nederlands
englishAll content is © 2006-2009, Evening of Light.
Kiss The Anus Of A Black Cat, Narsilion, Ait!, Sol Invictus
August 9th 2008, Ekko, Utrechtby D.M.K., with thanks to Elleke Bosma
All photographs by O.S. & D.M.K. / Evening of Light
The über-Dutch Summer Darkness festival has since its inception become one of the largest events in Europa in the area of dark music. Thankfully, besides booking larger artists, the organisation hasn't forgotten our little scene either. Related to the main festival were two interesting and wallet-friendly side events, to wit the Noise Central Festival III and Le Salon d'Esprit, and particularly the Saturday of the main festival was filled with fascinating music that fits snugly into our niche.
I'd love to do a report on Noise Central Festival III and Le Salon d'Esprit, but since our own O.S. performed on both events, this seemed slightly inappropriate. I can only recommend everyone to keep an eye on future instalments of these events, for they offered a great deal of interesting music.
What I can write about is Summer Darkness itself, and then mainly the Saturday in Ekko. First all, the Belgian dark folk group Kiss The Anus Of A Black Cat, of whom I unfortunately missed the greatest part of the set due to a delay with the tickets. Luckily I found someone who saw the whole thing and would like to write about it. I briefly give the word to Elleke Bosma: In one word: overwhelming. Singer/guitarist Stef Irritant led the band with his penetrating, goose-bumps causing vocals and repetitive guitar progressions, that remind one of the hypnotic aspect of Current 93. With a well thought out short set of half an hour the band displays an impressive amount of energy and intensity that lingers long after.
In between shows, DJs Arjen Grolleman and Bob Rusche - whom we know from the X-Rated radio show on Kink-FM - were spinning atmospheric records. After 'Kattengat' it was time for Narsilion, a Catalan duo playing mediaeval-inspired fairytale folk. The music fits well into the area of that by bands like Faun, so it was actually rather odd that the latter band was performing in another venue at almost the same time as the former. But, back to the music. It is provided by 'Lady Nott' and 'Sathorys Elenorth'. They both play various instruments and share vocal duties. I have to be honest and say that this isn't really my taste. Like Faun, I find it a bit too sweet and not original enough. If, however, you enjoy this kind of Tolkienesque folk, it's definitely worth checking this out. The music was atmospheric, the vocals pretty, and the use of different instruments was nice. The biggest misstep, though, was that there wasn't a complete band on stage. Many of the sounds and instruments were conjured up with the keyboard, while both artists played enough instruments to be able to play an intimate set, even without a backing tape.
After a couple of tracks we set off for the Domplein, where Sieben was going to play, the neofolk project by Englishman Matt Howden. The gig was delayed a bit by a pyrotechnics show, which in my opinion would have looked better in the dark, where you can see the fire properly. Luckily we were able to see a few songs, which sounded fine, as we've become used to with Matt. We hurried back to Ekko, because Ait! was starting there. Ait! is the solo project of Tairy Ceron. The Summer Darkness schedule describes the music as follows: 'Somewhere between post-apocalyptic nihilism and erotic necrophilia or romance.' That's a whole mouthful, but it all boils down to a lively stage performance by Mr. Ait! with a charming mannequin and various other stage props, ranging from a bouquet of flowers to a sizable rubber dildo (which, by the way, wasn't utilised for anything inappropriate for youthly viewers). All this is accompanied by live vocals with a ton of effects, and a backing tape full of varied discoish electronic music. To the side of the venue, a matching film collage was shown, made up of vintage porn and other cult movies. The gig was fun, catchy and varied, and certainly worth seeing, but I wonder if the music itself, without the live act, would be able to hold your attention. Lovers of the decadent atmosphere of bands like Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio, should certainly see this some time.
And then it is time for the main act, Sol Invictus. I'd last seen Tony Wakeford and his comrades in the spring of 2007, where they gave a stunning show in Luchtbal, Antwerp, which sadly enough wasn't attended in any great numbers. This time, though, the venue was filled, and the crowd enthusiastic - and justly so, for it was an excellent show. Unlike Narsilion and Ait!, we were once again treated to a full band, featuring six musicians. Besides Sol Invictus tracks, Andrew King performed several traditionals, which was a nice variation. Andrew's deep, powerful voice made for a nice counterbalance to the more straightforward vocals of Tony Wakeford. Additionally, the first track ("Abbatoirs of Love") featured a guest performance by Matt Howden. The setlist was quite varied, with classics like "Media" and "Sawney Bean" being mixed with newer tracks such as "We Are The Dead Men" and "Into The Woods". I particularly liked a song I didn't know yet, but which closed with the traditional "We carry death out of the village, we bring summer into the village!", which, apart from being drawn from traditional folklore, might also be known from the film The Wicker Man. Very powerful! "An English Garden" was another highlight for me - beautiful! From Andrew King, I particularly liked "Twa Corbies". As an encore, the band played the new "Black Leg Miner". And so a succesful evening drew to a close.
It was very nice to see a big band like Sol Invictus drawn together for this festival. The next day, the band played again, this time for free on the Domplein. A number of new tracks were played, so that it was also worthwhile for people who had already seen the Saturday show. Personally, I think it is nicer and more atmospheric to see this kind of band in small, murky venues, instead of in broad daylight on a busy square. With this our Summer Darkness came to a great end. I hope we get such a nice program again next year!
I'd love to do a report on Noise Central Festival III and Le Salon d'Esprit, but since our own O.S. performed on both events, this seemed slightly inappropriate. I can only recommend everyone to keep an eye on future instalments of these events, for they offered a great deal of interesting music.
What I can write about is Summer Darkness itself, and then mainly the Saturday in Ekko. First all, the Belgian dark folk group Kiss The Anus Of A Black Cat, of whom I unfortunately missed the greatest part of the set due to a delay with the tickets. Luckily I found someone who saw the whole thing and would like to write about it. I briefly give the word to Elleke Bosma: In one word: overwhelming. Singer/guitarist Stef Irritant led the band with his penetrating, goose-bumps causing vocals and repetitive guitar progressions, that remind one of the hypnotic aspect of Current 93. With a well thought out short set of half an hour the band displays an impressive amount of energy and intensity that lingers long after.
In between shows, DJs Arjen Grolleman and Bob Rusche - whom we know from the X-Rated radio show on Kink-FM - were spinning atmospheric records. After 'Kattengat' it was time for Narsilion, a Catalan duo playing mediaeval-inspired fairytale folk. The music fits well into the area of that by bands like Faun, so it was actually rather odd that the latter band was performing in another venue at almost the same time as the former. But, back to the music. It is provided by 'Lady Nott' and 'Sathorys Elenorth'. They both play various instruments and share vocal duties. I have to be honest and say that this isn't really my taste. Like Faun, I find it a bit too sweet and not original enough. If, however, you enjoy this kind of Tolkienesque folk, it's definitely worth checking this out. The music was atmospheric, the vocals pretty, and the use of different instruments was nice. The biggest misstep, though, was that there wasn't a complete band on stage. Many of the sounds and instruments were conjured up with the keyboard, while both artists played enough instruments to be able to play an intimate set, even without a backing tape.
After a couple of tracks we set off for the Domplein, where Sieben was going to play, the neofolk project by Englishman Matt Howden. The gig was delayed a bit by a pyrotechnics show, which in my opinion would have looked better in the dark, where you can see the fire properly. Luckily we were able to see a few songs, which sounded fine, as we've become used to with Matt. We hurried back to Ekko, because Ait! was starting there. Ait! is the solo project of Tairy Ceron. The Summer Darkness schedule describes the music as follows: 'Somewhere between post-apocalyptic nihilism and erotic necrophilia or romance.' That's a whole mouthful, but it all boils down to a lively stage performance by Mr. Ait! with a charming mannequin and various other stage props, ranging from a bouquet of flowers to a sizable rubber dildo (which, by the way, wasn't utilised for anything inappropriate for youthly viewers). All this is accompanied by live vocals with a ton of effects, and a backing tape full of varied discoish electronic music. To the side of the venue, a matching film collage was shown, made up of vintage porn and other cult movies. The gig was fun, catchy and varied, and certainly worth seeing, but I wonder if the music itself, without the live act, would be able to hold your attention. Lovers of the decadent atmosphere of bands like Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio, should certainly see this some time.
And then it is time for the main act, Sol Invictus. I'd last seen Tony Wakeford and his comrades in the spring of 2007, where they gave a stunning show in Luchtbal, Antwerp, which sadly enough wasn't attended in any great numbers. This time, though, the venue was filled, and the crowd enthusiastic - and justly so, for it was an excellent show. Unlike Narsilion and Ait!, we were once again treated to a full band, featuring six musicians. Besides Sol Invictus tracks, Andrew King performed several traditionals, which was a nice variation. Andrew's deep, powerful voice made for a nice counterbalance to the more straightforward vocals of Tony Wakeford. Additionally, the first track ("Abbatoirs of Love") featured a guest performance by Matt Howden. The setlist was quite varied, with classics like "Media" and "Sawney Bean" being mixed with newer tracks such as "We Are The Dead Men" and "Into The Woods". I particularly liked a song I didn't know yet, but which closed with the traditional "We carry death out of the village, we bring summer into the village!", which, apart from being drawn from traditional folklore, might also be known from the film The Wicker Man. Very powerful! "An English Garden" was another highlight for me - beautiful! From Andrew King, I particularly liked "Twa Corbies". As an encore, the band played the new "Black Leg Miner". And so a succesful evening drew to a close.It was very nice to see a big band like Sol Invictus drawn together for this festival. The next day, the band played again, this time for free on the Domplein. A number of new tracks were played, so that it was also worthwhile for people who had already seen the Saturday show. Personally, I think it is nicer and more atmospheric to see this kind of band in small, murky venues, instead of in broad daylight on a busy square. With this our Summer Darkness came to a great end. I hope we get such a nice program again next year!
  |
 |
 
  |
 
 
 |
| Or view all pictures on Flickr: here. |
Related Articles:
- interview: Tony Wakeford & Reeve Malka (Tursa, Sol Invictus)
- review: AIT! - Romanticismo Oltranzista (7,5/10)
- article overview: Sol Invictus & Tony Wakeford
- article overview: Matt Howden & Sieben