Went to gig tonight – no biggy in that itself – but, if I said it was the start of monthly installments of manifesto spouting artistic brilliance then, YES, it was a biggy.
Salon #1 was hosted by cAVE – an improvisational outfit heading from North Yorkshire – and they opened the show. I did have a bit of an idea of what to expect as I had played in bands in the past with some of the members. However, what I was not expecting was the sheer level of ingenuity and accomplishment that they (all four of them) bought to the stage.
There was sweeping bleeps, ambient drones & field recordings of the highest calibre – my only gripe was that it was difficult to hear them over the level of chatter from the audience. I do not know how to take this – maybe it was an accomplished mission on the account of cAVE in that they lulled the members of the audience in to comfort – or, maybe it was a rude audience? I am unsure of the motives of both group and of the audience – but, surely, if you want to talk you go to the pub?
At the start of the show, cAVE handed out a mini-manifesto for their series of nights (Salon #1.2, Salon #1.3 or Salon #2, Salon #3) – here is a type up of it:
Welcome. cAVE presents a new monthly evening of sonic goodness: conversation, creativity, genre exploration, entertainment and fun. We encourage interested artists and musicians to perform and participate. cAVE celebrates:
- Ears of Distinction
- Noise in all its forms
- The talented and not so talented
- Triers
- The Curious
- The Playful
- Leftfielders
- Absurdists
- Inside Outers
- Upside Downers
- Inventors
- Tinkerers
- The Quiet
- Observationists
- Idlers
- Non Electronic Folksters
- And those who were chosen last on the footy team
We will be running a regular event on the first Saturday of every month. If you have enjoyed this evening and wish to either participate in a future event, or simply come along please join our mailing list. Find out more about future events on: facebook.com/soniccave | soundcloud.com/cave
So that is my plug for cAVE – a real band on a mission with direction and poise. I managed to get to talk to David from cAVE after the gig – he said he took the whole experience as a learning curve.
The second / main act was Mik Artistik’s Ego Trip. I freely admit – I was there to see cAVE and I was a bit down in the mouth after how they were received and I was a bit worried about how the crowd would receive an act like Mik – whatever Mik was to sound like – I had not done my homework and was walking in to the gig blind. I could not name a song he had done and didn’t even know what genre he played. Turned out he is damn good – I would compare him to a side-splitting Ian Drury and he held the crowd in the palm of his hand.
There was laughter and the beer was flowing – for the bar, there had to be a trip to the local offie to stock up on bland beer (which I really appreciated – thanks, Kendall & Mark!)
Personally, the best song of his repertoire was a track called Plastic Fox –
…. actually, I take it back – Mik Artistik is nothing like Ian Drury; Mik excels at his own game. With a really tight band behind him (guitar & bass) Mik is out front either in the crowd or behind a synthesiser with programmed drums.
Dressed in a charity shop trilby, which any Sunday driver would be proud of, and a painter’s jacket (complete with paint) – Mik stepped on stage to a group of people and stepped off the stage from a room full of fans.
Best thing to happen in k-Town since the Tour de France’s Tidswell gig.