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Gig Review

1234 Festival - the Raveonettes / Lydia Lunch / Two Wounded Birds / Sex Beet / Novella
London. Shoreditch Park

Article written by Paul M - Jul 11, 2011

1234

It was barely over a week ago that I broke my Hyde Park duck with an Arcade Fire fronted festival. Lost in a sea of sixty thousand I won’t be rushing back to repeat that evening of corporate whoredom… Today’s event couldn’t be worse than that, surely? Thankfully, the answer is a definite no. Shoreditch Park is in the East End, on the edge of not only the City’s banking home but also, the locals would have you believe its most creative area, Hoxton. Here, the carefree and privileged artists, musicians and media types live in converted warehouses alongside the far poorer Bangladeshis in their low rise council abodes. The middle class Hoxtonites were brilliantly caricatured by Charlie Booker and co in Nathan Barley and with the 1234 Festival being literally on their doorstep it’s no surprise to see many of them present. To be fair, the odd coked up moron aside, the vast majority here today are well behaved and happy to be noticed for what they’re wearing rather than what they’re shouting or doing. Less still wear the cheap brightly coloured shades of old but judging by today’s display, no fashionable Hoxtonista would dare step out of their front door unless they are wearing tight shorts (denim hot pants for girls, cream coloured cotton schoolboy efforts for the boys). Bonus points for trilbies and ironic ‘taches (fellas) or head scarves (girls). I feel distinctly underdressed in my t-shirt and jeans.

After the restricted five bands on one stage approach of Hyde Park it was nice to get back to the traditional festival approach of four stages (three of them in tents) to keep you fit and optimistic as you flit around. I started with Arrows of Love in the, already way behind schedule, Artrocker tent. I couldn’t fault the London quintet for effort as both the vocalist and bassist decide to leave the stage and thrash around the mosh still clutching their mike and guitar, but musically, their riff fuelled rock leaves me cold. Luckily there was plenty of sunshine outside (despite the forecasted rain) so I decided to invest a lengthy period (with the odd beer break) in the Rough Trade Tent. First I caught the lovely Novella, a Spector dripping, all female four piece, cut from a similar musical cloth to La Sera. They may not say much as they hide behind their long straight hair but their shimmering keys and chiming guitars speak loudly for them and I liked what they say. I wasted a couple of minutes clutching my fresh pint and being irritated by the whiny male vocals of post punkers Electricity in Our Homes on the main stage so headed back

Sex Beet

to the Rough Trade tent to see Sex Beet. The Guardian reckon this bunch will be “back working in banks this time next year”. Clearly the paper should stick to ripping a new hole in the Government’s festering arse and leave the music judgement to little threepenny bit journals like ours. They were of course great and easily the biggest surprise of the day. Thundering drums, swirling keys and jangling strings suggested Duane Eddy and the Sonics riding a majestic psych surf but they also dipped their toes into country and western, slackerpop and cowpunk waters. Well Jackson, as Mr Barley might say.

The goodies just kept on coming. Echo Lake may have the misfortune of following Sex Beet but their pleasant fuzzy female fronted dreampop was no disappointment. We then raced back to the Artrocker tent only to catch the end of the late running and forgettable Forms. My own most anticipated act, Two Wounded Birds, finally come on and in their restricted handful of songs set (band sickness is blamed), they show why. Like a new soundtrack to Pulp Fiction but set in Margate, this Ramones go surfing ensemble tick so many musical boxes marked GREAT and I become so captivated by the frontman and his bowlcut hairstyle, that I almost fail to notice the blonde girl on bass in her rather nice leather shorts… A definite ‘Must See’ band.

It’s now back to the Rough Trade stage and the horror of discovering that courtesy of the shambolic organisation in the Artrocker tent that we only catch two songs by Fair Ohs. Insert unsmiley face here. History of Apple Pie gently soothe our furrowed brow afterwards though with some delicious floaty shoegaze.

By now the fun fair is in full swing. Sorry, did I not mention that there was a fair in the middle of the park? You know, dodgems, wall of death, high speed merry go round, that sort of nonsense… only those who have consumed copious quantities of Ginger Joe Ginger Ale (er, wtf?) are slamming themselves about with wanton abandon and risking serious damage to their £80 freestyle haircuts though.

The main stage then called us for the curiously bewitching no-wave vet Lydia Lunch. She’s now in her fifties but thankfully she’s not tempered her overt ‘in your face’ attitude towards narcotics, sex or politics. She’s also still got a pretty great gravelly voice and her potty mouthed accompaniment to the persistent driving rhythm provided by her cohorts is another high point of the day. I now decided to check out the dance tent for the first time but the knob twiddling pumping electro disco of Autokratz works wonders for many, but not me and ditto the wigged out krautrock of Can legend Damo Suzuki in the Rough tRade tent.

The Raveonettes

Back to the main stage for the Raveonettes. A delayed start due to late sound checks and they appear. It starts badly, not because he looks like Bob Mortimer in a scouser wig and she’s wearing black Mc Hammer loons, but because his vocals sound poor and too low in the mix. Fortunately the sound engineers tinker and the band follow it with Dead Sound and from there on, the odd distraction from tussling drunken buffoons in the crowd aside, it’s a swoonsome session of fuzzed up lullabies.

We gave the dull rock of Black Lips twenty minutes longer than they deserve and realising the booze stall is now empty we decided to call it quits, skipping our way round the zigzagging Hoxtonites back to Old Street, drunk but happy.

Links:
http://www.myspace.com/sexbeet
http://www.myspace.com/theraveonettes