Test-Icicles - Birmingham Academy - 31/10/05
3/5
By: Andy Willson
The fact that it's Halloween should've given us some indication of what's to follow, but nothing, or certainly very little (even all the advance massive press), could've prepared us for what was witnessed tonight.
When you're used to the cramped confines of the Camden Barfly, the Birmingham version seems like a temple. There's large steel pillars keeping the roof attached, somehow, and even a second level vantage point to view your idols. The beer is just as grim.
As Test-Icicles take to the stage to some suitably ghoulish music, the first thing we notice is that the three of them have more hair than The Polyphonic Spree put together. Combine that with the red-streaked make-up adorning their chops, obviously applied by a blind person, and you get the drift. Several members of the crowd are covered in red blotches, maybe on purpose to emulate the boys, or they received a few 'happy slaps' on the way here; you decide.
The second thing we eyeball is that there's no drummer, but as soon as they kick off, you realise they don't actually need one. With two lead guitars played by impish pair Rory Atwell and Sam Mehran there's enough feedback to down an aircraft. Tie in the slick bass of Dev Hynes and you've got yourself a rabid wall of noise.
And it only takes Dev two songs to yell, 'Look what I've got; you know you love it,' as he reveals his Myspace.com T-shirt. Rory chips in that they met Lee Ryan from Blue the other day, who said he loved their music. He continues that he kicked his head in.
It's only half way through 'Circle, Square, Triangle' that you actually realise that's what they're playing; the tempo and decibel level are quadrupled into something that deserves to be caged. You see some bands that like to act cool, calm & collected on stage, but not so with Test-Icicles: they look like they make everything up on the spot... Set-list? What's one of those?
Buzzing around the stage like cheap Chinese fireworks, it all becomes a blur after a short time. To try and pigeonhole their blend of noise would be like deciding where to shoot George Bush first, even with a shotgun. At their most placid, you can hear echoes of The Jam's 'Funeral Pyre' and at the most violent, it could easily be Rammstein. Whatever it is, it certainly makes for an entertaining sight/night.
Hailing from East London, Test-Icicles are likely of making history for having an ASBO in every place they play, due to all these dynamite-loony freneticisms. Commendably, they're the first to admit that, when seeing them, it could be the worst or the best show they've played. But either way, you know when you've been Test-Icicled.
Artists in this article: Test-Icicles
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