(4 / 5)

I missed a rare, exciting Cardiff date at Fuel, we got the punk icon Lene Lovich here. I got to see here in Bristol the next night. Things were off to a ropey start when a somewhat familiar figure said to me I didn’t look the type to come to a goth event. What ever that means. God forbid an artist and journalist make discoveries!

The warm-up from Das Fluff was odd, fun and stirring. Dawn Lintern, the band’s writer and arranger melds with her long-time collaborator Christian Ruland. Lintern often delivered acidic vocals often funny and the spirt of punk never waning. Songs choice were stuffed with the ghosts of awful, past band members, a highlight was a left-field spin on quick footed drug addicts in Berlin. You never quite knew what was next. Ruland plays groovey keys and a modified theremin was a nice touch. The overall ambient vibe clashed with harsher rock protests, Das Fluff was everything it needed to be.

An all over giddy feel fell when Lene Lovich arrived after a break. With both American and English heritage, she has had an impact both sides of the pond. I can see her set going down well in New York. She often gets her freak on, with head gear looing like a veiled Dune extra, Vivienne Westwood and the darkened pigtails of fellow musical icon Meredith Monk. With a Number 3 hit with Lucky Number, she has made a mark especially in the punk era of yesteryear. Before the songs, surreal words and high vocalisations are the usual expectation.

Goth aside, ska in funky moments, fuse her songs with grit and poetry. The mood is abstract, yet each song was highly danceable, few songs were the slow ballad sort. Say When is another highlight, though the songs span decades and in her mid seventies, there is no sign of retirement. A mighty band also lifted things in to the air, some new members rubbed elbows with veteran musicians. Often a good time, the only slight was a uneven moment when it felt like a fight was going to occur in the concert goers, thankfully not.

Lovich’s voice is a fairly typical punk growl, I would like to hear more of her range, the little skats before songs show promise. Often the music is fiercely political, fed up and also thrilled to just to be here. 

Thur 1st August 2024 

FUEL CARDIFF

Friday 2nd August 2024 

DARESHACK BRISTOL 

Plus Support: DAS FLUFF and COLD SLICE

Tickets and info: www.flagpromotions.co.uk 

LENE LOVICH BIOGRAPHY:

Born in Detroit, Michigan, on March 30, 1949, Lili-Marlene Premilovich, later known as Lene Lovich, became one of the most relevant figures of the New Wave and Post Punk movement during the late 1970’s- Lovich moved to England when she was 13 and in 1978 she released her most popular album “Stateless” that produced the hit “Lucky Number”, her signature song. Side by side with German artist Nina Hagen, she became one of the earliest female singers to embrace the alternative side of the Punk culture. Lene Lovich remains active, touring and with several side projects and bands.

Preceding Lene Lovich’s emergence onto the music scene, with her 1979 hit new wave single “Lucky Number”, her existence was already engulfed by her insatiable appetite for the visual and performing arts. In autumn 1968, with her partner– Les Chappell, she went to London to attend art school. From there, Lovich attended several art schools and lingered through the London Underground; she also performed in cabaret clubs as an “Oriental” dancer and journeyed to Spain where she visited Salvador Dalí in his home. She continued to grab at any artistic opportunity that came her way, such as recording screams for horror films and writing lyrics for French disco star Cerrone (including the sci-fi dance smash “Supernature”, which Lovich later recorded). She also worked with various theater groups and a few short-lived musical acts, such as the funk group the Diversions, and an all-girl cabaret trio the Sensations. Alas, the new wave music genre disappeared as did Lovich but her distinctive persona continues to prevail as it has impacted several musicians and musical groups, such as Siouxsie And The Banshees, Gwen Stefani, Karen O, Björk, PJ Harvey, and The Dresden Dolls 

Her hit single “New Toy” was written by Thomas Dolby. Dolby penned the song specifically for Lovich, after seeing her perform live.

In 1989, after an absence of several years, she recorded the album, ‘March’ which was only moderately successful and was not released until nearly a year after the album’s single “Wonderland” had been issued and become an American dance hit. Lovich continues to perform in much the same style she did back in the 1970s and 1980s, with Les Chappell at her side. In 2005 she appeared on Hawkwind’s Take Me to Your Leader CD, as well as appearing occasionally on stage with them.

Lovich’s first album since March, entitled ‘Shadows and Dust’ received a limited release on Mike Thorne’s Stereo Society label on September 13, 2005.

She played at the Royal Festival Hall in London for the Meltdown festival, curated by Yoko Ono. The same year, she established her own publishing label, Flex Music, and released a re-mastered versions of all her previous albums in a limited edition box set. She made a guest appearance with The Dresden Dolls at The Roundhouse which is featured as an extra on their DVD Live at the Roundhouse. and contributed to the opera ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ (1991) by Peter Hammill and Judge Smith, singing the part of Madeline Usher.

Lene Lovich appeared on Hawkwind’s Take Me to Your Leader CD, as well as appearing occasionally on stage with them. Lovich’s first album since March, entitled Shadows and Dust, received a limited release on the Stereo Society label on 13 September 2005. She played for the first time in many years with a full band at the Drop Dead Festival in 2006.

In 2007, MVD Visual released Lene Lovich: Live from New York, a DVD featuring a performance Lovich gave at Studio 54 in 1981. In late 2007, both Lovich and Chappell produced a new edge recording of their hit “Lucky Number”. The version was performed by rock group Eastroad, and was used by the BBC for its coverage of the 2008 World Snooker Championship.

In 2011, Lovich sang the part of Eurydice in the songstory Orfeas by Judge Smith. In 2013 she sang on the albums Zoot Suit by Judge Smith and Gridlock by Mr Averell.

In 2012, Lovich began performing with a new band comprising Subterraneans frontman Jude Rawlins on guitar, bassist Lydia Fischer, keyboard player Kirsten Morrison, and Morgan King on drums. The band made their live debut at London’s famous 12 Bar Club on 29 October that year. In 2013 the band undertook their first high-profile tour, concluding with major sell-out shows in London and Berlin, and was the 5th act to be announced for Rebellion Festival 2013.

Lene Lovich is now working with her current line up and is continuing to play festivals and shows as demand is ever increasing for this much loved iconic performer! 

Lene Lovich – Vocals

Stan Greenwood – Guitar

Val Gwyther – Bass

Morgan King – Drums

Black Marine – Keyboards

DAS FLUFF Biography: 

DAS FLUFF is Post Punk Electro Filth

Erotic, Avant-garde and mesmerising … ever-changing mood swings, be it doom, punk, sexotic, hypnotic, or “I wanna kick your ass!” 

(Ox Fanzine)

Das Fluff have stormed through a prolific decade of touring around the world with headline gigs and releasing 5 albums along with an array of countless critically acclaimed promo videos.  The heady combination of Das Fluff’s trademark electronics and blade-like verse activate the adrenaline rush of dance or flight. Das Fluff is the feral spawn of frontwoman Dawn Lintern, the band’s writer and arranger. 

Long-time collaborator, Christian Ruland, brings cutting edge creative electronic experimentation to the band’s live sound with ever-evolving combinations of media including theremin, pedals, samplers and Kaoss pads along with his distinctive projections.

Das Fluff have supported post-punk luminaries such as Viv Albertine, Lene Lovich, Toyah, Clan of Xymox and Lydia Lunch and toured extensively in Europe, the US and Asia.

If you danced your hearts out to Trent Reznor’s works and listened to Soft Cell in your bedroom then this is for you. 

(Fighting Boredom)

Adding punk edge to the surging beats of Numan and Depeche Mode inspired electro, with a bit of Throbbing Gristle chucked in for good measure. 

(hitthefloor.com)

This type of electronica is providing more lyrical and stylistic risk taking which Das Fluff and others such as The Knife and Gary Numan are willing to take. 

(musicandotherthings.com)

The deranged love child of Debbie Harry and Freddie Mercury set to the melodies of Goldfrapp.

(seesound.co.uk)

dasfluff.com

Dawn of Das Fluff: 
COLD SLICE are Leon Brown’s thought provoking Electro Blues project from London Town. This tour will see him perform his own unique material and will be his first solo tour since his last project All Flags Are Grey! 

(4 / 5) Attacca Quartet
(4 / 5) Reginal Mobley/Baptiste Trotignon

A hefty evening at Wigmore followed after Jan Lisiecki the night prior. It was a more laid back affair, myself being the only critic in as they all appeared to be at the First Night of the Proms. American by heart, the Attacca Quartet added flair and thrills to this evening.

You usally know what to expect with Phillip Glass and here was no different. This String Quartet No. 3, dubbed ‘Mishima’ from 1985 is standard fare. You’ve got to like arpeggios to get Glass, as you hear a considerable amount in each of his pieces. I’m taken with the playing of Attacca, is was almost like a gig as opposed to a concert proper. Sweetness melds with nostalgia in what is the soundtrack to the film from Paul Schrader.

John Adams with his 2nd String Quartet is another big, American sell. Acidic flips in classical forms are transformed with his erratic bouts of energy and a reeling consciousness. Its was fun just watching the quartet, cellist Andrew Yee really gets into things it was if as we were at a rock concert, head banging abound. The four together have a snapping focus, musically very touching. On viola, Nathan Schram is so charming, he introduction to the music is insightful, his overalls and trainers a trendy statement.

We’ve been hearing more from Caroline Shaw at present. The American gentleman sat near me said she is played extensively in Chicago. One can see why, as her music has an easy appeal and is often quite inspiring. Within 3 Essays you get the spirit of the hymn and the fiddle, taking several points of reference as its starting point. She is unafraid to have moments of discord, gently sliding back into tonality, the playing near the bridge of the instruments creates screeching, singing sounds. Shaw will be getting a lot more presence as a welcome addition to programmes either side of the pond. I would like to hear more.

Paul Wiancko is a new name to me, though Yee stated the music us life changing. I’d agree to an extent, more country themes are spread throughout the score. Frantic flustering is heard and seen in his LIFT, stated in the programme as being “a very American piece”. It pretty much is, though any more than the rest of the bill is debateable. Attacca Quartet gave Wigmore the most interesting and liberating concert for some time.

A late night concert shortly followed. An hour of American spirituals was a fine way to end the night, thanks to the efforts of Reginal Mobley & Baptiste Trotignon. Mobley is a countertenor and an impressive one at that, sweet voiced and endlessly vibrant. Heard in Handel and Bach, he is also keen to make part of the larger canon the importance of the spiritual. We feel for him, the weight of these songs under slavery in American history, reain a great resource. Some are recognisable, ‘Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen’ is one moody example, whilst others exude the most wonderful air. ‘A Great Campmeetin’ has an infectious charm, ‘Save Me Lord’another powerful song that left me moved.

On piano Frenchman Baptiste Trotignon is equally happy in this or jazz, his improvisation also noteworthy for its effortlessness. Other important composers of colour: Florence Price and Harry T Burleight are also here, their contribution to the perseveration of spirituals and the creation of their own songs also standout. The last set featuring ‘Deep River’ ‘I got a robe’ and ‘Bright Sparkles in the Churchyard’ add to the religious fervour. Its amazing how well these songs end, they seem to tuck themselves in, as the medley is wrapping up. It’s always satisfying and this concert shall be well remembered.