Plaid and Felix's Machines
Plaid return to Norwich almost a year to the day since their last visit, touring 2016’s The Digging Remedy. Whereas that wintery evening was essentially a straightforward electronic show, albeit perfectly performed and uniquely presented, tonight is something different. Tonight is special.
How special can be summed up by the fact that Ninja Tune wunderkind, local hero and producer of one of 2017’s most critically acclaimed albums Nathan Fake is DJing in the bar! Playing a selection of obscure gems that all share the same lush gorgeous melodies that wash over you and punch you in the heart in the same way that Fake’s own original works do. It’s all brilliant and almost enough to stop me from going into the main hall together.....almost.
But in I must go and I’m greeted by something I’ve never seen before in my 20+ years of coming to the Arts Centre, there is no stage. Support act Dom IV is set up on the floor where the stage used to be, forcing the crowd to gather close around him. Playing a 30 minute continual set that spans multiple genres, bringing to mind Plone, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Old School Rave, Vaporwave and so much more. There’s a couple of nice fakeout drops and the whole thing has a delightful unpredictability to it. I hope to hear a lot more from him in the future.
Well I’ve put it off long enough, it’s time to address the almost literal elephant in the room and the reason the stage has been removed. Looming in the darkness is a monolithic structure, a 12 foot tall creature from another world, a beautiful mess of strings, pipes and drums. I feel like it’s staring at me so I stare back, and then lights flicker from within it and it starts to sing. These are Felix‘s Machines, 16 instruments that have been deconstructed and then re-formed along with servos, hammers and lights into one large sculpture, by audio-visual artist Felix Thorn. Half instrument, half robot, all art.
For the first track or so, everyone just stares in wonder, unsure of the protocol as an audience member. We’re in uncharted waters here. Before long eyes start to look around and it’s clear that people are starting to wonder where Plaid are. As it turns out they’re at the back of the room with Felix remotely playing the machine. Removing the human element from the stage is a clever move, the machine is the star of the show and it’s only right that it gets our undivided attention. It is slightly disconcerting that we all have our backs turned on the artists and are just watching an instrument, but we soon settle into it.
Not being like any other gig, everybody seems to be experiencing it in their own way. Some sit on the floor enjoying the light show that emanates from within it. Others dance. A few have their eyes closed and are enjoying the robotic precision of the music and it’s lovely to see so many people enjoying in so many different ways. Me? I scan the machine trying to figure out where each individual sound comes from, admiring the precise engineering of it all. Musically it’s stunning, a beautiful blend of that rich sound you get from acoustic, real life instruments, coupled with electronic structure and precision. Similar to the delicate, music-box like tracks from Aphex Twin’s Drukqs album, but better, because these aren’t samples, this is a real physical thing that I could reach out and touch (if it wasn’t for the security guard stood nearby).
Although this is a performance art piece and the machine and music are intrinsically linked, I hope that these compositions get released as an album, as it really would be a shame for them to be lost to the ether. Once again Plaid collaborate with some truly innovative people to create something stunning and unique, just as they have done for the last 25 years. That’s what makes them great and that’s why they will always get a warm welcome in this fine city. A truly magical evening.
