Reviews

BOX #22 - 30 March 2003 - Axel Brandle - Budgeryduck - Manhandle Spiders

Review by Andrew Tuttle

This review for March 2003 is from Andrew Tuttle's Rocket In The Pocket webzine - http://connect.to/rocketinthepocket

Opening the evenings proceedings is an synchronised audio/visual piece by Axel Brandle. In contrast to the electro-pop stylings of his collaborative troupe Team Plastique, Brandle's solo material hints at a more contemplative ambience; with synth patches, drones and manipulated guitars creating an atmosphere of understated warmth. The visuals accompanying the aural component of the performance are equally impressive, with chopped-up and flowing water, swimming and the naked body (with the occasional subversive message crawled on Microsoft Paint) lending an element of timelessness and beauty to proceedings.

Budgeryduck
In a departure from his beat-driven work as 4 Layers Of 9, Ross Manning tonight creates a melange of noise created by toys under the moniker Budgeryduck. Budgeryduck's performance ranges from a glitchy real-time manipulation of a toy keyboard, to washes and layers of white noise developed through the use of effects, and an almost-posessed hold on a number of telephones to exorcise layers of static. Budgeryduck to his credit is able to substitute the gimmickry aspect out of toys within music for manipulation of sound, that whilst is playful also is fascinating on an artistic level.

Manhandle Spiders
For this Small Black Box performance, the Manhandle Spiders lineup of Gordon Duguid and Dani Kirby is supplemented by an appearance by noiseman around town Scott Sinclair. Manhandle Spiders' performance appears to be largely improvised, blending an array of ambient textures and noise assaults within a combination of organics and electronics. Kirby's voice is stunning, with an underlying fragile beauty that manages never to overpower the soundscapes, but instead to blend into them. Her vocals also seem to be fed through a number of effects, enabling a sense of quirkiness that lends itself to the piece as a whole. The visual accompanient to the aural performance also proves to fit in with the overall ambience of the performance. Visuals range from a series of lines intersecting across the screen, to a series of slowly moving montages which oddly enough bring to mind the movie 'Gladiator' through a common ground of rustic imagery.