BBC Radio Three: Exposure
Late Junction, Radio 3’s exploration into the farthest regions of musical experimentation came to the Norwich Arts Centre, for one night only, in celebration of the weird, yet wonderful, sounds coming out of the region. Norwich is, apparently, at the hub of such things. Interviewed by Verity Sharp, David Ross of Hymn explained that he only recently moved from the relatively moribund East London scene, and has never been busier.
Hymn was the first of three acts showcased during the evening, and was made up of two experimental bands from Norwich. Joining percussionist Ross on stage was Chris Dowdy, on trumpet and loops. It was unfortunate that the resonance of George McKay’s double bass was missing, although his serendipitous replacement Oliver Payne and his wistful field recordings took their sparse improvisation in an intriguing direction. An underlying electronic soundscape reminiscent of Bebe and Louis Barron’s work on Forbidden Planet gave the performance a curiously retro feel, while Dowdy’s breathy manhandling of his trumpet combined with Ross’s plink plonk noises brought to mind the Bohman Brothers – albeit at their most reserved.
Hymn was never boring, but they were teasingly challenging, and the whimsical songs of Shane O’Linksi that followed came as welcome sorbet. Performing with a full band brought together just for the evening, this prolific singer-songwriter cheekily devoted the evening to songs about birds, having wittily christened his fellow musicians The Ornithologists. A tactic that might have, in lesser hands, lapsed into weary gimmickry, was quickly revealed as a delightfully eccentric celebration of the bucolic charms of the English countryside, notwithstanding shades of Americana in the music. Imagining Robert Wyatt singing the poetry of the East Anglian poetry of Martin Newell, albeit with the occasional Pete Shelley snarl, will get you half way to the elusive charm of this most singular of performers.
The last act of the evening, but certainly not the least, was Laura Cannell, performing the extraordinary technique of over-bowing, whereby the fiddle is held between the arm and the strings of the bow. The effect is that all four strings are played simultaneously, creating a hypnotic, unearthly sound. Accompanied by André Bosman, she played two uncompromising pieces that had the emphatic repetition of Steve Reich or early Philip Glass. Unworldly and repetitive to the point of near madness, there is something nonetheless disconcertingly ancient and compelling in the sound they produced, in a performance that ended far too soon.
Challenging, vaguely educational, a tad worthy, but also a great hoot, the evening had the feel of a school outing. It’s certainly enlightening, and encouraging, to discover that the region is hiding this many gems. Laura Cannell was, objectively, the stand out performer of the night, and I greatly enjoyed Shane O’Linksi’s nutty tunes, and yet it is Hymn and their frequently bonkers noises that sticks in the mind. Speaking after the event to David Ross, he explained that he is part of the Norfolk and Norwich Sonic Arts Collective who make interesting noises at the York Tavern every month, and encourage active participation from anyone bold enough to turn up. I’m still not quite sure what do make of it all, but I must just go along.
