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| Apparatus of Sleep live at Spankys |
Memory Box are one of the more niche promoters in Nottingham, catering to those who are inclined more towards the weird and wonderful in music and cinema. If anyone is ever in the mood for a deviation from the norm, then consider attendance to their next event mandatory.
While sharing similar territory, Apparatus of Sleep, Silent Devices and Codes in the Clouds all have their own individual approach to their craft, keeping the evening consistently diverse and beguiling.
Nottingham's Apparatus of Sleep are an absolute juggernaut of distortion, keen on outright aural assault from the get-go with Ecco’s Family and the Big Spaceship. The drums and chords are almost relentless, drawing from the same well as 65daysofstatic but bashing the individual elements into a massive sound that they can call their own. Their consistent brutality and heaviness sets them apart from many post-rock bands, with their weapons of choice being more along the lines of sludge and doom.
The quieter moments of this particular set were rare but haunting, with Wire Birds allowing our collective eardrums to bask in harmonics and reverb, albeit for a fleeting few moments, before punishing the atmosphere one more time with Buried At Sea.
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| Silent Devices live at Spankys |
Taking the place of Alpha Male Tea Party was Leicester-based shoegaze/ambient band Silent Devices. With an impressive dynamic range from lullaby sweetness to heavenly crescendos, they made a fascinating counterpoint to Apparatus of Sleep’s layers of punishing brick-wall noise.
Silent Devices’ approach to music emphasises simplicity, which is by all means a wonderful thing. Two Decades, a brief opening instrumental, sets the scene beautifully with large keyboard chords laying down its central theme before leading into Una, which brims with instrumental elegance and bittersweet lyrics. Its climax accentuates the quieter moments beautifully, showing a definite maturity towards song-writing.
The highlight of their set, Verb, is a highly emotive affair. The vocals float sleepily through pastoral landscapes and subtle chords, slowly reaching a subdued climax punctuated by increasingly loud drums and harmonies that light up the room.
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| Codes in the Clouds live at Spankys |
Codes in the Clouds played an equal balance of material from Paper Canyon and As The Spirit Wanes, obviously wishing to show the world what their latest album has to offer. With a consistent post-rock approach to song structure and dynamics, the steep climb towards the apex of each song is always well worth the wait and offers a breathtaking perspective of the band’s sound as a whole. Each song is meticulously played, with not a single note wasted.
From the elegant keyboard lines of Don’t Go Awash in this Digital Landscape to gradual unfold of the devastating Mono-like riffage of sprawling epic You Are Not What You Think You Are, Codes in the Clouds are an absolute pleasure to watch in their element. It truly is no wonder that they were picked up by Erased Tapes, a label that seem to sign nothing but talented artists and bands.
Codes in the Clouds, Silent Devices and Apparatus of Sleep played at Spanky Van Dykes on Saturday 10 September 2011.
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