gig journal: no theory in sound
Hello readers. I wanted to try to share an experience of a gig I went to recently so that you can experience it with me like you were there. I went to see xmunashe (and supports) for his show that he calls no theory in sound. Whilst he is genre bending, it was a mix of jazz, soul, poetry, and hip hop. Thank you for reading :)
table of contents
entry
I set out in the rain, walking along a alley to enter the venue. Two seccies1 hanging outside but smiling and happy to see everyone that came through.
I walk past a long, well lit, narrow walkway to a faintly visible door person. She greets me with a smile and checks my tickets. Instead of a stamp, she wraps a piece of blue cloth over my hand, clearly upcycled and slightly torn.
The venue appears to be a office building with a Vietnamese eatery on the ground floor, open late tonight to serve the gig attendees.
the first act
I was instructed to go to level 4. As I get out of the lift, I see what was once an empty concrete space decorated sparsely but artistically to make the space its own. The distance and space is really surprising. Kind of those scenes in movies where they use a parallax and you see the room both shrinking and expanding at the same time.
I walk up and I see two artists, Ashli2 and Lauren White3, lit up by a crumpled dome. There are old CRT TVs that are looping a familiar pattern of colour tiles, test screens, and it flickers. Lauren is playing the double bass, while Ashli is singing angelically about her life. I hear one song about the choice to get out of bed when you're depressed. I get goosebumps. Sadly, I only get to hear 2 songs from them but I am captivated. I can see what the night will entail for me and I am beyond excited. They complete their set and let us know they're moving to the next space. So excited, I don't even think about sitting down. I explore the space and make my way to the next space. Yes, another space within a space. It's magical.
the new space
I am so excited to check the new space out. As I walk to the new space to the left, I notice that the windows peer into other people's laundries, dining rooms, and kitchens. We're separated by a few panes of glass and so close. I wonder if they can hear the music. I was not ready for what the new space would look like. It's a square stage, visible for all four sides of the much, much larger new room. There are the same small CRT TVs around the stage. An old camcorder revolves around the stage and it relays the image, distorted and processed, into a projector at the back of the stage. The light is red, the fog is accumulating. I make at least 3 rounds to take this all in. My camera4 is now out and I start snapping photos, appreciating that it allows me to take in the setting with intent and thoroughness.
manfredo lament
I wait on the spot near the front of the stage, people (and artist) watching. There is a frenzy of energy as at least 8 instruments get set up. The anticipation builds. I've been meaning to check this band5 out for so long and tonight everything aligns. The band finalises their set up. I am lucky to be in a spot where I can still stay hidden but also take photos and groove. The crowd erupts as the frontperson says hi, and confirms to all, that no two shows will ever be the same, as everything they perform is improvised. There's a drummer, a guitarist, a singer who also plays the keyboard and vocoder, and a percussionist who has a slew of small drums & instruments such as wind chimes to add flair. They perform like a symphony whilst embracing the beauty in chaos around them. I am transfixed at the sounds they make. They all seem on the same wavelength, exchanging a hundred words about the music direction with occasional glances. It's so hard not to move and groove to this music. All my stresses, weight of existence, and tiredness goes away. I am elated and even if I take a crap shot, I am just so grateful.
At one stage, the lead singer goes in a frenzy to produce some incredible vocoder segments. I later notice that they were crying at the height of their frenzy. The mini set ends, and the singer apologises, saying they have been going through a lot and that they are so happy to be able to have this form of release in front of us all. He smiles and he continues. It reminds me of the scene in Whiplash, where the main character is totally in the zone, top of their game, forgetting everything about them and smiling as they drum into their total absorption into their craft.
The set ends too soon. The crowds erupts for more, and realising they had actually gone over time (as the sense of time was truly lost here), the band asks the DJ whether they can continue. The DJ graciously says "go for it, give them what they want!" and we all rejoice. Time for one final improvisation.
the honeybees gospel choir
There's an hour left now until munashe comes on. After manfredo, the crowd disperses. I forgot to mention that there are two bars, and the previous room where I saw the bass player + vocalist is now the chill room. I go and check out the bar. AND WHO DO I SEE? Our ol' friend Nick who was the bartender at Goodspace for freezer + doris6! He remembered by Blind Girls tshirt and I say hi to him back and call him the Hijinx Alley7 dude (he runs the label which he shared last time). We have a quick chat and he mentions that he does bartender work everywhere and is stoked to see this gig. Everyone I have chatted to talk about munashe in such a revered way - speaking volumes of his talent and natural flow.
The next chapter is the choir8. The front of the stage now has a buffer zone to fit the group of excited and smiling singers! This choir starts to assemble. I see people with pink hair, older folks, younger folks, and some sopranos and bass(maybe tenor?) in the front. The fog is settling. There is a lot of chatter in the background and I worry at whether people will settle down. And just like that, the choir was conducted into a unison of sound. The room went (mostly) quiet and everyone smiled. I am not a religious person, so hearing some songs about jesus initially felt a bit jarring. However, I remember I am here for the music, and it should be appreciated as a celebration of the ideas the group is singing. I particularly remember the soprano/alto voice - her voice was so note perfect, both in harmony and outside. If I felt my attention veer, I was transfixed again after hearing her sing. We can create such beautiful things as humans.
Finally, after about 3 songs, the choir appears to wind down. But in fact, the conductor takes the mic and beckons Munashe to come join them. This is what the night had been leading to, and it is when I will get to see him for the first time as well. He sings like an angel. He sings, and then breaks out into spoken poetry combined with rap - I can't remember exactly but I know I felt something in his voice. Something that was reflective and allowed you to hear it as a story.
There is another 30 minute break.
xmunashe
I'm not going to go into detail here of what happened exactly as xmunashe9 and his band played their sets. I will never do it justice and I hope you can experience it in person at his next gig. What I will say is that it felt so experiential. I went on a journey of multiple tracks weaving poetry, song, instrumentation, duets, and emotion. There were two sets in total. In the first set, xmunashe sang whilst his band (drums, keys, guitar). Ranging from autobiography to solos full of energy and expression. In the second set, he switched things around - giving the drummer a chance to sing whilst xmunashe went on the drums. Ashli (vocals) and a Lily Innis10 (cello) also joined the stage.
You can't help but feel impressed and inspired at the range the entire band had throughout the show. Xmunashe would be singing one moment, and doing one of the most impressive drum solos in the next. Whilst the whole stage and all the talent on it worked together and there was no particular spotlight on a single performer.
I just remember feeling so fulfilled with the whole set. There was no pressure to film anything, there were no tropes, there was no sense of anything being a repeat as most things were improvised. Everything just felt so natural as a performance. I feel very lucky to experience something like this so close to home.
In the end, xmunashe exits by saying how Australia can have extraordinary musical experiences too. Fuck New York and London (paraphrasing). I really resonated with this. We truly have extraordinary local talent. If they were given a chance to express themselves in this manner tonight with everyone's support, there would be no reason to look outwards for musical experience.
I leave the place with my cup overflowing. Ready to exist with the ethos of this performance I have witnessed.
Aussie slang for security guard↩
I took my trusted Nikon F80 with a Nikkor 50mm f1.4 AF. Film used: Ilford Pan 400 pushed to 1600↩
fantastic Sydney screamo bands that I would highly recommend checking out ❤️: https://dorisbestfriends4ever.bandcamp.com/↩