All Tomorrows Parties this year is curated by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The theme is, I’ll be Your Mirror, the idea that the audience is reflected back to the singer and vice versa, as singer, Karen Orzolek puts it, ‘the expression is important and those performing here today are here for you to share in the rejoicing, as your voice is a part of theirs.’ The line-up is super cutting cool and kind of legendary with the appearance of Jah Shaka turning up the dub and spritual beats in the Panorama room, at this sort of leisure centre style disco. This is all the festival party fun, in a warm up to the festival season.
On arrival the first glimpse of sounds coming from the small conference like room, the sonisphere of Dirty Beaches emanates, Alex Zhang Hungtai’s minimalist sounds soothe like lux pearls crunched up, sound effects resonate with old scratched gramaphone records, all experimental, stripped back and distressed at the same time.
Back in the main room The Black Lips, red neck sound is enhanced by the backdrop of chicken and chips smell, from the food hall area, a perfect back drop for their jock style tales. The set consists of songs old and new, Cole Alexander looks slicker, their whole set seems to have matured. The sounds are fuller and grungier, they play Katrina, and Lean stands out as it showcases the more experimental feel, with noise tracks, dada-ist wailing and expression. Their approach is self-deprecating and laid-back, ‘You know we’re just amateurs, anyone can do this,’ from the boys who used to put their nihilistic stage antics before finally learning to play their instruments. In Bad Kids, the upbeat redneck, nihilistic style surf song, reflects hopes of future, lost and neglected. Then joined on stage by King Khan, as the crazy antics reach their pinnacle in a preacher style piece of paper burning. They end with, ‘Bow Down and Die,’ sweet sentimentality, on fears of loosing in love, ‘does he hold you like I hold you.’ We are left with a barn dance, deep south outro, whilst The Locusts prepare to take to the stage.
After some sticky sweet, non-fragrant food, out on the concrete veranda, we prepare to experience the world re-nowned dub and beats of Jah Shaka, anticipating a bass beat abdomen and pelvic vibration, where naturally everyone steps into a groove. The gentle mc roots reckless enough, the room begins to bounce to its feet, people get lost in the sounds, we move in peace to these natural beats. As Jah Shaka takes to the decks, dancing all the while, he is lost in his own beats. At times overwhelmed and astounded as he drops a new track. Jah himself, appears to be praying as the mumblings accompany the songs, he hails out, ‘heilesilasi,’ as he takes us to the promised land, the sounds pick up and people are lost in tandem, ‘all mighty father’, he prays all the way through.. ‘Haile Sellassie’, ‘Jehovah’… a spritual trip; ‘Fella’, ‘Rasta’, ‘Elijah’… these mutterings of all his saints, accompany the songs, as he jogs to the beat, to these vintage style sounds, movement is continuous, pure as all sway to the rhythm of the beats. Takes us off, eyes closed, swing of the hips, jahhhh!
A moment or two spent with JSBX, they bask in the psychdelic rock and roll exploding it would seem non stop in this hour long blues jam, which transports us to another time and dimension on a space like craft. All hoping they don’t leave and take off without us.
At last the moment we have waited for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Karen Orzolek steps onto the stage in the Great Hall; dressed as the black swan disguised in a spakling two piece silver suit, with brightly coloured shirt, hat and red gloves, bright green eyeshadow stands out. She struts onto the stage, posturing and pouting, as a legend or icon in creation, she is greeted with applause, the show is majestic, with giant inflatable eyeball, glitter and the name on the t-shirt fits, as violent fuzz makes sense after all.
Her moves are as stylish and well executed as the silver cut lapels on her suit throughout. The opening track burst on to the stage with Sacriledge, Moquito and Bang, the crowd goes wild to Cheated Hearts. Tracks from the new album Mosquito, including an intimate expression of Subway, Under the Earth and Despair.
Back over to the full on string orchestral arrangements of JG Thirwell in the panorama arena, the contemporary classical expression that ends a mesmerizing, enjoyable, eclectic and raw defining day. Reflecting straight back at us, the past, present, in different forms; experimental and well curated, legendary beats, extremes from the rawness to perfectly polished, yet still non conformist all in one.
