!! cancelled !!
handle // nape neck - !! cancelled !!
saturday 21 january 2023
doors 20:00 - 12€
les ateliers claus, crickxstraat 15 - 1060 sint-gillis
handle // nape neck
HANDLE (UK)
Rhythm-minded clatter and clang from a trio that mutated out of the Manchester band D.U.D.S., whose particular union of scratchy dancefloor funk and taut, minimal post-punk had first been set into motion by late ’70s phonk UK firebrands like A Certain Ratio and early ’80s post-No Wave downtown dwellers like Liquid Liquid. HANDLE clearly shares some of that same genetic material, while operating with a paired down set of tools (bass, drums, keyboard, voice, no guitars) and some adventurous tendencies that give their debut LP a more distinct musical identity. Leo Hermitt’s vocals bounce from punctuated yelps to monotone narrations to abstracted wordless noises, matched by snapping bass throb, mutant disco beats, and washes of warped and feverish synth that collectively add up to something vaguely approaching an all-night, bleary-eyed nightclub version of This Heat. The more linear, sharpened moments amidst the experimental detours here are the ones that have the most immediate impact, like the monotony of modern life commentary “Life’s Work” that twists into a delirious 99 Records-style infinite loop groove with a repetitive chant of “Definition, definition / Useless, useless information” pulling the the underlying rhythm even tighter. New record forthcoming. Maximum agitation!
https://maternalvoice.bandcamp.com/album/in-threes
https://absolutefiction.bandcamp.com/album/handle-demonstrations
NAPE NECK (UK)
Nape Neck’s knotted rhythms and the intersecting/overlapping vocal shouts from all three band members bring to mind Scissor Girls or Erase Errata, who also drew inspiration from the spiky tension of first wave UK post-punk and translated it through the more wild and free tendencies of DNA-descended downtown art-noise.