Catnip & Claws @ The Murderers
The weekend has most certainly landed.
Like it or not, electronic music is now an integral part of our musical lives. Be it pop, dance, film score, or even advertising jingles, the world has moved on enormously since Karlheinz Stockhausen unleashed the score to Elektronissche Studie 11 in 1954 and Chicory Tip went to number one with Son of My Father. Tonight, Odd Box Norwich have taken the bold step of bringing together three electronic-influenced acts at The Murderers in Norwich's Timber Hill, one of the city's most popular starting-off points for a night on the town.
Friday night, as famously noted in the film Human Traffic, is the sign that “the weekend has landed”. With “73 quid in the back burner, and 48 hours to wax the lot”, this may potentially be the perfect venue in which to reach an audience who would not otherwise seek out a night of electronic music before sliding off down Prince of Wales Road. Or it could end up as a show just for friends and family.
In a stage area more used to hosting bluesmen, rock bands, and screening live football, the wall posters are now masked by white sheeting, and various keyboards and laptops are being connected to the venue's PA system. Visual projections are a vital accompaniment to 'live' electronic music, almost, some say, by way of an apology for the lack of artist movement or expression (see Kraftwerk), so sound-checks tonight also involve the focusing and synchronisation of MPEG file imagery. Lights are dimmed, and we are off.
First on stage are Epia for this, their debut live performance. Last minute adjustments, and even more leads plugged into the back of things, make way for an encouraging première of their embryonic material. Piano-laden synth work, together with distorted vocals, real guitars and a jazz-infused drumming, combine to create the shape of something rather special. The visuals are what appear to be either be a blacksmith's brazier or the inside of a house burning down. Either way, it is incendiary.
Mega Emotion are already well known to many of us, and also via previous incarnation Bearsuit. Whilst Lisa and Jan together turn in keyboard duties, Iain grinds away on guitar. Percussive duties are shared out equally, producing a mix of 'real' and synthetic sound that conjures a meld of Pixies and Human League. New songs are introduced in between 'older' favourites like Uncomfortable and BRAINS before finishing with their party-piece cover of La Isla Bonita. Welcome back, guys.Emma Catnip, as Catnip and Claws, is currently surfing a wave of interest after recently winning his year's Next Big Thing competition in Norwich, yet this classically-trained musician has been bending the rules with her feline free-bassing and naughty-step rhythms for nigh on four years now. Whether it was time constraints placed by the venue (Emma's set did not get going until gone 11.30pm), or simply a limited arsenal of accompanying visuals, this performance unfortunately gave me little new material to supplement what I had seen already at the two NBT performances. A valid showcase of her undoubted talents, but with an extensive back catalogue of soundscapes available, it would have been an opportunity to introduce lesser known material. However, with regular tracks like Beings still capable of enchanting new listeners, and those kaleidoscopic cat and 70's keep-fit videos kick-starting another Friday night, we could still end up like Jip Travolta. We could all become crazy cats.
Thanks Odd Box. The weekend has most certainly landed.
