Teho Teardo and Blixa Bargeld – Union Chapel, London 18/03/14

Never has the saying ‘good things come in pairs’ had more meaning than the live collaborative performance of Teho Teardo and Blixa Bargeld at Islington’s Union Chapel.

Having released their debut album Still Smiling last July to critical acclaim, the duo sees Italian composer Teardo mingle his electronic lineage with the experimental depths of former Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds member and Einsturzende Neubauten founder Bargeld’s murky songwriting.

Having met during the “Ingiuria” performance piece and started out composing independent film scores together, there were elements of the theatrical within their uniquely dark soundscapes. Performed in a mixture of their native Italian and German –although with some English lyrics thrown in for further bilingual credentials – the pair worked their way through an astonishing array of musical acrobatics with the help of a laptop, e bow and multiple pedals to create modernistic compositions.

To add further intrigue, Bargeld’s distinctive and often gravelly voice broke poetically poised lyrics. Clad completely in black akin to Johnny Cash, he gesticulated beautifully throughout the set as if conducting his own intonations on Teardo’s left-field guitar.

Strings played a central role, with striking cellist Martina Bertoni taking on the majority of responsibility with every delicately determined bow. Rather than taking a straightforward classical route, there was a modern edge to the arrangement allowing each considered element to echo into structured silences. On stage the three worked symbiotically, conveying with looks when to play in and out. A natural camaraderie was notable, presumably born from the collaborative nature of their musical obscurity.

Opening with a dedication for the all the Italians congregated, second number “Mi Scusi” was a low-fi piece in which Bargeld’s expressive vocals led the drama. Deep cello only added further depth and mounting foreboding at the apex.

The thunderous first bars of “Axelotl” gave way to moments of serenity at times, as barely there strings accompanied some of Bargeld’s vocal experimentations. In many ways a trademark of his back catalogue, his guttural and animalistic growls added another dimension to the ominous number.

Rhythmic strokes of cello hailed the arrival of album title track “Still Smiling”, sung in English and telling of unsettling days. Sinister in places, it was nightmarishly imaginative as stripped back instrumentation allowed Bargeld to demand pathos.

“What If” gave Teardo and Bargeld’s past as film composers away as sweeping atmospherics were dramatically matched with the songs narrative. “Come Up and See Me” later followed this trend with its conversational tone.

A string quartet was employed for the last half of the set, adding violins, viola and a further cello to exaggerate Bertoni’s parts. The result was fuller, more varied and it reverberated around the vast gothic venue in magnitudes.

With “Defenestrazioni” – a song written from an attraction to the word – Teho Teardo and Blixa Bargeld brought the curtain down on an encompassing foray into the place where classical and electronics merge.

• Photos by Jack Buster.