Tuesday 8 January 2013

Gig Review - KTNYR13 - Miaoux Miaoux, Roman Nose, Machines In Heaven



F
irst gig, and gig review, of 2013 and it couldn't be any other place than at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut and their mammoth run of gigs as part of King Tut's New Year's Revolution.  Back for another run in the January gig wilderness (insert gig plug here) helping us gig goers and music lovers ease our way back into things after Christmas and New Year, KTNYR sees some of Scotland's finest musical talent, including Fatherson, Honeyblood, Chris Devotion & The Expectations, and tonight's headliner Miaoux Miaoux, take to the infamous Tut's stage amongst some new joys to discover such as Secret Motorbikes, Fat Goth, Campfires In Winter and one of tonight's support acts Machines In Heaven.

The night began with a veritable feast courtesy of the fine chefs of King Tut's treated a select few, of which I was a grateful guest, to a smorgasbord of delectable delights.  Mini burgers, meatballs, mini burritos, fish and chips, Greek salad.  Yumity yum.  Should you be heading along to any of the other KTNYR nights, or indeed to Tut's at any point, pop down early and grab some of this new nosh from their menu.

So onto the music and with Organs Of Love having to pull out, it was a last minute call for Electronic wizards Machines In Heaven.  Fitting right into a bill with Roman Nose, and fellow electro whizz kid Miaoux Miaoux (and once collaborator in The Great I Am), Machines In Heaven make rather interesting music, full of bleeps, whirls and beats, often going off on seemingly outlandish tangents only to wrap the whole thing back up with a blistering thrash of guitars or gleeful synths.  Consisting of two guitars, two keyboards and sometimes bass, their set was like a journey along the interstellar expressway littered with euphoric beats along the way.  I really enjoyed the set and can forgive the odd mistake made, and the slight detour in some songs given that this was a really last minute gig, and the band (in it's current line up) have only played a handful of gigs.  Given time and space to find their feet live and develop a set, Machines In Heaven have got the promise to be a show stopping band in future.  On this occasion they end with some highly energetic robotic jerking from the bassist and an almighty crash of feedback.

If Machines In Heaven sound tracked the journey through space then Roman Nose was landing on uncharted territory.  Three masked men behind an array of wires, laptops, drum machine and all sorts of gizmo's and gadgets, shrouded in smoke and blackness.  Imagine if Skeletor had decided to leave Eternia, and took a detour via the late '80's acid house scene.  That kind of begins to explain what you witness when Roman Nose take the stage.  As the strobe lights blast, the music blares and the ground literally shakes, it's truly an otherworldly experience.  I have to be honest and say that the music is not my cup of tea, however there's no doubt that Roman Nose are exquisite at what they do, and plenty others seem to enjoy the set.  A tad too 'dance-tastic' for me, but certainly good at what they do.


Time for the much celebrated Miaoux Miaoux to take the stage, with an almost Zen and minimalist set up in comparison to Roman Nose.  I've oft made the quip that Julian Corrie moves about on stage with the energy of a Duracell bunny, but it's hard not to be encapsulated by his graceful movement, from synth to keyboard to FX pedals even at one point bounding off stage to retrieve a capo.  Early tracks dropped include 'Autopilot', minus an unplugged keyboard and the pop-tastic 'Better For Now' as well as old favourite 'Kintted'. Watching Corrie work, is a joy to behold and at times it seems that the music, the euphoric beats, the shimmering riffs and playful chords flow directly from Corrie as he feeds on the energy of a progressing and evolving set.  Tracks seamlessly segue into each other as 'Cloud Computer' with its hypnotic feel and sexy little guitar riff, morphs into the uplifting and pulsating 'Hey Sound!'  During the moments where Corrie takes a seconds rest and converses with crowd, he tells us that as the world was supposed to end 2013 is just "borrowed time".  And he wastes not a second of that, as he débuts a new, and unnamed, track with a glitchy beat, looped vocals and refrain of "hold it down, make it better" taken straight from the book of electro pop hits.  Time passes far too quickly during a Miaoux Miaoux set and before we know it, a thumping bass drifts into a highlight track from album 'Light Of The North', released via Chemikal Underground last year, 'Stop The Clocks'.  It's one of the lighter tracks in Miaoux Miaoux's repitoire as Corrie's soft vocals proclaim "I will sleep when I am dead".  Expect plenty more joyous music from this man then.


Get a hold of Miaoux Miaoux's wonderful album 'Light Of The North' here

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