These New Puritans and The Big Thief, live.
Last week was possibly one of the best musical weeks I've had in quite some time. Of course, it is obvious (and sort of a cliché) that one of the main advantages of living in a city like London is that you can manage to attend all sorts of concerts you like. [ That's at least when there are no viruses around ]
Still, I see it as good luck when the two bands that have recorded your favorite albums of 2019 end up playing near you in almost consecutive days.
Sunday 23rd, These New Puritans (TNP) played at the Barbican Centre, for what has been a one-off concert outside of any tour. TNP are basically Jack and George Barnett, two 31-YOs from Southend-on-Sea, born and bred in an average working-class family in Essex. Their background, and their studies, have made them capable of mixing all sorts of influences in a new, weird and incredibly interesting creature that is their music. No two consecutive albums from them sound even remotely similar. They kicked off in 2008 with Beat Pyramid, clearly inspired by hip hop bands like Wu-Tang-Clan, but with hints of electronic music and even brit-pop. They then moved on with Hidden, where their style started to shape, and where, according to Jack, "dancehall met Steve Reich". In 2013 Field of Reeds came out, where the band deepened their classical music influences and made large use of dissonance. Finally, last year Inside the Rose was published, possibly the most pop of their albums, yet quite far from the standard definition of pop.
The live featured a small 20-piece orchestra with brass, sopranos and percussions. The first few songs were taken from the last album, or even newer, like The Blue Door, still clearly inspired by the Inside the Rose sessions. Pitched percussions were at the center of these pieces, a celestial atmosphere only momentaneously interrupted by the impetuous drums of George Barnett. The second part of the concert was surely the most powerful one, with old songs like We Want War played with such energy to make you want to leave your seat and start dancing.
The Barnett brothers are the masters of dissonance: they can write melodies that catch the listener off-guard. Unfortunately, though, the audio quality was not that good and so what remains of the night is mainly the power emanated by the group of percussionists, and the warm, reassuring voice of Jack singing a minimalist, emotional version of The Trees are on Fire.
Few days later, The Big Thief gave us a completely different, yet incredibly exciting, experience. While with TNP the feeling is that a 20-piece band is necessary to make their songs shine, Big Thief can afford starting a concert with Adrianne Lenker playing her acustic guitar alone and singing with her frail, gentle and fresh voice. Often it's more mumbling than singing, but this is her trademark, and what makes these songs so emotional.
You get the feeling that the rest of the band probably does not add that much to the performance; don't get me wrong, great musicians and not a single note out of place all night, but the other three are honest workers, Adrianne is the star.
Few words for the venue of the first concert: the Barbican. Brutalist architecture does not have many fans, but I definitely list myself among them. Concrete is at the center of everything, and geometry has its opportunity to shine. The Centre has been renewed over the years and now looks much more modern, but this does not make it less fascinating. Attending a concert there is an experience on its own.