Warpaint
It's been a long time since I've been to Brixton Academy
The stage is occupied by Martina Topley-Bird, resplendent in
a fire engine red gown. She looks slightly like a novelty toilet roll cover.
Martina accompanies herself with a loop machine, which
creates backing tracks from brief snatches of vocal. She then sings over the
top of these rhythms, her voice smoky and distinctive.
It's an interesting exercise, but these all sound like
extracts or demos for a larger, more complete work. Even so, it is a shame when
a roadie appears on stage to give her the hook before the completion of her
set.
I've seen Pins before and was impressed at that time. On
tonight's showing, the band have progressed even further.
For starters the band are totally at home on the big stage.
Their dual-guitar attack rings around the cavernous venue. The acoustics of the
place are not kind and seem to swallow much of the sound from the middle to
upper register, but all the acts tonight suffer from this phenomenon.
Singer/guitarist Faith has grown into a mighty stage
presence, either throwing axe-heroine shapes with her instrument or crouching
down to draw the audience in towards her. That she is dressed in natty black
hot pants also helps.
The drummer is a powerful focal point within the band.
Sophie concludes the set stood on her kit, hammering down as the others look
on. Pins have taken the opportunity afforded them in this support slot and
grasped it with both hands.
I had rather forgotten Warpaint. When I last saw them they
were a phenomenal live band whose music did not translate readily to studio
recording. I can't say that I've had their debut album on any kind of heavy
rotation.
Others clearly disagree. The Academy is full tonight and
when the band appear they are given a rapturous reception.
The four members of the band remain masters of their sound,
which is a fluid, bass-heavy amalgam of funk and folk-tinged rock, over which
vocals are traded. The fascinating thing is that there is no single point of
focus, no obvious band leader. Warpaint are a collective unit and no one part
is less important than any other.
As the set progresses, the great strength and occasional
weakness of the band becomes more evident. These are rarely songs in any
conventional sense, more a succession of grooves and jams - a sort of Fleetwood
Mac in Dub. I think that whether you enjoy this depends upon the degree to
which you surrender yourself and follow the music, the beat, the rhythm.
Tonight, I feel somewhat isolated. I can't get into the
mood; I need something to cling to. I get some stability with back to back
readings of 'Undertow' and 'Billie Holiday', perhaps the nearest that the band
comes to the verse/chorus/verse format.
The band finishes with an even looser, bassier work out than
before. Warpaint are never less than fascinating, and there really is nothing
else out there that sounds like them. But sometimes you have to tune in before
you can turn on to what they do.
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