Not a mystical incantation but a gig line-up. That said I haven't tried chanting it and I'm not sure I want to risk doing so.
In the unlikely event that you have read any of my gig reviews that pop up here every now and then you will have noticed that the Shacklewell Arms in London's fashionable Dalston appears fairly regularly. It is one of my favourite local venues and there is always something interesting on.
One of many good things about the venue is that they will often lay on free gigs in conjunction with small labels and promoters, particularly in quiet times of the year like August. This month they are doing so in a big way with what they are calling their Label Mates festival. Mister F and I were there on Sunday and have two more gigs lined up for next week.
Sunday's show was well worth every penny that we didn't spend. There were three acts all of whom were associated in some way with Moof magazine in Brighton - our headliner had to decline an encore to make sure they caught the last train back there - and all were entertaining.
First on the bill was Christina Deva who describes herself as a "vocal based artist" which appears to mean ululating along to drones. She has an impressive voice but things dragged a little for my personal taste. The performance definitely benefited when she got out her bouzouki to add some variety and texture to the sound.
Next up was Rose Io, the only one of the three I was previously familiar with at all as I have a few songs by her former band Rokurokubi in my collection. Rose's solo work is pretty similar to that with the band, no bad thing if you like lots of songs about death, ghosts and the afterlife performed in a style slightly reminiscent of Lavinia Blackwall (solo and Trembling Bells). I do.
Rose is an engaging performer and I enjoyed her set a lot. We were also treated to a mini 'set within a set' by her alter ego, a homicidal bunny rabbit called Ecto. Ecto's song outlining different ways you can kill and dispose of family members was one of the highlights of the evening.
Rose played a lot of songs that will appear on her first solo album titled "Autumn Automaton" due out in October. Ecto is apparently planning to release an EP of their own later in the year.
Our headliner was Lau Ro, a Brazilian expat who treated us to a short but very sweet set of mellow samba that would not have been out of place on last week's visit to Brazil. They were accompanied by a cellist and keyboard player and the cello in particular enhanced the sound very nicely.
Lau Ro previously led the band Wax Machine whose albums I am just discovering and rather enjoying. As with Rose, there isn't a significant difference between the band and their solo work. Think of it more as a natural progression than a new direction.
Here are some before and after examples of the main two acts' work. All performers and their previous bands are on Bandcamp (except for Ecto The Bunny Rabbit). Just click on their names for the links.
"Moon Milk" - Rose Io
"Saturn In Pisces" - Rokurokubi
"Assim" - Lau Ro
"All I Can Do" - Wax Machine
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