Grouper & Thank You – The Luminaire, London 05/11/09

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Argh, I really hate London sometimes. Underground tubes, over ground trains, double-decker buses… Not bendy buses though, they’re free… Anyway, I’m massively delayed in getting to the venue, just had enough time to grab a quick bite and arrive just in time for Thrill Jockey’s Baltimore support act, Thank You. Side note: I haven’t been to The Lumi since they tore down that annoying wall by the stage side and it looks a real treat now it’s been refurbished. The space has opened up and it sure makes it a darn sight easier to worm your way to the front with minimal effort. I’m glad I did now because it was a joy to behold.

The trio sounded so positively charged, full of drive and vitality that you’d have to be a reptile like creature not to let yourself get lost in their fierce energetic post-punk madness, driven by carefully placed melodies and some killer drumming. ‘Pathetic Magic’ harnesses drummer Emmaniel Nicolaidis as the focal point as he lays down fill after fill and begins to drench in his own sweat in no time. Apparently he learned the entire set within a week of joining the band after original member Elke moved to Berlin. Cool. Guitarist Jeffrey McGrath lays down fractured riffs and tribal chants on ‘Strange All’ and keeps the pace moving along tidily. There were a couple of hitches along the way, a few sound problems and broken strings which held things up but nothing to stop the momentum of their set. Definitely whetted my appetite to investigate them some more. Thank you Thank You (ahem.)

And then there was Portland, Oregan’s Grouper (aka Liz Harris to her mother). You couldn’t really get two completely different artists, back to back. From one extreme, of Thank You’s raw chaotic racket, we’ve had to adjust our mind space and mood for some delicate slumber-drone. And fast. A hushed, calm engulfs the room. The lights go off. Harris sits down with her hood mystifyingly covering her head, fidgeting with her guitar, amongst a battery of pedals and old Sony Walkmen with a stack of white cassette tapes in complete darkness. A projector provides the only light, shining directly onto Harris and displaying some minimal nature themed movies, to great effect I may add, as she crafts up some static, muted thunderstorm effects and begins to quietly sing. Her voice sounds so untainted and fawningly distant, it would make the most hardened of souls, melt. She may not be renowned for her stage presence or charisma, but she has the unique gift much like Windy & Carl, Stars of the Lid and The Caretaker, to transport the listener away with her murky, oceanic melodies, lumbering overtones and dreamlike drone set, sourcing mainly from material of latest offering, Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill. (Insert Heart Icon here)

As delightful as she was, unfortunately it’s the kind of music you don’t want to stand and observe but rather slump into a contented heap in a comfortable ball and float off into a place that only your own mind can create. Towards the end of the performance, I begin to feel uncomfortable. I’m surrounded and it’s too much of a squeeze. My legs are killing me and there’s no sitting down at the Luminaire tonight. There’s even signs which say so. And I also sadly confess that I start keeping a watchful eye on the time. I don’t want to miss the last overland train… Seriously, why can’t shows just run on time sometimes? Upset the Rhythm seriously have left me stranded on way too many occasions, as much as I love their shows. Just stick to the bill and finish before 11! Not that hard guys. Harris ends her set abruptly. I’m about to run off but she creeps back from behind the curtain to play an encore. I should leave. But I can’t do it. She lays down a gorgeous icy loop, which makes me wanna bust out crying. It was beautiful. I miss the overland train in end. I get back for near 2am. But it was worth it.

Photos by Ama Chana