ADD N TO (X) review 11/3/01 Nottingham Boat Club
by Neil Ridley
Barry 7 - Organ/Synth/Omnichord abuse
Ann Shenton- Mellotron/Synth/Vocal
Steven Claydon- Synth/Golden Throat
Rob Allum- Drums
In case you've never seen or heard ADD N TO (X) before, there are three golden rules to bear in mind.
Firstly, always expect the unexpected. Their ethos is simple:
Eccentricity + (Unpredictability) = a great live show.
Secondly, you must be mindful of losing control of your bowels due to inhuman frequencies. This can be embarrassing.
Finally, you must be very afraid of having your sensibilities severely challenged, because they will explore EVERY orifice in an effort to penetrate your inner most pop sanctum.
Tonights gig abides by these rules to the letter. After being bitterly disappointed at the cancellation of their Leicester date, I was overjoyed to hear about their rescheduled gig at the bizarre, but totally appropriate 'Boat Club' in Trent Bridge (basically a kind of club-house for the local rowing team...)
On record, their amalgam of galvanized analogue noise, unholy bass frequency and break neck drumming hits the eardrum like an ice pick. Live, and it's like falling into a gas turbine at full velocity.
Opening with 'The Vic Hallam System', Barry 7 slips comfortably
into a convincing 'Dr Phibes' pose, hunched behind an antique organ, churning
out murky chords. "Thats the calm before the storm" I tell my
colleague, as the rest of the band kick in with controlled blasts of
twin-oscillator madness. Whilst this is what most people expected, a
few are surprised when the band showcase a mastery of infectious melody on new
tracks like 'Brothel Charge', 'Kingdom of Shades' and their current single 'The
Poker Roll'. By now, Barry 7 has turned into a full-on electro' version of
Wagner; his hair
flailing as he flings a fragile vintage synth into the air.
ADD N TO X have been criticized in the past as being retro futurists with an unhealthy and puerile interest in 'cyber sex'. Tonights version of 'Metal Fingers in my Body' beats the living shit out of anyone daring to believe in this crude and malformed sentiment. Indeed, anyone witnessing Ann Shenton wielding a theremin aerial like a Samurai sword would be wise to reconsider.
At one stage, they discover someone bootlegging the show. "Better make this a good 'un" they shout before crashing into the repetitive and mesmerizing 'Buckminster Fuller' with its dirty vocoded hookline.
Thinking about it, I was surprised that anyone could capture the sheer intensity of the performance on tape, let alone have the balls to stand next to the PA.
The final, unnamed track, full of deafening, cathartic
start-stops is quickly followed by an encore / karoke version of the stooges
classic 'I wanna
be your Dog' which leaves some audience members open mouthed and many more
needing the toilet.
So there you have it... an unrivalled and unimaginable performance that literally left no one feeling anally retentive. Perfect!
