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October 30, 2008
Secret Machines @ Bluebird, Denver 10.27.2008
[Photos by Merry Swankster]
[They are not lasers]
On Monday's listings I teased the Secret Machines new tour by mentioning the band's Es Devlin designed set. In person it looked like a cross between 3D trigonometry graphs and a pyschedelic mosquito net enclosure that you might consider upgrading too should you find yourself on an African safari. The stage plotting was an inescapable and prominent character of the show, one that both housed the group and also gifted a wealth of photographic capture opportunities given the cool angles it generated.
Built from what looked like an array of masking tape strips arranged in mathematically precise order, the unique furnishing provided a sheltering effect above, behind, and all around the band. An amazing frame like nothing I've ever seen before. This was constructivist art meeting the goals of its definition, in this case an enveloping nest for the Secret Machines (mix your Russian history metaphors as you wish). For those of you uninterested in art history research, or more specifically pre-USSR regime approved art, just know it looked shit-hot cool.
My enchantment with the piece can go on much longer than a standard review should, to say nothing of the dark psychedelia tones of the Secret Machines music. I was struck by how brilliant the pairing turned out with the awesome form presented, like a structural echo to the bending aural vision of the Secret Machine's bombastic music.
[Continued with more trippy photos and tourdates...]
"Atomic Heels" set the tone from the get-go. The first track from 2008's self titled release released all the signature sounds of the Secret Machines and even spiced in a few welcome crunchy distortion responses. Followed by the shrieking harmonies of "Nowhere Again" (from 2004 debut - Now Here Is Nowhere) the train continued railing along with the determination of an engineer hopped up on something speedy.
The 70s psychedelic sheen has always existed as a draw for this band, hooking in fans from the Pink Floyd set seemingly from their inception. I'm not interested in going there but its worth noting the Secret Machines often appear to exist somewhere in the no-mans middle ground of joyless funk and the suggestive evils of metal. They have a firm grasp on the sinister subversiveness that lies in the middle, and the theiving middle is the most fun anyway isn't it? Down with genre purity!
This tour proves that one should tread lightly when tempted with predispositions to write off modern shows as too standoffish; a warning against falling into the trap of underestimating the live experience and its inherent force against jadedness by serving what is not expected. In this case gratification was a buffet of flourishes by out-there design, but like any great art, this was something that will continue to evolve in your thoughts and imagination long after the last bit of sustain dissolves into silence.
Note: Es Devlin checked inspiration from the Russian sculptor Naum Gabo and a quick search of Google images explains the obscure reference. None more than this example.
Secret Machines: Tourdates
10-30 West Hollywood, CA - Keyclub *
11-01 Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up *
11-03 San Francisco, CA - The Independent *
11-05 Portland, OR - Berbati's *
11-06 Seattle, WA - Neumos *
11-07 Vancouver, BC - Richard's on Richards *
11-09 Calgary, AB - SAIT Polytechnic %
11-10 Saskatoon, SK - Louis' Pub %
11-11 Winnipeg, MB - Pyramid Cabaret %
11-14 London, ON - Call the Office %
11-15 Ottawa, ON - Babylon %
11-18 Williamsburg, Brooklyn - Music Hall of Wiliamsburg
* w/the Dears
% w/Small Sins
//Secret Machines - website
Posted by Merry Swankster at October 30, 2008 05:00 PM
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