With a T in the Park lineup boasting (as usual) a plethora of recently-reformed acts, you might consider it a shame that El Hombre Trajeado’s first live outing in over 10 years wasn’t being played out to an audience of thousands in a field just 40 miles up the road.
However, and despite their post rock/contemporaries Mogwai’s ascendancy to Glastonbury field-fillers, the Glasgow-based quartet never seemed like they might stride the world stage. That’s not to diminish their particular take on angular instrumental rock; perhaps that in those days – the previous millennium, after all – cult music tended to remain just that. Perhaps El Hombre packed it in at precisely the wrong time.
They’re back together, however and on the evidence shown it’s like they’ve never been away. With their keyboardist and drummer having seemingly given up the rock’n’roll life for day jobs and Hubby – now better known as Scottish Album of the Year post-flamenco guitarist RM Hubbert – forced to relearn his spidery fretboard technique, it’s a miracle that the foursome manage to even throw a set together. But they do just that, and much more. Drawing back on a back catalogue of three albums and an EP, what must have been intensive rehearsals have somehow aligned the precisely syncopated rhythms of Stef Sinclair with Hubbert’s almost-forgotten mathematically-precise guitar work. The sound is underpinned by Stevie Jones on bass – who is of course a full-time musician with the likes of Alasdair Roberts and Wells/Moffat, leaving Ben Jones free to throw in the additional samples that made the foursome stand out in what was a crowded market.
Combined, the foursome make a muscular noise, far removed from that heard from their post-EHT projects.
The set, is split roughly between their three studio albums, and perhaps predictably, is short, but there is the occasional delight, for example debut single ‘Moon Unit Manual’ (the “Crossmyloof station song” to you) featuring rare muttered vocals from Hubbert. Otherwise, verbal communication is limited largely to gasps from the frontman who is finding the rock-based set a significant contrast to his usual seated, conversational live shows. “Is that a cloud of steam?” asks Jones, referring to the pall of smoke machine vapour above the singer’s head.
With the band ready to board a waiting ambulance, all that’s left is for calls for an encore to go unanswered, and a promise that they’ll see us again in another nine years.Whether it’s in Easterhouse, or a Perthshire field, hopefully sooner than that.
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So, what’s the future for El Hombre Trajeado? Stevie Jones was good enough to answer the big questions shortly after the show.
How did the gig come about?
We were asked to play a fundraiser for a skatepark in the southside of Glasgow. (We all met through skateboarding, except for Stef, who was drumming for a band associated with the skate scene called Glue, who Hubby joined.) The benefit fell through but by the time this became apparent, we were really enjoying playing together again. Hearing Stef drumming after all these years, with Ben on the Moog, was too much fun to not continue.
Did it go according to plan?
Aye, it feels like the dynamic’s still there for sure. None of the bairns ended up invading the stage and Hubby managed to stand for the whole show. I think we all considered that a result.
And the chances of another gig?
It’s been a blast so let’s rule nothing out. Maybe if Ganger or Lungleg reformed too… 2023?