Sunday, October 22, 2006

Blixa Bargled, Preston Charter Theater, 21/10/06

When seeing Blixa Bargeld the only thing you can be sure of is his bad haircut, the rest of the night is impossible to predict. This point was demonstrated by support band Theybreakinpiece, playing a steel cello and a metal birdbath, these most Neubauten influences make them a clear choice of support act. While an interesting opening act, I doubt I'll rush out to by their CD.

Blixa himself took to the stage armed only with amps and footpedels, through which he recorded live loops to produce noise, songs and science lectures. We got detailed notes on the make up of the solar system, asteroid belts, moons and all, with planet names spaced across the loop to reflect their real distance from the sun (Neptune and of course, Pluto, excluded). Next we got some up to date information on cloning and some sample based gene splicing experiments. Very informative stuff.

Perhaps the most unexpected part of the evening was just how funny it all seemed. Maybe it was the atmosphere of a pseudo scientific entertainment we had tickets for, or maybe the fact that in his suit and waistcoat Herr Bargeld looked just slightly Chaplinesque. I'm far more convinced however its the accent, as German comedy is a deadly tool in the right hands. Him simply reading the list of shooters available from Baa Baa had everybody in stitches, but only because of the accent, I'm sure.

My favourite piece was about listening to radio on the Autobahn. It covered quintessential parts of German culture, such as radio stations playing endless English music and unlimited speed limits.

It was sad to see how empty the theater was, but then, he had chosen to stay in Preston. Transport back just to Liverpool was problematic, but had people known it finished for half ten, meaning trains to Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool where still running, perhaps more people would have attended. The real draw however, which I feel I should stress in case the show plays by you in the near future, is that its far more entertaining that it all sounds. Its not all droning samples, screeching noises and human beatboxing, the interludes and descriptions make the time fly and it seemed everyone leaving looked and sounded as if they had enjoyed this pseudo scientific experiment in entertainment.

The Rede/Speech is available to buy from Neubauten.org (However, it is in German) and you can watch the trailer here.

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