HERBIE HANCOCK – ELECTRONICA – THE BARBICAN, 28 MAY 2005
June 30th, 2005 by rui
What is it with audiences nowadays? Even the well-heeled hordes in the Barbican Hall were distinctly restless on a hot Saturday evening that had been hotly tipped as an unmissable fusion of jazz and electronica. And it was clear from the outset that all they wanted was Hancock.
Almost as soon as the opening act, Norwegian band Krøyt, took to the stage, hecklers were crying out “Where’s Herbie?”. Not only is this deeply rude, in my opinion, but it also revealed that much of the audience weren’t listening to Krøyt’s lush and spooky soundscapes. The band are fronted by the befrocked and bedevilled Kristin Asbjørnsen, a malevolent mechanical doll of a woman whose distinctive voice has all the drama and beauty of Alison Goldfrapp or Lamb’s Louise Rhodes with none of the affectation.
With live camera-work, spectacular air-percussion, pulsing guitar and haunting cello, Krøyt make squalling and hauntingly beautiful electronica. Their last album, 2001’s One Heart is too Small (Yonada/MNW), was nominated for a Norwegian Grammy – and judging by this performance, it’s worth checking out.
But this smorgasbord of Scandinavian sounds was not enough to satisfy the Barbican crowd. Following complaints to the management, the running order was swiftly changed to bring forward the main dish of the evening: Herbie Hancock playing with The Bays.
The Bays exist purely as a live music phenomenon, and they quickly set to work in the Barbican, filling the hall with fat electronic swirls. At last, Hancock joined them on stage to rapturous applause – and then the drums kicked in. With their rock-solid grooves tied together by Andy Gangadeen’s exceptional percussion skills, the Bays jumped up and galloped off across the landscape of dance music. The group whizzed through genres, taking in house, garage, breakbeat and landing with a thundering D&B finale. At times, all I could think of was how much I wanted to be dancing.
But where was Hancock in all of this? Although the Bays were the stars of the show for me, Hancock clearly stamped his influences, and his mark, on the proceedings. At times he appeared to be just listening, feeling the beats unfold around him as the Bays did their work. There were moments when he sounded rather like a sampled cheesy house piano. And there were also flashes of staggering genius, when Hancock’s quick-fire piano riffs shot through the surround-sound, wrapping everything together. Or the times when he fired out bursts of deep squelchy synths into the melee. The truly great and uplifting moments were few and far between, but when they came, they were worth it.
The final act of the evening, the Finnish band RinneRadio, faced a half-empty hall and the unenviable task of following the Bays awesome performance. Sadly, they failed, turning in a performance of clarinet-fuelled drum and bass-style rhythms that lacked energy and conviction. After just one track, the entire row in front of us got up and walked out, and I am ashamed to say that I followed suit a few minutes later.
This turned out to be a lucky escape, as Reel People had just kicked off a set of funky acid-jazz grooves in the bar area. Featuring some huge female vocals, and a staggering array of “sex-faces” from the guitarist and bassist, the smooth sounds were just the right way to end the evening. Was it dated? Was it cheesy? I couldn’t possibly tell you – I was too busy dancing at last.
(Reel People’s debut album “Second Guess” is due for release by Defected Records in September 2005)
Pocket Witch.
