/>
musicOMH
home | features | albums | tracks | live | classical | blog
Facebook Twitter
search:

Ikara Colt

@ Reading Festival, Reading, 24 August 2001
Hot, but not bothered, and barely drunk enough on this scorched afternoon, Colt enthusiasts crushed into the Carling tent. Some sought chaos, others were just curious.

Would Ikara Colt prove to be as urgent and nihilistic as they say? Would they be mavericks or masqueraders?

Dressed like Bonnie and Clyde, the two front figures wore a style at odds with their sound. The clothes were cut far more sharply than the chords.

Sharper still was the voice of Bonnie (aka Claire Ingram), guitarist and assistant shouter. Clyde (Paul Resende) yelled like John Lydon, but he had slicked back hair and vowels that were more Queen's English than God Save the Queen.

In the background, a vibrating mop of hair smothered the face of the drummer. All sticks, sweat and flailing limbs, he flogged away at the drum kit. He beat out a dry, uneven clatter with no pulse or vitality. Dead horse, anyone?

Meanwhile, Bonnie, Clyde and accomplice were getting away with murder. Dischordant guitar thrashed raggedly against an uninspired bassline. A three-note keyboard part was thrown in for extra shoddiness.

The whole ensemble amounted to a jarring set of off-beat ditties. Each three-minute squabble sounded much like the last, the lyrics indiscernible above the din. It was impossible to tell if there was anti-establishment feeling behind the rebellious sound and outlaw looks.

Do they want to dispose of the monarchy? Who knows? That thing called melody? Contract killing.

They won't get away with it forever.


Comments

< !--END OF BYLINE-->
now in music
Field Music
INTERVIEW
Field Music

David Brewis on the band's latest album Plumb and side projects.
Errors
Q&A
Errors

Steev Livingstone on unexpected tweets and Mogwai connections.
more live music reviews
    1. The Black Keys @ Alexandra Palace, London
    2. Friends @ XOYO, London
    3. Astronautalis @ Clandestino, Faenza, Italy
    4. Tim Hecker @ St Giles-in-the-Fields, London
    5. Roots Manuva @ Roundhouse, London
    6. Nicolas Jaar @ Roundhouse, London
    7. We Are Augustines @ Borderline, London
    8. King Creosote & Jon Hopkins @ Shepherd's Bush Empire, London
    9. Wild Flag @ Electric Ballroom, London
    10. Laura Veirs @ Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
    11. Orchestra Baobab @ Barbican, London
    12. Michael Chapman, Dean McPhee & Daniel Land @ Lexington, London
    13. Babybird @ Academy, Oxford
    14. Explosions In The Sky @ Brixton Academy, London
    15. The Dø @ Bush Hall, London
    16. Childish Gambino @ CAMP, London
    17. Bonnie Prince Billy @ Hackney Empire, London
    18. Damien Jurado @ Enterprise, London
    19. M83 @ Concorde 2, Brighton
    20. DJ Food @ Peter Harrison Planetarium, London
    21. A Winged Victory For The Sullen @ Cecil Sharp House, London
    22. Lanterns On The Lake @ Cargo, London
    23. Slow Club @ Union Chapel, London
    24. Black Lips @ Heaven, London
    25. Levellers @ Brixton Academy, London
    26. Caro Emerald @ Shepherd's Bush Empire, London
    27. Death In Vegas @ Concorde 2, Brighton
    28. Kate Jackson @ Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen, London
    29. I Break Horses @ Cargo, London
    30. Standard Fare @ Shakespeare's, Sheffield
    31. M83 @ Heaven, London
related articles
ALBUM:
Ikara Colt - Modern Apprentice

SINGLE:
Ikara Colt - Modern Feeling

SINGLE:
Ikara Colt - Wake In The City

SINGLE:
Ikara Colt - Basic Instructions EP



  more live reviews...