Musik / Reise

This event was billed as a on-off collaboration between Krautrock legend Faust’s Hans Joachim Irmler (let’s call him Hans), and Scottish fans of his work, from Mogwai and the Phantom Band. In a hellish week of rubbish weather and other bad events on the incontinent, this gig was pretty welcome.

Easterhouse has a name, and BM won’t go any further than that, however the Platform venue, part of Glasgow Kelvin College campus (BM’s first visit) was welcoming, if a bit unlikely – great library, fantastic pizza bar and BM’s round (a Sprite and a blackcurrant and soda) cost us £1.50, so there. Overpriced craft beer get it up ye.

The auditorium itself is pretty good, standing plus balcony seating (does anyone actually read this, BM can describe the finish of the EXIT door if ye like?) of around 400 or so, low stage and ample opportunities to view the performers, next to no security either… yep, Easterhouse in 2015.

So why were BM and her cohort here (the handy bus from Mono would have been a good option but BM’s date for the night was only 12 so only fair to use the jalopy, scary scenes on the M8 but the wind was not sufficient to be named – Bawbag 2 where are you?

So really, why were we here?

As big fans of Mogwai (ibid BM previous reviews) and TPB (likewise), BM was pretty excited to see what some members of both would pull off with Faust legend Hans.

After a fair amount of waiting around in a very pleasant place, things started around 8.15 when Hans took to the stage. He may look like, oh feck BM doesn’t really care what he looked like, that’s not the point, readers. He had brought a fair amount of gear with him, some of it stamped Faust, so if they are defunct, he is carrying on the name at least. An affable looking guy, his stance looked more like a classical pianist as he went into a 20 minute track, mainly on the keys with other weird sound affects. Along with this, his female assistant started worrying a record player (yes one of these things) with some scratching (literally, of the records) and then some drawing as it rotated. This was a bit Jazz Club (legendary Fast Show sketch, look it up on Youtube, hipsters, before your beards fall out) but did sort of work. The artsiness of it became interesting – some pre-drawn figures became victims of the pen, but this is not a c%%%ting art review, Betty please stick to the remit…

So Hans’ stuff was quite atmospheric and fine and all that, but we were waiting for the main event…

It took a wee while for them to get it up, as it were, but eventually Andy Wake (keys, man) and Duncan Marquiss (guitars) from the Phantoms joined Stuart Braithwaite and Martin Bulloch to collaborate with Faustman Hans.

Starting quietly, this 40-45mins piece comprised around four main themes, or riffs really. Any notion of jazz club references was dismissed early on as the unmistakeable Braithwaite guitar technique and his comrade Bulloch’s minimal but crazy/violent fills dictated the tempo. And the volume and sound-mix, for a venue of this size, was finest, as T**co keep telling BM.

And it is always a revelation seeing the Mogwai front and back (let’s call them Mogwai-ish, for this review anyway) going through the gears, and at such close quarters, words cannae really describe it, so this job is redundant, BM resigns here…

But wait, come back, readers…

The first two riffs/themes built it up, but for theme 3, Hans went through some old-school bleeps on the keyboards – pure 70s magic. Analogue equipment aficionados must have been in ecstasy (sorry, not on ecstasy, official NHS warnings about that, readers) and BM would just like to quote a certain Meera off of popular TV series Still Game: “Navid, ma knickers were wringin'” – although BM understands that this was said in Urdu with subtitles: so who else can ITM offend, are we with Charlie?

The last segment involved Hans setting up a quite extraordinarily challenging BPM (i.e. fecking fast) on his equipment. Mogwai called their last album Rave Tapes; well this sounded like Ravey Davey was aboot to make an unscheduled appearance. Not since ‘Mexican Grand Prix’ has there been such an up-tempo Mogwai-ish live performance, to BM’s knowledge anyway, but everyone rose to the occasion. It was mind-crunchingly good, Stuart came in with the guitar, the PB guys rose to it as well and the drums, well bloomin eck, best drummer in Scotland or what?

Towards the end of this jam it was clear that everyone was enjoying themselves, a sense of completion, while Stuart set up a ridiculously loud and complex feedback loop and Hans tried to counter it with some sonic oscillations, a kind of friendly Scotch/Kraut rivalry about who could do it better and louder, they all left the stage, one by one, with smiles and gestures to the crowd. Good also to see and hear so many Germans in the crowd, genuinely really good atmosphere, and long may these collaborations continue.

BM and cohort could not stay for the Q&A with Hans, regrettably (was getting past his bed-time but BM is not a cradle-snatcher, don’t worry readers) – but this fair inspired the old musical warmers in a pretty crap period – keep growing your beards, and Cryptic Combobulations is just around the corner…so hang in there, readers.

And tomorrow, BM does believe it is National Shite Day, with apologies to Half Man Half Biscuit, no really, it is.

And goodnight – but another plug, why was ‘Teenage Exorcists’ not the Xmas no 1 – be ashamed, people…