Hector Bizerk, 14/10/16 – Review

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Hector Bizerk, at Glasgow School of Art on the 14th of October, 2016. Review.

Ae fond kiss and then . . .

Recently I’d found my way back to jazz, live jazz at that, courtesy of the Glasgow Jazz Festival. The why is maybe of more interest here, best explained by Geoff Dyer who said, ‘ jazz is increasingly something people arrive at after becoming bored with the banality of pop music’: yep, that was me.  But then along came this one massive exception: the Scottish hip hop scene. It still sounds surreal to write that, but I know I haven’t dreamt any of it: The LaFontaines, Stanley Odd, Loki, Spring Break, Young Fathers, Our Future Glory and of course, Hector Bizerk. All of them hit me in a way I think I last felt when I was at the right age, time and place to really appreciate punk.

Neil Kulkarni would argue that hip hop is the only genuinely new artistic innovation of the twentieth century after jazz. Maybe in the States, for the UK I really don’t think you can ignore Punk. Then of course the two have so much in common – punk and hip hop in the UK share the same vital energy, the creativity, pushing the boundaries, the social commentary, cutting satire and humour, the DIY ethos, all wrapped up in some great music and, crucially, performance.

These last couple of paragraphs are probably more about me procrastinating, trying to avoid writing that this is about having had the privilege to cover Hector Bizerk’s final gig at the Glasgow School of Art.

In my experience, all of those involved in Scotland’s hip hop community really understand their roots. Sure there are motifs that repeat, but the references are signposts quite deliberately not to be avoided, they are an homage not a lazy steal. And, they all bring something quite unique to the table, least of all the magic that is rapping in the vernacular.  In fact perhaps one of my favourite moments of the last few years was catching Stanley Odd during their Sweatbox tour and witnessing SolarEye and DJ Butterscotch in a full freestyle exchange (I hesitate to say battle).

Now Hector Bizerk – they give you a guide to the core elements of hip hop culture, with the exception of DJing. The other three components, Pearl Kinnear with her graffiti inspired panels, b-boying Ibby Diko, and emcee Louie’s rapping are all part of what makes Hector Bizerk live performances unique and wonderful.

The other essential factor has to be Audrey Tait on drums. A couple of years back they played The Ironworks in Inverness and it was a ‘stripped back’ set. Pearl and Ibby were there, but apart from a brief guest appearance from Be Charlotte the aural onslaught was produced courtesy of drum and voice only: and it was possibly one of the finest musical experiences I’ve had. The interplay between the two co-founders that night signalled what Hector Bizerk are all about: Louie’s irresistible rapping running over under and through Audrey’s sensational drumming and percussion. Other gigs have had a few variations but generally we have bass, guitar, synth and more percussion. It is a mighty, immersive, complex sound.

Read any review and all the writers and observers use the same vocabulary to describe Hector Bizerk gigs: sublime, energetic, thundering, evocative, emotional, bouncing, raw, exciting, in yer face, hi-energy, unforgettable, blistering, breath-taking, fearsome, awesome, compelling, original, experimental, innovative, intense: consistently brilliant. And so it was at the GSA, with an extra dose of emotional. At the end of the set there was that real bittersweet feeling: the high of a shared experience, a sensational gig mixed with that slightly bereft feeling in your gut because you know, it’s never going to happen again.

But this wee bit of writing is not meant to be some valedictory lament – it can’t possibly be.  When artists push the limits of creativity and performance to the extent that Hector Bizerk have then it raises the bar, it is truly inspirational: it is inconceivable that they have not stimulated someone somewhere to start to create, to produce work and a performance that will have a crowd enthralled in the way that Hector Bizerk did – that’s the way art works. And besides, in only the briefest of chats with Audrey she is of course going to be continuing to mentor and be involved in production – although I can’t quite believe I’ll never hear her drum again. Louie is someone who is bursting with ideas and energy: he already has a number of projects lined up and similarly will be working with new and emerging talent – no way have we heard the last of either of these two.

Tonight, alas, there was no Ibby Diko; but on stage we had Pearl Kinnear, David Calder, Tom Dallas, Paul Crawford, Louie and Audrey.

The set list was as follows:

Drums. Rap. Yes.

Let It Go

Bury The Hatchet

Burst Love

Orchestrate

Fingerprints

Adopt A Persona

Party@ A&E

Welcome Nowhere

Columbus

Dr Charcot

The Waltz

Children on Fire

Skin And Bone

The Fish

Everybody Laughed

Little Man

Festival Boy

Rust Cohle

Bigger Picture

Pictures of the evening are here

A notefrom the editor

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Roddy McKenzie
Roddy McKenzie
Life-long engagement with music and a truly eclectic taste (although prog-rock and metal will usually have me scrambling for the off button). If pushed, I would have to say the Velvet Underground are one of the most important band’s of all time. Although I consider myself first and foremost a photographer, as regards reviewing I guess I cut my teeth in the vibrant fanzine scene of the 80’s. Around the same time I started taking photographs and, to be brief, performance and photography were made for each other: perfect match.

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