Apr 18 2008 10:04 am,
dEUS
Scala,
16/04/2008
Many think these implausibly capitalised Belgians split years ago, after them and their big indie hit ‘Suds and Soda’ had been deemed as ‘pretentious art-wank’ (it was meant as a compliment), but they’ve been ploughing a rich furrow of Beefheart cum Sun Ra cum Tom Waits art-wank ever since.
The 30-something audience seem bad tempered about having to be here in the first place - possibly because they’re missing out on The Apprentice. Equally dubious are the band’s brightly-coloured vests and designer beards, which seem more soft-rock than skronk-rock.
Vests aside, the familiar guitar freak-outs of ‘Instant Street’ and ‘Theme From Turnpike’ are bollocking, and summon a frizzy-haired ginge in front of us to some impressive dickhead-dancing. By the time we get to the tumultuous finale of the slow-build ‘Bad Timing’, the girl next to us is picking hairs from her teeth.
But Tom Barman, now 76 if he’s a day, remains effortlessly cool – a man for whom a healthy man-love seems only natural. He is, however, an EVIL TYRANT, on the basis of the way he snarls ‘some keyboard on here would be good’ at his multi-instrumentalist colleague. sCARY!
Matt Cartmell
