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Live BLACK STAR The Coronet, London 31 March
AUGUSTINES Trinity Centre, Bristol 17 April Striding onstage to a rousing orchestral recording from their selftitled second album, Augustines stand before the masses assembled in the City’s church-cum-concert venue genuinely humbled to be where they are. Launching into a setlist made up of tracks from both their latest record and debut album Rise Ye Sunken Ships, Augustines are full of energy, barely pausing for breath as they bounce from one anthem to the next. The exhilarating Chapel Song is slipped in early, while Juarez and the Afrobeat/Graceland era Paul Simon-influenced Cruel City also prove early highlights. And, for the first hour, Augustines brand of early-U2, Springsteen-indebted, emotionally charged stadium Americana holds the gaze of everyone. But it soon goes sour. A full Augustines set betrays how similar many of their tracks are, to the point where they begin to blur into one; the ubiquitous ‘Oh oh oh’ chorus refrains and ambiguous lyrics point ultimately to a lack of depth. Augustines are excellent at what they do. The issue is they have a set formula for writing songs from which they rarely deviate. They are masters of the uplifting chorus and, although great in short bursts, it can all rather quickly become painfully dull. !
COMPETITION This July, The Garden Festival and Electric Elephant will be returning to their famously idyllic site in Tisno, Croatia. We’re giving away a massive prize pack which includes four festival tickets to either The Garden Festival or Electric Elephant, a Shikar tent and four tickets to Barbarella’s open air club club plus a goodie bag full of vinyl and clothing. For a chance of winning, all you have to do is answer the question below and sent your entry entitled ‘Garden/EE Comp’ to competitions@crackmagazine.net. Which of the following acts in not playing this year’s The Garden Festival? a) Jaime Fiorito b) Jimi Yolo c) Jamie Jones
Benjamin Salt
TALLINN MUSIC WEEK Tallinn, Estonia 27-29 March Most people’s knowledge of Estonian acts probably stretches to someone they once saw on Eurovision. But as the UK’s entries to that fabled pantomime will surely tell you, that’s got very little to do with the range of artists plugging away in the country’s many venues. Under Soviet rule until 1991, the majority of Western music was banned in Estonia up until the country achieved independence. A trip to the KGB museum during our time there informs us that the banned acts included Blondie, Talking Heads, Pink Floyd and a whole host of others you probably take for granted. The opening day in the Estonian capital saw President Toomas Hendrik Ilves deliver an inspiring speech about the importance of freedom, before Pussy Riot held an equally passionate conference that helped draw focused media glare towards the three-day event. It was in the evening that focus swung to the musical talent; in the ground floor room of an old town coffee house, one of the country’s brightest hopes Odd Hugo performed. It became clear within seconds why they have sent pulses racing. If The National serves as their backbone, then it comes flourished with extra dabs of brass and loose yet intricately played, jazz-inflected breakdowns and a bourbon splash of Tom Waits’ well worn spirit. But while that may be a sign of the safe and traditional, there was also room for the exponents of more experimental fodder. Tucked away inside a three-floored, dilapidated warehouse on the outskirts of the city was a venue that played host to experimental electronica: the type that had plunged its teeth into the veins of Burial and The Haxan Cloak. In a dark basement where projections lined the walls, Blood Pavilion stood out as a highlight, adding a heavy dose of DnB rhythms to ensure an extra hard-hitting kick. On the ground level, Faun Racket offered a blend of post-dubstep pop that had much in common with the onetime highly championed electroclash act Fischerspooner. The next day saw an equally varied and exciting blend of acts showcase their wares to a selection of locals and out of towners, and it was then that we stumbled upon our finest discovery of the festival: the bewitching sounds of Vul Vulpes delighting the style-conscious Von Krahl bar audience. Armed with a laptop and a microphone, she creates a sometimes downbeat, Grimes-lite appropriation of electronic pop, partial to the odd RnB-inspired bassline, and with the potential to cross over to a more widespread European audience. Not all of the acts on show in Tallinn are ready to make the leap outside of this small bubble quite yet, but there was ample evidence that Tallinn Music Week is playing a vital part in highlighting current Estonian talent, and is doubtless helping lay strong foundations for the country’s musical future. !
Nathan Westley N Maris Savik
It’s safe to say that as a duo, Black Star have their best work behind them. Although the two stellar MCs are habitual collaborators to this day, their only full length, Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star, is now a decade and a half old. But London still has a lot of love for the double act; this Monday show was added after the Saturday sold out, and the queue outside was bubbling with positive murmurings about that first appearance. Def (now going by his Yasiin Bey moniker) and Kweli wasted no time, leaping from group tracks to their own respective solo efforts. There was no space for filler, and by the third track they were onto their classic Definition, greeted with the obligatory hip-hop exclamations from all corners. The chemistry was effortless, each played hype-man for the other’s solo tracks with only the healthiest of one-upmanship. Still, we couldn’t help but compare the two. At first it seemed Yasiin had the wealth of material and presence, but later Kweli’s renditions of The Blast and Get By got huge receptions. His new single State of Grace suffered from a histrionic chorus but Kweli’s flows were some of his strongest of the night, perhaps a sign that he had the most to prove. As a double act the two compliment each other fantastically. Kweli is the hip-hopper’s choice bringing busy technical flows whilst Yasiin steps further outside the box with his indefinable vocal approach. Yasiin’s Quiet Dog saw him flowing with incredible adeptness and revelry whilst dancing on the spot and, of course, on Umi Says we all had a bit of a moment. By the end of the show it was clear this wasn’t just hip-hop heritage. The trips down memory lane were undoubtedly enjoyable, but this was far more than retreading old territory. This was living proof that these guys are still very much worth their salt. !
Jack Lucas Dolan
WANDA GROUP + THE SPACE LADY + DEAN BLUNT The Cube, Bristol 19 April Now that The Cube’s future is secure (following months of fundraising, charitable donations and the anonymous gifting of an original Banksy by someone – probably Banksy), it now feels like a genuine hub of avant-garde, experimental art, music and film. Tonight’s programme is a powerful example of how far things can be pushed when music that lives beyond the peripheries is invited to exist, for a moment, on the inside. WANDA GROUP is the first to stand up in front of the sold-out theatre and give everything away. His confounding, psychedelic collage of field recordings and indeterminable frequencies is initially overwhelming, but the longer you listen the more you hear. It’s refreshing to experience something with literally no rhythm at all, and to embrace the lack of understanding that comes with it. The Space Lady’s performance couldn’t have been more different in tone, but this was an evening which thrived on contrast. Exuding warmth and humility, she rattled through an otherworldly set of covers (Born To Be Wild a particular highlight) in her self-described ‘hi-tech on the street’ style, winning over an audience that didn’t need winning over in the first place. As her version of John Lennon’s Imagine faded away, everyone rose from their seats in applause, getting slightly closer to the Space Lady’s home at the same time. Having seen Dean Blunt play just a few months previously at the larger, sharper Arnolfini, we were curious to see how the Cube’s interior would reflect his performance. It proved darker, angrier and infinitely more claustrophobic. The Arnolfini show had seen Blunt introspective and contemplative; here he seemed pissed off, frustrated. Whether he was tired of playing this routine, or had something new on his mind since we last crossed paths it was hard to say. But it without a doubt manifested as a rawer and more self-destructive act.
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! Steven Dores Graeme Bateman