Review: 65 Days of Static
65 Days of Static @ Talking Heads, Sat 25th April 09.
by 'Birdy'.
It’s the 65 Days of Static live show, that curious beast – so difficult to capture on record, a powerful spectacle to behold. Modern rock monsters with a head full of techno.
Of course we are happy to have the lads grace the intimate setting of the Talking Heads, but it must be a bit worrying to be here less than 2 years after headlining the rather larger confines of the University? They build from artfully eclectic arrangements towards full-on genre-crashing pandemonium. I can’t help feeling that if they played their whole set with the sheer ferocity of the later stages, they would be upgrading to Guildhall status instead.
For want of another famous instrumental group, it’s Ozric Tentacles assimilated by the Borg, and later spat out of hell for public disorder offences, landing back among the living with a mischief agenda and a reckless love of loud noises. No vocals, no verse-chorus-verse, no nonsense – just barely tamed thunder and bedlam.
You get the impression of a band pushing the boundaries of technology and music, with a constant visual dialogue between the musicians and the sound desk, and roadies onstage throughout, battling to keep the gear from exploding, like Han Solo doing maintenance on the Millennium Falcon’s systems while in the middle of a dog fight.
It all comes together in some awesome, combustive moments when the grinning players crank their instruments into new territory with the relish of a well laid woodman starting up a chainsaw, or Evel Knievel kick-starting a motorbike called Satan. Throughout the show, they are clearly happy as Larry. And Larry is pretty darned happy. 65 Days enjoy their work. Like the happy dentist. No wonder they love touring.
Short of recording live in the studio they are never going to quite capture this spectacle on disc, so if you haven’t already had the pleasure, do yourself a favour and catch them next time round. Your ears will love you for the rest of your life.
Photo courtesy of Dan Smyth Photography
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