Matmos, with each record you anticipate what Matmos will present itself. And with each record they have always presented something entirely different. Tonights appearance was to throw out many different forms of Matmos.
With house lights dimmed three small laser lights appeared in the audience. Initially thinking this was a further continuation of the bizarre practice ALT appear to have of people constantly running back and forth from the stage with torches pushing the crowd out of the way (can anyone explain this?) I huffed that this was what was happening. However, within a couple of seconds I realised that it was actually Matmos using the lasers to play off thermins installed on the stage. They had not even faced their audience and already they had astounded them. As little lights turned into big noises, an Autchre-esque rumble groaned from the speakers. What a seemed like thousands of notes falling around until they all clambered together to make a sheet of a dark noise that occasionally loosened its limbs to reveal a one-two-stumble beat. Perfect.
Thereafter the set ebbed and flowed between experimental flourishes married to a backbone of locked inquisitive beats. All chimes, clanks, rhythms fusing into a hypnotic mass played under a backdrop of accompanying visuals. To look……to listen………the senses were kept happy. Impossible to select which was best, I’ve settled on two; ‘Supreme Balloon’, an elongated journey in a boffin’s playground and ‘Rainbow Flag’ which sounded like Stereolab after a day spent exploring a science museum.
So good it should have been recorded and put in an archive for future generations.
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Issue 3 is out now and features Radiohead, Jason Molina, CSS, Young Galaxy, Jens Lekmen, Okkervil River, The Antlers, Miracle Fortress, Final Fantasy, John Maus, Le Loup, Menomena, lightspeed champion, Sons & Daughters, Magnetic Fields, Our Brother the Native and Adrian Crowley.
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