|
Past Issues:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27
BACK
Current
93 (and special guest Michael Cashmore)
with Simon Finn and Six Organs of Admittance
Live in Toronto
Thursday, June 17th 2004 at The Music Gallery at St. George the
Martyr Church
Photos and review by Adam Wasylyk
Having been a huge fan of Current 93 for some time, needless to
say I was excited at the prospect of their first appearance in Canada.
As quickly as two nights sold out before I knew it, a third night
was added (scheduled prior to the first two) where plain luck and
good timing played key roles in allowing me to attend one of these
highly anticipated shows.
The doors opened, allowing us in. A short walk brought us to lines
of pews and a small stage where the altar would be. Hymn books lined
the backs of the pews, and the wood flooring cracked and snapped
under our feet. Drone-ish music came from the speakers, and with
the last rays of sun shining through the stained-glass window behind
the stage, it offered an atmosphere all its own.
Shortly after 8 PM Current 93’s enigmatic frontman David Tibet
announced the show’s opening act, Simon Finn. Perhaps the most
interesting tidbit behind Simon Finn’s set tonight was that
it was his first public performance since 1973. The British born,
Canada-transplanted "dark acid folk" singer-songwriter
began a tad awkwardly with nerves causing a couple of missed notes,
but he soon shook off any remaining rust and found his groove. There
was a tangible darkness to his songs, Finn’s lyrics speaking
of betrayal, pain…almost nightmare-ish. Performing the Silent
City Creep EP on Durtro/Jnana in its entirety, the five roughly
two-and-a-half minute songs made up a good-sized part of his set.
The title track and "Deeply Flawed" were dark, sedate,
while "Eros" and "Wanted You" were livelier,
the guitar playing in the former offering one of my favourite moments
from his set. Finn also went back to the past to perform a song
older than many in the audience, the title track to 1970’s
Pass the Distance (recently re-released by Durtro), along with a
song to appear on a future release ("As the Crow Flies,"
I believe it was named). The soft-spoken Finn seemed taken aback
at times by the enthusiastic audience, from which he seemed to draw
energy, introducing most of the songs to the crowd. His face occasionally
obscured by a lock of hair resting down his face, Finn finished
his set only to be cheered back onstage for an encore, "Malcolm,"
a sobering track that roused another round of applause from an appreciate
audience. A great start to the night’s festivities, and a new
artist that I now count myself a fan of.
The
house lights came up and a short intermission followed. I wondered
to myself, "Is anyone else’s butt getting numb from these
pews? How do people sit in these things?" It was obvious I
hadn’t built the necessary "faculties" to sit in
such seats, and perhaps that’s a good thing?
Six Organs of Admittance, the California psychedelic rock act with
Ben Chasny at its helm began its set, and while both Chasny and
Simon Finn have both been termed "acid folk," they’re
nearly antithetical in both style and sound. Beginning with an instrumental,
Chasny’s technical dexterity was quickly revealed. His melodic
vocals held a lot of emotion, and seemed to hover thickly like fog
over the stage. With as little banter as possible, it seemed as
though he allowed his music to say what needed to be said. Sitting,
as did Simon Finn, through the entire set, Chasny was definitely
the more physical of the two, swaying to and fro. In fact, occasionally
his seat would squeak louder than his strumming. Near the end of
his set he mused humorously that he wanted to finish quickly as
he wanted to see Current 93, and as with many in attendance, it
was his first time seeing them as well. However after finishing
his set he couldn’t escape an encore, which in a tongue-in-cheek
sort of way seemed reluctant on his part. Thankfully he obliged,
and finished out an enjoyable set.
Only moments before Current 93 took the stage in Canada for the
first time, my mind again became preoccupied with the uncomfortable
state of my butt on these pews. "For Christ sake, how do people
sit in these things?" I murmured under my breath.
The Gospel-sounding hymns that played over the P.A. between sets
abruptly stopped as Michael Cashmore attempted to figure out the
problem with his pedal setup (six in total!), allowing the anticipation
to intensify. Before I knew it, David Tibet had taken to the microphone,
and accompanied by the aforementioned Cashmore on guitar, John Contreras
on cello and Graham Jeffrey on piano, launched into the opener "Earth
Covers Earth," followed by "Rome (For Douglas P.)."
Objectivity as a writer seemed obscene at this point, as to put
it bluntly, I was in awe. "Whilst the Night Rejoices Profound
and Still" was played poignantly, offering one of the more
subdued pieces during their set. And with Cashmore’s opening
riff, and Tibet’s singing of "The twisted wings and clouds
unfold…", Jesus Christ, if my heart didn’t skip a
beat! Whereas Tibet’s intensity in "Lucifer over London"
off the 1994 EP of the same name seemed to get progressively maddening,
his onstage performance saw a heightened intensity from the get
go, with cellist Contreras helping Tibet "666" the song
to its duration. An amazing song to end their set, which received
vigorous applause from the audience.
Encore
#1 brought Simon Finn back to the stage, where he and Tibet performed
two songs, "The Courtyard" and "Jerusalem."
Both songs are from an EP the duo recorded early this year, which
originally appeared on Simon Finn’s Pass the Distance. The
humour from the lyrics of "Jerusalem," lines such as "Jesus
was a fisherman…" and "...Did he imagine at that
moment, that 200 million hypocrites would praise his name?"
were not lost on the crowd, in light of the venue in which this
show was taking place. Incidentally all of the bands on the night
will eventually have recording relationships as well, with an EP
titled Strange Attractors to be released by Six Organs of Admittance
this  Fall
which will feature an appearance by David Tibet.
Encore #2 brought Cashmore and Contreras back along with a couple
of backup singers for undoubtedly one of my favourite moments of
Current 93’s set, "Beau Soleil." Some infectiously
clapped along, and who can blame them? It’s one of those 8-minute
songs you’re thankful is as long as it is, as any less simply
wouldn’t be right. And my Lord, I swear this song hasn’t
left the confines of my head since then. At its end the song received
some loud, lengthy, and well-deserved applause.
Encore #3 left us with our final moments with Current 93—Tibet
and Cashmore together doing a fine rendition of "So: This Empire
is Nothing." And so ended night one of three in Toronto, Canada
in 2004. Despite playing an abbreviated set, this in no way equated
to a lesser degree of quality. An unforgettable, one-of-a-kind show,
and single-handedly the best show I’ve seen all year.
Links of interest:
Simon Finn: http://www.simonfinn.co.uk/
Six Organs of Admittance: http://www.sixorgansofadmittance.com/
Current 93: http://www.brainwashed.com/c93/
Durtro: http://www.durtro.com
Text and photos are property of www.unrestrainedmag.com, not
to be used without permission!
|
