Parts & Labor - Prince Albert, Brighton - 19/2/09
2/5
By: Keri Kennedy
Middling geek-noise and nerd-rock are the first thoughts that spring to mind after witnessing Brooklyn's Parts & Labor. For a band bunched into the same category as the likes of Lightning Bolt and HEALTH, we'd hoped for an ear-splitting, chaotic set, but the following 40 minutes in the tiny upstairs room of Brighton's Prince Albert pub didn't quite deliver.
A recently re-shaped line up may have been the problem, chiefly in the non-bonus of guitarist Sarah Lipstate's barely audible guitar. However drummer Joe Wong is a worthy replacement for Christopher Weingarten, his frenetic drumming at mind-boggling speeds is the heartbeat of P&L's performance. Points for trying are also awarded to keyboardist Dan Friel, who throws himself into it, while a usually less relaxed B.J. Warshaw on bass hides in the corner.
'Nowehere's Nigh' from latest LP Receivers trundles along, though we are saved with a return to the infinitely superior 2007 LP Mapmakers and the anthemic 'Fractured Skies'. Highlight, 'This Gold We're Digging', sees Wong's painfully precise concentration pay off and almost match his predecessor. It's just a shame they didn't crank it up a level and blow the fuses like we expected them to.
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