A homogenous and well orchestrated performance, making every musician involved a fundamental component, as each adds their own little piece to form a bigger, more satisfying puzzle.
Atmosphere seems to be getting more and more prevalent
Right as kicks off, this live performance from David Birchall, Kate Carr, and Tullis Rennie sets a rather gloomy tone. The trombone that opens up the curtains sounds like it does not even want to be on the very same stage it’s setting up, as its bleak breaths sound like the very last it may ever take; noise accompanies this dying brass, and if this initial atmosphere does not resonate with you, then you might not want to stay for much longer.
All I know is that it definitely intrigues me, and it doesn’t take long to be rewarded, in fact. After just a couple minutes that same frail trombone starts picking up in energy, almost spazzing its way through the now also different background accompaniment; there’s definitely a noticeable focus on atmosphere, with some soft drones echoing in the distance and a guitar that’s also getting more intense, instead of providing click-like textures like it was at the beginning. These atmospheric portions are my favorite of this whole performance, especially the background drones, they really make this piece a lot more chilling and unnerving than most improvisational live performances like this tend to be.
There’s also some great use of squeaky toys in these first minutes, they don’t necessarily fit in the atmosphere, but they do stick out a lot, they’re that weird and unexpected component that performances of this nature really benefit from. As the track progresses, atmosphere seems to be getting more and more prevalent, with some sections getting rather similar to industrialisms you’d find in dark ambient music; there’s more of a focus on timbre rather than avant-garde playing, and the drones also get louder, so you have certain bits that really grasp the unnerving feel that was only hinted at earlier. The trombone hits as low notes as it can hit, becoming a really, really heavy and oppressing presence right before the halfway point, which is the darkest and most texturally rich of the whole show.
After said halfway point, which offers one of the more memorable moments of the whole performance by going into a more percussive part and shortly after blasting some intense noise, the piece does start to lose a bit of strength. There aren’t many new ideas that stick, and there’s also a bit of a lack of new interesting textures and styles; what keeps the first half so interesting is how often it shifts into new territories, especially with how the instruments are being played, and it seems to land with each of them. The second half of the piece settles down on this aspect, opting to really explore atmosphere instead; while I did say I very much enjoy the atmospheric components of this piece, this second half just lacks the unnerving and extravagant moments of the first, making it less engaging, even if still entertaining.
That being said, this is a fine live performance that will shake you up. It’s bleak and almost empty, both things that make it rather unnerving—when it jumps out the most—are these wrinkle-inducing textures. There’s also never a real star of the show, it’s a homogenous and well orchestrated performance, making every musician involved a fundamental component, as each adds their own little piece to form a bigger, more satisfying puzzle.
Zippered Time, Winged Dialogue was performed at the Setlist zine launch at Cafe OTO on March 19, 2024. The event was curated by Cath Roberts. The concert was the first time playing in trio for Birchall, Rennie and Carr. The title is adapted from some of the text prompts and visual scores in the Setlist zines. Setlist is a DIY publishing project by Cath Roberts. Artists are invited to create text and images as small provocations / titles / agitations / starting points for improvisation.
Tullis Rennie :: Trombone
David Birchall :: Guitar
Kate Carr :: Noise box, glass bottles, balloons, artwork, mixing/mastering
Jack Chuter :: Release notes
Cafe OTO :: Live recording
Zippered Time, Winged Dialogue is available on Flaming Pines. [Bandcamp]
