AK/DK
-YES, MANCHESTER-
Acid Child
With a name as ‘incendiary’ as titled and opening for a headliner dubbed ‘electro punk’, you’d expect some questionable attempt at hardcore along with runic tattoos and enough profanity to warrant an OFCOM intervention… it appears my imagination dreamed big. They have a sound veering around that middle-of-the-road-psych you see with worrying frequency; that’s not to say they are bad, in fact the synthesizer (Slow Reverse Film?) playing and the drums to me are quite stand out in some places. And I can appreciate the lack of showmanship, gives them a relatable quality that the more pretentious of bands are too blind to grasp. The usage of an acoustic (on occasion) was also interesting, but the issues with volume almost negate that and the vocals; in turn I can’t really decipher the lyrics and to persist, the feedback spikes stoke my irritation from their inception. P.S. Variety department investment warranted.
AK/DK
As I observe a lighting system of non-Yes origin being installed, it gives me the illusion that this duo must have some kind of importance if they brazenly lug about what looks like something they stole from IKEA and had modified by the Stasi’s technical support service for purposes they deem musical (typical espionage stuff). The room becomes enveloped in darkness as the ‘VIPs’ presumably prepare their instruments and machinery; they are propelled into the set with their blaring modulator synths (2 or 1?), they also drum concurrently with each other: it doesn’t get too technical but it certainly showcases the right performer’s threatening level of enthusiasm for hitting stuff.
It becomes evident as they warp through their set that they understand how to build the tension and to deliver satisfying climaxes that keep their audience’s clamour in check. The variety of patterns and colour they bring to each of their compositions indicate the effort they’ve put into their music: an aggressive punk-type opener, 8-bit fairground, Nintendo menu music, Tangerine Dream redux and what I can only describe as stadium minimal synth. The usages of different tones instrumentally are what keep it interesting; the additional vocal effects serving their purpose, even if they rapidly become as expected as a prison sentence for armed robbery. Points of bashing: lyricism is sadly out of coherence range due to delivery style and/or volume balancing, and the encore kind of falls a bit flat as it sounds remarkably similar to their opener, taking the momentum of my impression into the territory of being slightly less impressed than I was before; a high is always better than a low.
AK/DK: Official | Facebook | Twitter
Recent career decisions have compelled me into the journalistic... thing; I could list my literary influences or even debate which 3rd rate beverage has the best economic value per litre (But I won’t). Oh, in addition, I write reviews for the Independents Network.
