30 Bido Lito! <strong>March</strong> <strong>2014</strong> Reviews Sheepy (Michael Sheerin / michaelsheerin.photoshelter.com) from a single sound. Something as innocuous as a bottle of Fanta becomes a mesmerising tool, while Hinde’s moving images create a poignant reminder of the destructiveness of consumerism. The second part of the performance begins with a piece by legendary composer Steve Reich entitled My Name Is. The piece consists entirely of audience participation, as certain spectators are asked to speak their name into a microphone. These recordings are then looped and played at different speeds, creating a swirling mass of words which, through repetition, begins to take on different sounds and textures. This is followed by a composition written by Fairclough, The Boom And The Bap, which sees Burgess behind a conventional drum kit for the first time during the show, and is an astonishing demonstration of his sheer talent. He holds nothing back, and the result is an overtly energetic yet measured performance. The set closes with 24 Lies A Second, composed by Burgess and his friend Max de Wardener. The piece, intended for three pianos, is tonight performed on a xylosynth accompanied by visuals from Hinde. The chimes of the xylosynth create an eerie aesthetic, with hints of both apocalypse and resolution. It is at times fragile, at other times incandescent, and there are moments where, properly absorbed, there is real transcendence. There is no easy definition for the music made by Powerplant. The intensely complex and experimental nature of their work resists categorisation. Thus, a performance is equally as hard to pin down. However, this is the essence of their appeal and their innovation. Your Bag? SHEEPY Alastair Dunn Catch Loka @ The Capstone Theatre on 14th <strong>March</strong> The Franceens – Freq – Natalie McCool Milk: Presents @ District “This is for anyone who’s had the feeling that they’re about to get beaten up,” pops in THE FRANCEEN’s Dan Oliver Gott before a whimsical descent into nihilism on Nothing, with much painful-looking head swinging from the nefariously Northern frontman. Jeez, something must be happening in York outside of the quaint cafés and meagre student culture that this reviewer has pinned it for; for it is there that the three-piece have nurtured a sound that is anything but provincial. Obviously the product of a diet of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Hives and a side of The Ramones, they thrash their way through the threat of nuclear war in Bomb with surprising levity. Bassist Naomi Westerman, who could pass very convincingly for Ghost World’s Enid Coleslaw, makes like the Kim Deal to Gott’s Frank Black with infantile, low-fidelity yowls. The Franceens are but one of the banquet of bands on the menu tonight, but they make their presence known with a mid-evening stampede of punk anthems. Prior to this, opener NATALIE MCCOOL coos her way through her early set featuring a pearly white rendition of Wondrous Place, whilst FREQ are a fresh-faced newbie act with moments of brilliance from the harmony of the vocals and catchiness of the riffs. By the time SHEEPY head onstage, their audience has reached breaking point with excitement expressed most obviously by a handful of members removing their shirts and screaming at the three lads as they sidle into view. Puckish frontman Luke Jones leads the group into a set featuring hits off their debut LP laced with abandoned flair. The audacious cynicism of the lyrics in Wrongun melts into sunny guitar hooks. Jones is the shrewd lyricist and indie-pop minstrel whose delivery is reminiscent of Hot Hot Heat and We Are Scientists. Their audience’s gratitude is rewarded with standout track Ket Party which, despite the unsubtle title, jumps out with a narration of love and loss and a sing-a-long quality. All the while, dedication from their host of local fans is admirable, even down to the few at the front who air-guitar along. College rock meets protest anthem on latest single These Clothes, which has its own nod to Nelly’s early-noughties pop superhit with bridging line “it’s getting hot in here”. What Sheepy seem to do best is deliver hits that speak to the generation of here and now, narrating the trials and tribulations of youth backed against a smattering of rhythm guitar. Relatable, fresh and honest – they’re the band that every teen should ride out their formative years to. Flossie Easthope / @feasthope bidolito.co.uk
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