Battles
By: Thomas Hannan
Touring this week:
Bierkeller, Bristol - Wednesday 10/10/07
Koko, London - Thursday 11/10/07
Tour then continues:
Manchester University, Manchester - Wednesday 17/10/07
Liquid Rooms - Edinburgh - Thursday 18/10/07
Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne - Friday 10/10/07
Tickets: £10.00 - £12.50 face value, available HERE.
Why is this worthy of my time and money?: Because despite the polyrhythms, despite the android on helium vocals, regardless of the sheer length of the songs or height of John Stainer's solitary cymbal, Battles are in essence are a dance band. There's nothing to be afraid of here - it's everything you've ever wanted from a dance act; it's all live instrumentation, its riffs are huge and beats body-shaking. But they're the most intelligent dance band you've ever heard. What makes this music, which could otherwise on paper be dismissed on paper as pretentious twaddle, connect so well in a live setting? The fact that you can tell that with every drop of sweat that falls from a brow on to an instrument, Battles are enjoying themselves even more.
Artists in this article: Battles