Back in the mid-to-late eighties, there was a whole bunch of bands mixing up prog rock, ambient electronics, psychedelia, reggae, and other experimental sounds and effects to create proto-rave soundscapes and entertain the growing (grebo/raver/crusty) alternative subcultures. This group of ‘out-there’ innovators included the likes of Webcore, Gong, The Ullulators (who can forget the wonderful “Sloshy Sausages” or “Living in a Nice Hedge”), System 7 and Ozric Tentacles. It was the latter two bands that I was thrilled to see were touring together and playing in Brighton tonight.
Although there have been many collaborators over the years, System 7 are effectively the irrepressible Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy. They came together whilst performing in the psychedelic rock band Gong and formed System 7 in 1989. Hillage has performed under various guises over the years, while Giraudy is also an actress and writer. They started things off with a gentle introduction to the more ambient end to their sound, expertly tweaking the synths, keyboards and soundboard in front of them.
It did not take long for Steve to start adding his guitar flourishes to the mix, generating some very interesting sounds. Once they got into their flow, the crowd were all bopping along to the pulsing beats and driving undercurrents thumping their way out of the sound system. The dance beats were topped off by Steve’s much-venerated but distorted guitar soloing and Miquette adding a smattering of samples and vocal soundbites where required. Nothing was done to excess though, with every bleep and bloop sitting nicely in its place for full effect. Subtlety is the name of the game, which adds to the impact of the compositions.
The music was enhanced by a visual feast in the form of a dynamic extravaganza being played out on a backscreen, filling the space behind them with ever-evolving, eyeball-searing fractal projections. Don’t ask for a detailed setlist because I couldn’t tell you specific tracks (it was not that kind of a show) but I definitely caught fragments of “Sunburst” and “Alpha Wave”. This was a beefier and more hard-hitting set than the band’s discography could have suggested they would perform.
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Ozric Tentacles sit at the more psychedelic prog rock end of the spectrum, their 30 albums presenting more of an ambient space rock/jazz fusion/dub aesthetic over the last 40-odd years, compared to the more dance-inspired leanings of System 7. In a live situation, the Ozrics tend to play more of their faster, guitar-driven tracks (“Kick Muck” is my personal favourite), interspersed with ambient flights of fancy.
All of their tracks are instrumental (the band themselves said that “words get in the way”) but they have some very creative, and often funny, titles; playful, like the music they describe. The psychedelic fractals and patterned lightshow being projected onto the backscreen provided the perfect visual accompaniment to the aural assault tonight. The main innovator, Ed Wynne, is still the star of the show—playing guitar and keyboards—but the addition of Saskia Maxwell on flute is inspirational and adds a whole new flavour to the live band (whose albums often had a woodwind element to them).
This was a highly enjoyable journey through the Ozrics’ spaced out world and, at least, their new(ish), highly proficient drummer didn’t evaporate (if you know – you know). Surprisingly though, at least from my perspective, I found that my mind still seemed to be buzzing and pulsating from System 7’s performance. I have a sneaking suspicion that they stole the night!
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