Gig Reviews – The Membranes…
Blimey! Once again reviews not unlike London buses, after waiting for what seems like an age, eventually come along two at a time, safety in numbers or what!
The Membranes have recorded an awesome new album Dark Matter/Dark Energy. On 22nd May they held an album pre-launch gig at The Lexington in London’s Islington. Serial gig goers, roving reporters and hobbyist time travellers Baglady and EiTC were there.
Baglady saw it thusly…
The Membranes – Pre-Album Launch at The Lexington/Islington 22nd May 2015.
In need of a night out away from my cherubs, Mr IntheClouds suggested that I make a trip to Islington.
Thus, after many calculations and celestial manoeuvrings, I found myself sugar tonging back to relaxation (helped in no small part by reading Haruki Murakami on a train, a man who would surely understand and appreciate the sugar tong time travel concept).
Eventually I arrived at Angel and transferred to The Angel to be greeted by a guardian angel and an angelic beverage. Despite taking the usual detour via India we eventually arrived at a location new to me, The Lexington.
Packed and with music already floating down from the heavens. We waited on the stairway for the feisty looking You The Living band members to descend, their set having already been completed. After ascending we found we had made a jump from all matters light into the dark. Not a sinister leap but into the dark that provides invisible bonds.
Faerground Accidents were commanding the stage with a tightly packed audience. They were definitely a strong force drawing people in, strange and charming in every direction.
The Wolfhounds followed. Like Canis Major pursuing Lepus the hare they chased down some solid tunes.
Then we made our way to the front for one of the coolest gigs I’ve been to, in both senses of the word. Bringing us a selection of tracks from their soon to be released album Dark Matter/Dark Energy, The Membranes commanded the stage. With tracks like The Universe Explodes, Do the Supernova, 21st Century Man and Money is Dust, you knew they had the singularity of life covered.
It was Life, Death, the Universe and everything between bonded by high energy drums and guitars and, of course, the gravitational pull of those strong vocals. Towards the end of the set the energetic John Robb launched himself into the audience, a rocket aiming to prove he still had fuel to burn.
This crowd was an eclectic set of bosons and leptons, movers, shakers and statics together creating an atmosphere all its own. It could have gone on ad infinitum but curfew was upon us.
Reluctantly spiralling back out into the reaches of the known universe via The Angel, Angel and the reality inducing Waterloo station I made my way back to mission control.
Not too long now until the release of Dark Matter/Dark Energy. It’s true, it’s out there!
While EiTC thought it was more…
Gig Review The Membranes at The Lexington Islington 22nd May 2015.
Breaking with tradition…
Your rights are all that is left and they left a long time ago…
It’s definitely turning into a left turn kind of evening…
Turning left out of Elvis Towers then left again and a general bearing to the left found me On A Bus! From there it was only a matter of short inevitability before more left turns afforded me the status update of On A Train! More left turn shenanigans found me turning left out of Angel Tube to rendezvous with Baglady at a local Wetherspoons. From where, we wound our way leftwards, narrowly avoiding a cop-foiled heist on a Fried Chicken Outlet, until we found our way (left) to India and partook of a feast of veggie delights in honour of Ravenette.
Time spent in India and a curiously slow entrance procedure meant that we missed the first band – You The Living completely. And, after finally making it in, saying hello to Mr Robb who was meeting and greeting by the Merch Stall at the entrance, we also almost missed the whole set of Faerground Accidents. Almost but not quite, fortunately we made it in time for their final one and a half songs. Very impressive they were too. A fact borne out by the eager punters crammed down at the front duly showing their rapturous appreciation.
Shortly thereafter The Wolfhounds arrived and proceeded to deliver a set of finely crafted poppy punky indie rock with a healthy hint of dissonance providing a nice edge. Definitely a worth a look!
A traveller approached in a Black and White T-Shirt it was Membranes skin basher Rob Haynes who turning left, stopped to say hi on his way to the stage.
And then it was time…
The Membranes took to the stage captivating the gathered mass with their fusion of heavy abstract sound and frenetic energy. There’s contrast here, the slower paced (but no less heavy) set opener The Universe Explodes giving way to the more up-tempo Do The Supernova with its tribal drums and musical jaggedness (one for the money).
The mainstay of tonight’s set was material from the new album Dark Matter/Dark Energy. Indeed Human Dynamo, frontman and bassist John Robb announced part way through that they were only playing new material tonight. Although truth be told they threw in a stonking Spike Milligan’s Tape Recorder and a manic Myths and Legends.
The Membranes offer the listener an infectiously deranged sonic experience. Rob’s solid Drums and John’s Bass combine to provide a platform for the contrasting guitar walls of Nick Brown and Peter Byrchmore. Peter also triggered sounds from an iPad loaded with virtual synths, adding an atmospheric dimension to the sound.
Also in tonight’s set: In The Graveyard, 21st Century Man (during which JR elicited some audience participation, this was repeated for the encore), Space Junk (not the Devo Song) and Money and Dust.
The Membranes ingest all of Rock and Roll and regurgitate it in their own unique form to the chirping chicklets eagerly waiting beaks agape in awe.
Verdict: Manically, marvellously, compulsively compelling! Check out the new album!
Over…
1st review Words: Baglady.
2nd review Words: EiTC.
Photos: EiTC.