Live in Vienna, 24^th of April 2006, at the B72

Right before. In the afternoon a lot of people were bitching about how the fantomasmelvinsbigband sucked at the Donaufestival the evening before, and concluded from there the variability of what might or might not to be expected from collaborations of pronounced and extravagant musicians, some even regarding the idea as instant failure from the get go. In the evening the combined forces of Bulbul, Tumido and K.K. Null proved that collaborations are possible, to enormous and explosive success.

I saw the future. What would a word like “success” I this context mean other than blowing people’s minds away? And they did. For about seventy minutes these six unique minds worked up a storm of noise that hit the listeners with full force. Imagine the set-up: KK Null, sporting an orange “Clockwork Orange” t-shirt residing in the centre of the stage with a table in front of him on which all kinds of audio-gadgetry are plugged in. Tiny boxes which he magically drives to produce all kinds of noises, at times picking up an odd-looking mic to either scream into or bang onto said table. To the left and right of him the drummers of Tumido and Bulbul, respectively, are working up stampedes of rolling thunder, going for the free feeling and at the same time controlling the level of force in the approach of the whole band, together! DD Kern from Bulbul looked like a young Oliver Kahn all earnest and focused and eyeing his opposite with detailed attention. Which didn’t keep him from using all kinds of strange implements as percussions, by the way. Behind KK Null is Fredl mastering the only guitar on stage, adding screeches and crackles as well as some finer notes and twangs. A little set back to his sides the two bass-men filling in walls of deep end noise to the whole ruckus. In front of the guitarists each a bunch of more pedals and effects than Led Zeppelin used back then.

everything became clear. And it is loud, damn, is it ever loud. The set works up four or five high points of dynamic tension (after a while I lost track of space and time and was unable to count on) with the drums actually providing the riffs, forming a monstrous stampede of rhythm, working in miraculously unison. But with all six people going at full force it is hard to make out who is doing what right now in detail. Everything seems to be fused into one big block of noise, which, like really good marble, looks solid and dense but offers a lot to see and explore in minute details. But at this point of time it is hard to concentrate on details. Everything is awash with sound working off from the basic level of pure volume and then in time with structures evolving. Did I mention that it was loud on top of that? Even when they are sloping down out of full force mode, the impact of sounds is still impressive. In the “softer” moments the noise-sounds of Null stand out better, in the “stronger” moments everything is soaked in noise. I imagine unsuspected nightowls stumbling into the door and being blown out of the club again with nothing but surprise and shock in their eyes.  

in a single night. During the first half of the show several people around me left the room or reclined to the back (I took a break somewhere to take a piss and get a new beer). Maybe it was a steady dose of Prurient or other Loadrecord releases lately or an old tolerance level worked up by years of japan noise infusions that had me prepared, but I wondered where all the cool people that buy albums by Earth, Sunn0))) and Boris were that night. I especially wonder were the rockers from Big Load magazine were that night! Anyway, they missed out on some atomic fusion that had my head ring for hours afterwards. My good pal Daniel (thanks for the pics!) and me drove home, sinking into the back of a cab almost unable to mutter anything this side of “wow” and “fucking ay”. I was looking out the windows into the lights wondering why they still seem the same as before.

of burning noise. Hats off to the owners of the place for letting such a thing happen in their place. Maybe Monday nights are usually slow, but this night was set aside in the time-continuum. The place was half full, which is good I suspect. Talking to Fredl from Bulbul before about music journalism (in a way) I mentioned the notion to him, that they must have been misunderstood frequently. “If people understood us”, he answered after glancing around, “there would be some more here tonight.” Well, it might be a consolation to him, that those that were there, will remember the night for sure. I sure hope that someone has taped this show and finds time and means to produce a decent sounding CD of it. If Birchville Cat Motel can do it with Lee Renaldo? This CD would have the potential to make it into the TOP10 of the Wire’s avantnoise charts at year’s end easily. What else is there that would count?

Georg Cracked (April 30st 2006)