Alright,
So we arrive at Bracknell Arts Centre and the beautiful ground upon which it was built, with its surrounding park and forest enclosures suggesting a peaceful atmosphere.
(The carnies across the road ruined the ambiance a little, however...)
After some exploration of the area and some overpriced Dr. Pepper I make my way inside the charming venue; which was considerably bigger than I expected.
For those enjoying the view from the wings and terraces, the seating was adequate and well-arranged, as for the main standing area,
Everyone is sat on the floor carefully listening to the astounding Patrick Watson and his band. Two of my friends make comparison to Coldplay, but that is a passing reference and doesn't say much about Mr. Watson's music, which is of an entirely different brand. Id compare him more to the likes of Devendra Banhart, not only for the singer/songwriter verisimilitude, but for the beautifully humane qualities in his singing.
His smooth, soothing voice was accompanied by his piano playing and voice manipulation, (through delay pedals and such) as well as a guitarist, bassist and drummer (Who definetely had a bit of Mitch Mitchell in him...).
The music was varied and often changed moods during songs, but was always pleasant and creative. For his last song, he walked out into the middle of the group of people huddled on the floor and sang with no mic, accompanied by an acoustic guitar; titled "The Man Under The Sea". The warmth of this gesture was raucously appreciated by the audience as we all cheered him back to the stage to finish the tune with the rest of his band-mates.
Patrick Watson's band not only provided good foil as an opening act for Cinematic Orchestra, but were thoroughly enjoyable on their own merit and I may have to invest in one of this gentle soul's releases soon. His latest opus is called "Close To Paradise" for anyone interested. Definitely an act to watch.
So, some minutes passed and Cinematic Orchestra made their way to the stage, with a considerably smaller ensemble than I expected : Double Bass (Classy), Keyboards, Saxophone, Drums, Guitar and Sampler/Mixer.
Finally, I was about to witness the phenomenon of drumming that is Luke Flowers. I had already developed a great respect for his Tony Williams-esque playing and couldn't wait to see it live.
After some applause, the Orchestra started playing the opening measures to "Burnout (Awakening Of A Woman)", much to my uncontrolled joy as it is my favorite composition of theirs.
From here on in, I had moments where I would totally forget I was stood in an amphitheatre with several other people. I was in a masterclass. after about 20 minutes of this intense concentration, I snapped out and realised "oh yeah, I'm at a gig..."
Luke Flowers showed me that there is so much more to some aspects of drumming, his incredible feel and ability to flow through the song and switch the beat (not that easy in 7/8) while constantly implying the pulse was nothing short of amazing. The saxophonist also played his heart out and his ass off with some incredible solos and quite a distinctive approach : no cues from the song, no suggestion from the rest of the band that they were building towards their saxophonist taking a solo, they just came intermittently and they were always right.
However, there were some problems, the guitar tone at times was questionable and occasionally was inaudible, which was a shame because the guitarist appeared to be pouring a lot into it.
The other slightly strange thing was that head honcho J.Swincoe was not often doing much other than conducting and affecting the mix, throwing in the odd sample or cue. I would have expected a bit more from the man at the helm of this mighty crew.
The keys and saxophone were the only instruments to really take any solos however, besides an extended drum break from Mr. Flowers, thankfully accompanied by the double bass pattern. (Tangent: I cant stand when drum solos are interpreted as being something that have to happen in solitude, why cant the bass keep 'time'? Or have some horn stabs to play around or sync up with?? Major pet peeve of mine...)
Needless to say, the "solo" was impeccable, and as a good friend mentioned " You could really live it thorough his faces"...indeed, what would drumming be without a "drum face"?
So this awesomeness continued for much longer, about another hour passed before I looked at my watch and the Orchestra moved into "Ode to The Big Sea" from their first release, 'Motion'. Well, if grooves like this don't make you shake, you may have no soul.
Patrick Watson then joined the Orchestra for a couple of numbers (the collaborative tour started to make more sense here) from their new release, "Ma Fleur". (For those of you who are REALLY that French-incapacitatae, that means "My Flower".
An uptempo swing, every instrument finds their pocket within the space allotted and hypnotically so. Again, it was in places like this where I saw the true awesomeness of Luke Flowers : From a solid beat that requires 4 limb independence to breaking up his patterns around the drums, often not playing an actual beat, but just comping with the sounds and instruments; to the flowing jazz bits which were reminiscent of Philly Joe Jones incredible sticksmanship...this cat just made my jaw STAY on the floor. Its one thing when you see an artist that can MAKE your jaw drop, but when you see one who can KEEP it there....you know you are in the presence of something special.
Love, Peace & Lookin' After Your Niece.
"Thought we was closer to genesis before all this, technology was cordless; senseless courtship" - Vast Aire
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