Tromolo Productions’ show ‘Music is Torture’ previewed at the Tron Theatre, Glasgow, last Thursday and it was an interesting, thoughtful 70 or so minutes of theatre and music.
Written by BM favourite (subject of numerous single/album/gig reviews over the years) Louise Quinn, it told the story of a washed out, stressed out studio owner recording the same band (A Balled Called Quinn, billed as Dawnings, most the time behind the traditional glass wall for recording purposes) for the past 15 years (a joke in itself although MBV might not see the funny side) and losing money.
Exchanges front of stage are mainly between said studio owner (Jake – Andy Clark) and his bigoted pal Nick (Harry Ward) who has “stood by him” but is bullying and critical. The dialogue is punctuated by ABCQ doing takes, often aborted for technical reasons, of some pretty good sounding songs, must have been a real challenge for Louise and the guys to do this. The band includes the amazing Bal Cooke on drums, the legendary Robert Henderson (who did the trumpet solos on Everything’s Getting Older by Moffat and Wells, enough of a thing in itself) and Steven Westwater on bass. The initial implication is that the musical torture is having to soundcheck ABCQ for 15 years, and the joke is maybe on them – very game, guys!
Without giving away too many spoilers, there is a dance track nicked from the studio which becomes a Youtube hit, which then is the subject of an legal intellectual rights issue (with a promised big payout) which then gets used to torture people held without their consent. ‘Kill ’em All’ is a catchy tune, for the military at least.
Repercussions are traumatic for the initiator Jake, so the money does not compensate, and the images and flashbacks for him become increasingly more sinister towards the end, good staging effects employed… And how does it end, well just go and see it, some more dates confirmed BM thinks.
Fair play to ABCQ for being up for this, and LQ is up for self-deprecation about her “f000ing depressing and terrible music” and other sexist jibes, and the rest of the band are game for being assessed in concert as well.
Inspired by the writings and research of Dr Morag J Grant, this is worth seeing and provokes some thought. BM sat through the entire Eurovision Song Contest last weekend so Music As Torture, ok but seriously folks, BM has taken an interest in this herself over the years and it is blacker than black. Best line tonight was “Yer number five in the torture charts, just behind Barney The Dinosaur”…
What BM would really like to see is some some proper live gigs from ABCQ, it has been far too long for this extremely talented and incredible combo to confine themselves to the likes of The Tron, good though this was…
BM salutes this, and its puck in examining a difficult subject – now which Eurovision track will Scotsquad choose for its Govan torture chamber…?