Only At The Oto

Friday evening found me in London's fashionable Dalston at Cafe Oto, home to all that is weird and/or wonderful.

Some of it is too weird for me. In your average week there will be some musique concrète, some atonal jazz squawking and some other stuff that I can neither describe nor tolerate.

But there is a lot of wonder as well. Lonnie Holley, James Blood Ulmer, This Is The Kit, Trembling Bells, Bas Jan, Hiss Golden Messenger, Meg Baird and Josephine Foster are just some of the many fantastic acts I have seen there over the years.

Then there are the gigs that manage to be both weird and wonderful. Last Friday was one example, as travelling musical family Tennger were in town. I can't really describe the experience but here is a brief factual summary to give you the general idea.

The band consists of a funky Japanese synth dude, his wife a Korean vocalist who also wields a mean harmonium and their 12 year old son who expresses himself through the medium of interpretative dance.  They dress all in white and wear gongs around their necks. At one point in the show mother and son wander around the venue waving jingle bells in the faces of the audience and bar staff. Add in some bird noises and that is about it.

The music is pretty good too. I suspect if I has listened to it before seeing the band I might have dismissed some of it as being too 'new age' for my tastes but live it works really well. Today's selection comes from their most recent self-titled album that came out in 2023.

I also enjoyed the support act Marina Moore who arrived armed with two violins and more buttons and switches than the cockpit of Concorde. 

Marina is no slouch on the old fiddle, having worked with the likes of Brian Eno, Bryan Ferry and Peter Gabriel. Her own music has been described as 'pastoral' and 'bucolic' and I agree even though I'm not entirely sure what either of those words mean. Her brand new album 'Baroque Era' is worth a listen.

"Twilight" - Tennger

"Run Hide Run" - Marina Moore