On Thursday 7th April Lumin presented a collocation of some of the most experimental and creative musicians in London, Felix’s Machines VS Plaid with support from Leafcutter John and Missaw.
Lumin’s choice of performers couldn’t have fitted better with Village Underground’s dogma of being both a venue and close-knit community of creative practitioners, businesses and organisations. The vast Victorian vestibules within Village Underground played the perfect host for Felix Thorn’s music-making sculptures.
Felix Thorn’s self built deconstructed instruments were converged with Warp‘s awesome duo Plaid to create an experiment of live amplification and processing, marrying acoustic robotics and digital synthesis in harmony to create an exquisite transitory performance.
Prior to Felix’s show the crowd we’re warmed up by an extraordinary performance by Leafcutter John. Before beginning his live performance infront of Felix’s Machines, he suggested to his audience to take a seat on the floor to fully appreciate his vast soundscapes. A wise recommendation in my opinion as his show was one of the most mesmerizing and intimate performances I’ve seen for a while. I have no idea if he’s named his process of guitar manipulation, all I know is that I’ve never seen chop sticks, paint brushes, balloons and a megaphone employed in a live set before.
For me the ultimate highlight was of course the symbiosis of Felix’s Machines and Plaid, however Leafcutter John was without doubt very entertaining.
Photos by Moco / Elektropastete