The End Is Here In Noises

Went to a deadly gig last night. It was great, in a we-dont-really-know-our-lyrics-or-have-that-many-songs-to-play-
but-can-make-alot-of-noise-and-go-mental kind of way.

Test Icicles.

As part of their Boa V Python tour they played a show in Magnet last night. Woahz. Had i been in the form for it, there were some good opportunities to speak with the band last night - dudes were hanging about in the crowd when we walked in, talking to fans and looking belligerant at the merchandise desk. I sort of walked into Sam, who didn't seem to know where he was going, his hair was obstructing his view. He has alot of hair...I wasn't feeling very sparkly last night though, still kinda recovering from the late night on Tuesday. I should have saved myself for Test Icicles! This band demands energy. Literally.

They came onstage and didn't quite look like the band i'd heard about. Grey cardigan? Anorak? A t-shirt with a husky on it? ..At first the crowd seemed nonplussed. Devonté asked, "how are you? y'alight?" and "what do you kids do for fun?" and finally, "em, are you excited about the world cup?"...it was a painstaking effort to get some reaction. Sam was hurling insults at the crowd alot, Dev was telling him to say sorry alot.

The dynamic onstage is a wonder to behold. The boys swap the microphone around alot, everyone has a go - "oh, it's my turn to sing now then..?", they freestyle on the keyboard - "that sounds really fucking good, keep doing that!" (upon discovering a science fiction-y sound effect, which appeared on nearly every song thereafter.) I did see Sam play his guitar with his teeth. Or try to. There were alot of snapshot moments, like when Dev was jumping up the walls, or when Sam fell over and all you could see over the tops of people's heads was this sepulchral arm shooting up in the air (sort of like that scene at the end of Carrie when the arm reaches out from the grave...) Or when Rory was just being there on stage, he kind of looks like Johnny Rotten with that new haircut.

It took a few songs, but the crowd did start going mental, eventually. The best song of the night was "Circle, Square, Triangle" even if Sam forgot most of the lyrics. The crowd really went crazy. Though they had been jumping around alot already, this song really set it off. "That was the peak", Sam said. After spending a few minutes faffing about onstage wondering what to play, God was even called upon to intervene.."we would play longer but...we've no more songs", they ended up doing a cover of a song by the Go Go's. As it bounced around the room thanks to extra reverb on the mic, "Belinda Carlise -isle -isle -isle" was a name i hadn't imagined hearing a member of Test Icicles say at the gig.

It was bad form to just do nothing on stage for a while, which they did. People started shouting "boring!" and Dev warned against anyone coming up to them after the show to say "that was a shit gig"..My friend pointed out that this may have been in reaction to the crowd seeming ambivalent at first, though they did warm up to the Icicles eventually. The band finished up their set by making noise for ten minutes. Well, Rory and Sam scarpered, leaving Dev like a hunched scientist over the keyboard and his guitar. Sam ran through the bar making "magician fingers" in people's faces, then they left. My one regret from the night is that I have no photos. As they wandered through the bar on their way out my friend suggested shouting "hey motherfuckers!" and taking a photograph..I totally should have. I didn't particularly want to be in the picture myself - i went to my first gig when i was 11, since then, i've only ever asked for a picture twice. This one time at Oxegen, when I went over to say hello to Shaun Christensen as he was hanging out by himself, smoking a cigarette down beside the crowd after Stellastarr* had played. And this other time after seeing the Future Kings of Spain play a deadly gig. Myself and my friend ended up chatting with them for a while afterwards (nicest band, ever!)...a photo seemed inevitable. I dunno. I'm bad at stuff like that though, I hate asking for a picture.

the support band was deadly. The Taste.

After reading up a bit on Test Icicles i now know that Dev injured his foot quite badly on a shard of glass during a gig last year, "i just walk a bit different now"; Rory has joined a choir, "it's a 15 strong vocal crew. It's gonna happen." and Sam was born in Miami and grew up in Australia, his accent is funny.

I wonder if they will get a drummer, and if it will make things even more crazy on stage. I hope so!!

Motherfuckers! Indeed. I would very much like to see them again, they're a really fun band to see live, i was laughing alot. Plus, it does make a nice change from recorders and glockenspiels. We all agreed it was a not unsimilar experience to being at a band's practise. Which is kind of cool when you think about it. Test Icicles play like nobody's watching.