Most of the time when I write for you guys, I go for a full-on melange of the night. This time, I’ll keep it short. I worked on three ink pieces during the night, all in A4 format.
The night was spectacular—left my spirits buzzing and high. We came off a rough weekend at the Sounds From the Other City festival in Salford (a fantastic music discovery experience, great for friends, families, and loners alike), which ended in a memorable wall of broken noise at The White Hotel that nearly made me lose my lunch from the day before.
The night kicked off with a band from London who’s releasing a new track this May 30th: FAT CONCUBINE. They felt like the perfect closing chapter for a weekend that only ended two days later in a whirl of hyper-hardcore techno—dynamic, dark, and poetic. Their controversial and electric ’90s-inspired aesthetic sets the tone. The boldness in their lyrics, delivered in a playful tone reminiscent of childhood chants, unravels into something deeply raw. The chemistry between the three members on stage and their interaction with the crowd was key to making us feel connected. Guitar, vocals, and synths gave us full-on punk moments. The room was hot and wild, with scattered silliness and real instrumental and vocal maturity peeking through. Melodic interludes, stage dives, screams, and a hell of a lot of fun made them the perfect hypnotic hard-techno combo to close a weekend of sacred devils—on a Tuesday.
Next up were the dark and melodic Material Goods. Their presence on stage was brooding and reserved—intense and well-crafted—with a vibe of electronic nu metal. They took over the stage with a sea of synths, molding the voice into an expression of inner pain and sadness. The drums were wild and thunderous, like endless storms on rainy nights, leaving no space or rest in this poetic expression of darkness. Drum solos wandered through every track, accompanied by a guitar fusing hardcore with electronic. Fast-paced rhythms, anguished screams, and deep lyrics drenched in vocal effects forced you to hand over your heart and wander into a dark forest of monsters in search of light. Rhythms that evoke dreams had us dancing at 1000 BPM, pouring all our energy into the dance floor in a cathartic release.
Within the electronic scene, you can find many shades—and I didn’t expect this one from Eat GIRLS. A majestic connection, a holy energy the moment they step on stage. Their first instrument? Their chained house keys. Soft jingles that cradle us into their calm, magical process. Singing in English and French, the trio—without drums but with electric guitar, bass, and synths—gave us forty minutes of sweet voices and high-pitched calls framed in French-style shoegaze/electronic. Elegant, delicate travelling the bizarre path of the chaos, they tangled in the ruins of techno and heavy kick drumming. Sleepy guitars spilled into frantic rhythms made us dance, losing ourselves in their twilight psychedelia. Images from “night rider” messing up with my head, in a night that felt complete and gave us the unique opportunity to enjoy this small band from the south of France.
The Rat and Pigeon venue is quite small, and the night unfolded somewhat in reverse—leaving us in a surprising, heart-calming excitement by the end. Loved it.
words & images Mai Tane Hermosa
