NEW SINGLE RELEASE – Bar Italia ‘Jelsy’
26 October 2023
On Thursday, Squid (a post-punk band from Brighton) selected three Bristol-based bands to showcase their talent. It was a night of eclectic performances, radical music and experimental soundscapes.
I walked up to the venue and opened the door, releasing the smell of beer and sweaty air onto the street. The pub was loud with chatter, everyone anticipating the forthcoming show. Old VHS tapes line the shelves behind the bar featuring an array of titles from The Jungle Book to The Thing.
I grabbed myself a £5 pint (a remarkable feat in London) and headed through a nondescript door leading into the intimate concert space. Pink cut-out clouds hung from the ceiling precariously close to the speakers, and the walls were plastered with old band posters and stickers. The crowd began to grow as the first band filtered onto the stage.
The night began with The Big Fuss Ensemble. Originally a solo project created by Harry Irvine, the Ensemble included the drums/accordion by Irvine, Harry Furniss on cornet, Natalie Whiteland on harp, Joe Lyon on sax/electronics, Charlie Purse on guitar, and the addition of Ted (Biped) Glendinning on clarinet and vocals.
Irvine describes the Ensemble’s sound as “a mix of spaces ranging from noisy rhythmically minded texture to soft ambience […] There is chaos, there is beauty, there is drama and there is also softness.”
The accordion featured heavily in the beginning of the set, playing behind a wall on stage. The crowd became hushed, trying to work out where this slow, eerie noise was coming from. Paired with the dark lighting, I couldn’t help but feel I was below deck on a pirate ship.
Biped began brushing their teeth, white toothpaste spit spilling out their mouth. The smell of peppermint filled the room, and I was totally transfixed. During big crescendos, Biped lay down on their back furiously playing the clarinet. And at one point they smashed the microphone against the wall, creating a ricochet sound in time with the drumbeat.
At first glance this cacophony of noise is harsh and overwhelming, but there is a method to the madness, signified by the audience all nodding their heads in sync. The mood of the music changed every 5 minutes as the band carefully mediated a vibe between ecstasy and agony. It was bewildering but enchanting all the same.
Next up was Ex-Agent, described online as a ‘no-wave’ group made up of made up of Evo Ethel (vocals, guitar, sax), Alfie Hay (guitar, bass), Eve Rosenberg (bass, guitar), Aidan Surgey (drums, percussion) and Otto Wild (keys, sax). They have a punk-rock element in their music with hints of jazz- somewhat reminiscent of Black Midi.
The stage was lit by an ominous lamp at the front and occasionally washed with green by sporadic flashes. During their debut single Clutch/5, it was revealed that the lamp was actually a person wearing a shining lampshade on their head. The lamp came down into the audience, sporadically danced to the frantic beat of the song’s bright drums and scratchy guitar. As the tension built, both lyrically and musically, the lamp began desperately pulling on their electrical cord that kept them tethered to the stage. Some audience members rolled their eyes while others pulled out their digital cameras to immortalise the moment.
As Ex-Agent’s set came to an end with one final dreamy soundscape, the lamp dramatically turned their light off. This was an intriguing element to add, but not particularly entertaining or thought provoking.
Ethel was certainly the most eccentric member of the band, dressed like someone’s Great Aunt with a crumpled black hat and a carpet-patterned waistcoat. They sang (shouted) into an old-school microphone creating a peculiar sense of nostalgia.
Rosenberg, the bassist, was seemingly isolated from the rest of the band. The stage is small and easily crowded by music equipment and instruments, so maybe the awkward spread of musicians couldn’t be helped. Nonetheless, it was disappointing to see her somewhat removed from the energy and action on stage. Rosenberg kept a stern face throughout the performance, sometimes using a violin bow to play her bass.
The night ended with Minor Conflict, the most established band out of the three acts with singles reviewed by CLASH and So Young magazines. Natalie Whiteland (harp), Josh Smyth (bass), Robbie Warin (trumpet) and Marcus Jeffery (drums), produce an experimental sound, blending influences of jazz, punk, folk and electronics.
Whiteland’s harp playing was entrancing and her voice angelic. Her fingers hopped around the harp strings with precision and elegance. Another standout was Warin. He had a methodical manner as he alternated between percussion, trumpet, and electronics. He was in total focus, always on time and in tune.
I was particularly impressed with White Ring Binder, an unerringly propulsive near-five-minute single. Smyth spoke his lyrics in a monotonous tone, contrasting Whiteland’s ethereal, almost operatic, singing. The band’s record label, PRAH Recordings, explains the song is about “people sharing really intimate things with strangers through poetry. It’s also about the connection we make with musicians even when we’ve never met them: the power of music to connect with others and ignite their creativity but also the effect that has on the people involved.”
Let’s just say the single was swiftly added to my Spotify soon after the gig…
All in all, it was a fun night. It was refreshing to listen to music that pushes boundaries and interrogates musical genres. The Shacklewell Arms is a great venue with a laid-back feel and cosy venue space.