The Notwist
Date: 6 June 2008
"Having been away for six years life as a Notwist fan has been relatively quiet, so tonight is like therapy to let it all out and no ones holding back."
It's a Friday night in bustling central London. The Mall is fondly laced with oversized Union Jack Flags in preparation for a patriotic event that has as always, escaped my attention. I'd love to say they were put in place as a welcoming gesture for tonight's German Visitors, but I'd be lying. Instead The Notwist received a warm welcome in the form of claps and cheers from a beat hungry crowd. A welcome that is far more rewarding when your profession is to entertain. Tonight the ICA plays host to the return of the five man German Synth system, The Notwist. After nearly Six years of various side projects such as Lali Puna, and 13 & God etc the four members of The Notwist (plus one) have finally reunited for a new record and tour schedule to go with it.
Tonight's crowd are an eager bunch. Judging by the multitude of woops, and yells as they come on stage, the animals have flocked to tonight's crafty ark from all corners of the world. How many languages can you say hell yeah in? Apparently a lot and there's no age profile either. This is the kind of show you could bring your whole extended family to. As long as they can keep a beat, they would struggle not to twitch and jolt to the infectious sounds and patterns these guys create. Having been away for six years life as a Notwist fan has been relatively quiet, so tonight is like therapy to let it all out and no ones holding back.
This evening we are dining with a modest bunch. This army of men pause for no commentary between songs and let their musical magic speak for it's self. You can imagine The Notwist in another life as geography or history teachers based on their understated appearance. Their broken english makes for fragmented sentences that are all the more endearing as red light patterns cross their faces. If you ever fancied breeding The Dismemberment Plan with Death cab like two love lusting dogs, tonight's your night. Playing various classics like Neon Golden this crowd know when to bounce and when to sway with every given beat and whisper. You don't just get a replay of a record out of this band. The Notwist bring a plethora of sound scapes and layering to each given track. Using abstract sampling of obscure every day sounds, beats build and demolish a easily as an average London city building. The growth and pace of each structure is anyones guess as they navigate their way through more than an hours high energy greatness.
It's almost like the great art of bridge building. You know? Like those bridge specials you get on the discovery channel. These German architects govern huge bridge structures between each hit using all sorts of eclectic noise as their building materials. A perfect end to a brutally busy week, you need this band in your world. They give you the perfect remedy to any weeks highs or lows.
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