South London’s Elephant and Castle is in the throes of “regeneration”. The move to tear down the infamous Heygate estate, home to as much negative attention (due to its association with inner city crime and violence, an association that will unfortunately be attached to any big sprawling estate in any inner city around the world) as an imposing grey block of flats in south east London can get, will see it replaced with another of the various appalling attempts from Southwark council to leave garish “Contemporary Art Deco” structures in its place. Sandwiched between the now half demolished Heygate and the other big south London tourist attraction – the Elephant and Castle shopping centre – is Corsica Studios, the tiny venue (or “Creative space” as it is called on their website) that sits under the railway bridge next to scores of shops and cafés that have made use of the railway arches under the train station. It is here at this sold out show tonight that Breton is playing for their people.
Breton Labs, the disused bank that doubles as the bands creative hub, is located not far from Corsica studios. It is here the band write, record, remix, and take on all manner of visual art projects (including the grainy black and white Films that will be projected tonight as the band play (helmed by Alex Wadey) and makes tonight’s show something of a hometown return after recently playing in New York, France and Dublin . The band is looser and in great spirits which is thankfully is at odds with the unfortunate tag of “Hooded noise terrorists” the music media have been so quick to tag them with. Frontman Roman Rappak is gracious and smiling throughout, pleased to be playing on their own turf in front of a crowd containing many of their closest friends and supporters. As unofficial record release parties go ( full length ‘Other Peoples Problems’ only coming out two days earlier) its surprisingly light on record company freeloaders and the various music business leeches, quick to ride any hype they can latch onto, that would usually be present at shows like this in London. Tonight is just a venue packed with people ready to throw shapes to one of this year’s brightest hopes.
Musically existing somewhere between DFA records dance punk and Saddle creek electro rockers The Faint and with a healthy dose of London’s grimy musical electronic underworld of the last ten years or so mixed in (namely the Rinse FM era of dubstep and garage that swept through the high rises and estates of London and enthralled the city and its underground music fans). This vital, vigorous noise is rounded out by Rappak’s urgent, impassioned vocals and melodies securing everything in place. The Breton live experience seems to be a different beast than on record. Where new album ‘Other Peoples Problems’ is musically tight to the point of claustrophobia, the synth lines and beats so intensely melded together it would be hard to even attempt to put a sheet of A4 between the few and far between musical gaps. Live the band are punchier and more energetic (so much so there is a mid-set break to repair to Bassist Daniel McIlvenny’s damaged guitar strap with the bands unofficial 6th member- the roll of Gaffa tape that gets passed around onstage), drummer Adam’s relentless beats nearly as overpowering for the crowd as the venues overwhelmingly furious dry ice machine.
Highlights include the sampled strings and electronic pulse of album opener ‘Pacemaker’ ,the rousing call to Arms of single ‘Edward the Confessor’ and the Battles-esque Afrobeat of ‘Jostle’ where the glitchy beats (courtesy of the bands multi-instrumentalist Ian Patterson) connect like rhythmic slaps to the face (as they do all throughout the set). One negative criticism of ‘Other Peoples Problems” is that too many songs pass the listener by. On first initial listens truly memorable lyrics and melodic stabs seem to happen at intervals to remind you that the album is still playing.
Live however, these same songs sprawl out into a huge expansive sound collage. Broad and extensive enough to lose yourself in for their whole set and complimenting the grey, stark Bretonlab visual projections that play all the way through. Maybe this is intended, Albums as mile markers, documents of songs that put a stamp on where Breton are musically whilst live is where they grow and make visible how much they can do with these songs, letting them breathe and opening up some of the rigidness and sterility that smothers parts of the album.
By the end of the set its apparent that Breton are a phenomenal live band and their live show should enthral crowds at every venue they play, big or small, whatever city or country and hopefully huge festivals this summer. As far as tonight goes however, the packed crowd inside Corsica studios has witnessed something special – a band where visuals are as important as anything aural and also a band that soaks up their environment. However grim and desolate people would have you believe South East London is its bands like Breton are absorbing the vibrancy of their surroundings and recycling that energy and vitality live.
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