Antwerp/Woman’s Hour/Seductive Gaze.
Rag Factory, London
28/10/2011

Coming to you tonight from East-London’s Rag Factory, Sssh Boom Sssh Boom is a part-art, part-music, 100%-DIY party – and as harrowing a read as thid last sentence might be, it’s by no means as bad as it sounds.

Fresh faced instrumentalists Seductive Gaze are tonight’s musical openers and an unexpected highlight. Though bordering on post-rock territory, the instrument switching quartet never blindly meander and are streets ahead of what their ages would presumably warrant. 

Jumping between more keyboards, percussion and drum machines than you can even see amidst the fog, at times Woman’s Hour have their figurative shit so well together tonight it almost seems unfair to expect anyone to follow them. Despite song lengths that routinely creep north of five minutes they’re more pop-influenced than they’d have you believe, showcasing strength in depth beyond the currently available ‘Jennie’ and ‘Human’, – which are themselves impressive improvements on their recorded counterparts. The matured songcraft betrays unforeseen ambience, and there’s just enough reverb to create a sense of enveloping space without burying intricacies in sludge (though bogarting the smoke machine probably helps).

Into the unenviable position of headliner is thrust

Antwerp. Cue much ass-busting as the not-so-desk-bound artist becomes easily the most animated art of the night. Himself a blur of jerking motion, Nico seems to be in permanent competition with the spasmodic filters and delays conjured forth from behind his workstation. Dedicated followers are rewarded with forceful renditions of ‘Yupik’ and ‘Equinox’, but despite the gusto and high calibre displayed its clear who the evening’s winners are.

Richard Ruston