Institute of Contemporary Arts

Sunburned Hand of The Man & guests

Date: 20 June 2008

Sunburned Hand of The Man. Photo: Gabriel Green

Jahan Nazeer 

It was a warm Friday evening in central London. The kind of warmth that sends central London a little bit crazy. As the opportunistic West-End crowds took up their positions outside pubs and bars, I darted through the hubbub - the smell of cider, the patter of sandals and the ripples of merriment. The ICA had something quite different on offer tonight. Sunburned Hand Of The Man were over from the States, supported by U-Sound, Joanne Robertson, Martin Creed, The Rebel, Bad Bat and David Cunningham. With so much scheduled for the evening, there was little time to catch a drink before the first act was beginning.

Seated at one end of the stage, with guitar and laptop, was David Cunningham. Having been involved in a wide variety of musical projects over his career, there was a certain masterful quality about him. As the main room filled up, he began. Looped pad sounds washed in and out like gentle waves lapping against a pebbly beach. A hushed ambience took over as tones and textures rose and fell, and distant chords developed out from the pool. The repetition of the pad loops brought about a strange tranquillity to the room as glitchy, abstract samples fuzzed within the mix. At this point, another feature of the evening began.

David was still finishing his set when he was joined by Bad Bat, who added improvised touches to his set and then seamlessly carried it on when David had finished and had quietly left the stage. In other words, it seemed that some of the sets were going to merge into one another. So, with no time for a toilet trip or a cigarette break, the second act were on.

Bad Bat are a London based Jazz/Psychedelic band consisting of Rachael Bradley, Alec Kronacker and Joanne Robertson each with guitar in hand. With odd soundtrack-like backdrops, Joanne's voice sounded both ghostly and chant-like as they meandered through a set that seemed to include improvised parts along with written and all seemed to hang together on a thread. It did, however, have a charm to it and seated, as I was, next to an enthusiastic Joanne Robertson fan, it was impossible not to appreciate the set.

By now, I was beginning to feel a bit confused about which act was which, as David Cunningham returned to the stage and carried on his performance from earlier. Having levelled things out a bit with his orchestral whale song and colour visuals, he was then joined onstage by U-Sound, another Joanne Robertson project , this time alongside guitars, accordion player and one guy who just seemed to play different bells and chimes occasionally. Their set was a mixture of guitar twangs, poetic lyrics and striking voices. Delicate changes and layers were added to the experimental compositions as the audience were drawn deeper into the sounds.

Next up, a short film from Martin Creed . This basically consisted of a close-up of a man and woman having sex, framing only the genitalia, giving no other information about the individuals. Intermittent, brief, still shots of another faceless person holding a colour chart that would then suddenly have a large hole in it...

A quick break was taken...

The Rebel was up next with his peculiar take on folk/country. Sporting a guitar and a large bottle of wine, he took to the stage and began his set. Opening with swaggering guitar jabs and some keyboard parts, he soon had the crowd going with some witty lyrics and his drunken stage manner. Changing the mood with his abrupt personality and odd demeanor, The Rebel ran through a very entertaining mix of retro sounds ‘n sensibilities. A real crowd pleaser on the night.

So, after a packed line-up, finally the headline act were ready to begin their never-before seen play ‘Twelve Rules for Black Square Voids: A Long, Irrational Projection'. Sunburned Hand Of The Man are a five-strong, American group of artists and musicians who have been described as ‘eclectic, interesting and unapologetic' and classify their music as ‘Live Electronic/Psychedelic/Classical'. Set up behind various pieces of music technology, the lights were dimmed as they began with another short film. Set in a forest, a mannequin's head was dragged through the undergrowth, flickering in and out of view as other haunting figures scurried around the trees. The soundtrack was eerie and included strange spoken parts that added to the horror flick feeling of it. Pagan imagery was interwoven with startling glimpses of snarling faces as the tension grew. Then, suddenly, a figure appeared in the crowd. Shrouded in cloth and carrying a lone candle and a large branch, he slowly plodded through the audience as more branches were thrown onto the stage. Slowly, the scene from the film was being recreated on stage as the music grew thunderous and the animalistic cries and chants rang out. Now the film began to include live footage mixed in, as spoken words boomed over the chaos like surreal documentary clips or stray radio reports. The stage was, by now, totally transformed. Tambourines were circulated around the audience and soon the sound seemed to be coming from every direction as people caught on to the savage, ritualistic vibe and beat their tambourine as if in a trance. Then, as if obeying some kind of natural cycle, the forest on stage was dismantled and the space cleared away again. Utterly gripping.

So, all in all, a really great evening. Definitely a more intriguing choice than that on offer in clubland on a Friday night.

David Cunningham. Photo: Gabriel Green

 

Bad Bat. Photo: Gabriel Green

 

U-Sound. Photo: Gabriel Green

 

The Rebel. Photo: Gabriel Green

 

Martin Creed. Photo: Gabriel Green