Words by Luke Rea
Photography by Lou Smith
The nomadic Saul Adamczewski made a hometown return to play an experimental show at a sold-out Paper Dress Vintage. He was joined by his experimental Drone Orchestra and two excellent supports in Body Horror and Ysing.
London locals, Ysing, kicked off the night’s music. Blending thunderous programmed beats with fuzzed-out guitars, the 3-piece created an abrasive yet danceable sound. Angular 8-bit synth melodies cut through swirling feedback loops, with pick-scraping creating grinding tension. Supported by haunting backing vocals, the lead singer’s performance, though aggressive, had a vulnerable edge to its spoken word vocals which contrasted the band's confrontational sound. Though they took some time to get into the set, their first in some time, Ysing had a captivating sound set the tone well for a night of experimental music. Their latest single, ‘7AM’, is out now.
It was no surprise to hear main support, Body Horror, are already a popular fixture at The Windmill, with a hair-raising sound and an exhilarating sweat-soaked performance. Gritty basslines and caustic drum machines collided with clattering live drums, whilst ricocheting delay and abrasive melodic hooks created angular, swirling chaos amongst the synths and guitar. The lead singer’s bellowed spoken word further intensified the sound, with his disjointed yet purposeful flow drawing attention to every syllable. Their stage presence was equally fierce, putting on a performance that had the room shaking. Having recently returned from a string of dates in France, the tortured electronics and clattering rhythms of Body Horror are not to be missed and will undoubtedly be heard up and down the country before long. Their new single, ‘GOODBOY’, is out now.
The first of Saul’s sets was a stripped-back, mostly solo, affair. Armed with a borrowed nylon-string guitar, his fingerstyle had a shaky tenderness as he plucked broken chords. Paired with his eerie verb-soaked vocals, Saul offered a more vulnerable, medieval sound than many fans of The Fat White’s and Insecure Men are used to. His sentimental and regretful lyrics were bookended with haunting vocal melodies that he whistled or wailed to a chilling effect. He ended each song with some comedic groaning or a wry smile to break the tension, but as the next song began, the emotional atmosphere quickly descended again. Saul was joined for two songs by frequent collaborator, Aiden Clough, who played warm, swelling synth drones that gave the songs an intense gravity. The chemistry between the two performers was palpable throughout, and though Saul’s sense of humour often punctuated the tracks, they were no less moving. All the songs were taken from Saul’s debut solo record, Adventures in Limbo. With a troubled release, this excellent record is not widely available, though it can and should be heard on YouTube via Saul’s friend and London-scene veteran Lou Smith.
Saul’s Drone Orchestra closed the evening, with 11 players manning the stage with an assortment of instruments including concertina, violin and bassoon, to name a few. Most had never met prior to that evening, with some travelling from as far as Southampton and Bristol to be there. Saul conducted the orchestra whilst performing himself, wailing and groaning into the mic and gesticulating at the ensemble. The band followed, improvising chants, atonal melodies, and thumping off-kilter rhythms. Aiden Clough, now on guitar, spent extended periods hunched over his amp, creating feedback loops or attacking his strings with a violin bow. The free improvisation meant the songs evolved in slow motion, though the band was surprisingly dynamic for something so experimental, growing in confidence as each song progressed, often arriving at captivating, screeching crescendos. The performance, both in its musicality and its absurdity, was certainly a spectacle and I’d be interested to see whether this this freer approach is a feature on his next record.
Saul is never one to shy away from experimentation and each act reflected this, with a host of fresh and dynamic sets is a variety of styles. I look forward to his next project, whatever direction it might take, and will be keeping a keen eye on Body Horror’s next moves too.
This excellent evening was organised by Rhys Jordan Taylor.
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