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.

Future Days Festival: Low live at Andrews Lane

Low, Atlas Sound
Future Days Festival, Andrews Lane Theatre

The second night of the Future Days Festival rolled in with the much anticipated second appearance of Atlas Sound in Dublin, the first being the unannounced support to Animal Collective in Whelans a few weeks ago. Loathe as I am to write anything that could diminish the wonder of Bradford Cox I couldn’t help but feel that the audience was somewhat cheated by his appearence, if it can be called an appearence at all. Hidden away sitting at the front of the stage some pedals and buttons were toyed with. If you weren’t two feet from the front, and with the sound level barely audible, it would have been altogether very easy to ask the question “When is Atlas Sound coming on?”. I still anticipate a proper debut from Atlas Sound.

Low’s recorded output has always been something to relish but it has always been their live shows that allows one to really see and hear what they actually are. Sedated when commited to the studio process, on stage another side emerges. Maybe emotions come easier to them when confronted with a few hundred faces staring back at them, an audience for their confessions to be heard. Tonight was no exception, indeed previous shows, even the stardust memeories of the Christchurch gig, were knocked to the ground and trampled on.

Starting in a somewhat languid manner with “Murderer” and the droney “Pretty People” it takes the double blow of “Sadinisita” and “In Silence” to be delivered before the signs of what was to follow emerged—-both were concise and immediate. A dreamy “Dragonfly” and a dipping “Silver Rider” allowed the waste of the American mid-west to stretch out in your mind before “Almost Fade” laid itself out in a fashion of Neil Young circa-Zuma. “Sunflower” gradually rises to its homely conclusion before “Point of Disgust” floats across like a plane in slow motion against a night sky. “Dinosaur Act” thumps its angry paws as never before leaving a crowd desperate to see no end in sight. “Little Arguement With Myself” and “Done” give the illusion of a sleepy climax before an elongated and angry “Canada” and “Breaker” crash and rumble out of the gate.

Somewhere tonight there was a little anger within Low, let the anger continue.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmo7tyrtGW0]