Issue 33 / May 2013

36 Bido Lito! May 2013
Reviews
draws these threads together, in a story told
by the more than reliable Gargantuan narrator
Orson Welles…” Among the many set pieces are
crazy dancing, miming to old blues and gospel
gramophone recordings, and verbiage that calls
to mind the surreal works of the classic Beat
poets. An enraptured and teeming audience
couldn’t have been wrong in their unequivocal
appreciation of Phizmiz’s work.
On Friday, taking place in The Kazimier, the
label hosts what is best described as a hark back
to a good old-fashioned rave night. A diverse lineup
representing the best, brightest and loudest
of what UpItUp has offered over the past decade
deals their own brand of justice to an equally
diverse crowd - from old-school glowstick twirlers
to the new breed of excitable kids just looking
to get all exothermic up in here. Acts such as
DATASETTE and VHS HEAD make with the crunchy
blocks of funk while, prior to that, local CAPTAIN
JOHNSON opens the night’s proceedings with
a set packed full of more stomp than Michael
Flatley on methamphetamine. An appreciative
and boisterous crowd bounce and bop with the
best of them as the room’s temperature defies
the oppressive weather.
The main attraction is CEEPHAX, and his vast
array of equipment serves him up as some sort
of purveyor of technology porn, or one of those
weird traders you find in post-apocalyptic films.
All in good measure, of course, as his winding
set runs the gamut from calm-before-the-storm
ambience, big, full bassy runs and whipcrackharsh
laser-like electric beats. All in all, one of
the best Saturdays you could have in years.
Come Sunday, and there are a few tired
eyes and dragging feet in Drop The Dumbells.
Meeting up with Jacques and Paolo for the last
time during these festivities, they exclaim their
exhaustion but utter elation at how things have
The Blackout (Jack Thompson)
gone so far. There is, however, the little matter of
another twenty acts and a slew of new faces in
the crowd to deal with.
The cold environs of the venue are stark; you’re
liable to see your breath in front of your face and
feel a chill in your bones. Lucky then, that DJs
and other twiddlers like the long-established
TRACKY BIRTHDAY, BIG EFFIGY and PIERLO are
on hand to get you moving and feel the fire like
they do. The sounds on offer leave you with little
choice but to get in the mix, brush up against a
few other people, slide your hood up, close your
eyes and just let go.
As everybody filters out towards the end,
you wonder whether UpItUp will need another
ten years just to recover from the weekend’s
madness. A lot of love has been gifted to this
most dazzling of enterprises, and rightly so. A
decade of musical decadence has drifted by in a
non-too-orderly fashion. Those who are rightfully
minded will be craving ten more years.
Joseph Viney / @jjviney
RADSTOCK FESTIVAL
O2 Academy
The O2 Academy is swarming with music
lovers this Easter bank holiday; the day is a tenhour
marathon of rock acts spread across three
stages with an after party to follow. NATIVES kick
off the Monster Energy Stage and get everyone
up, bouncing and ready to conquer the rest of
the day. For the more hardcore-leaning fans RAT
ATTACK appear downstairs on the Hardtimes
Stage, and lead singer Mike Hodges dazzles the
audience with his metallic gold pants and sparkly
shirt, which thankfully don’t detract from their
brilliant set which has WE ARE THE OCEAN’s Liam
Cromby screaming for the band. From one stand-