In the heart of Coventry’s canal basin lies The Tin Arts, a former coal bunker that now serves as the city’s creative hub. Its former life now makes the perfect frame for an evening of experimental music. Four very different artists who push sonic boundaries convene for what promises to be one unforgettable experience.
Ryosuke Kiyasu / Steckdose / Si Paton / BGGB – The Tin Arts, Coventry, 09.08.2023
The mysterious and enigmatic BGGB appears hidden behind a balaclava, he cuts the figure of a sonic terrorist, and that’s exactly what he sounds like. Using a backing track, he first sits cross-legged on the floor and cuts a rather forlorn figure, before standing amidst the crowd and leaving the stage totally empty. It’s a shock to those who are used to a more traditional concert, and BGGB forces us to challenge our pre-conceived ideas. Part sonic concrete, part performance art, BGGB’s act leaves the crowd dazed and confused (but in the best possible way).
In rock music the bass is an often-overlooked instrument. Usually, it is seen as a secondary instrument supporting the drums (and bands such as The Doors even dispensed with a bassist) and with a few exception (Lemmy, Geddy Lee) bass players are nondescript and tend to blend into the background. Not so with Si Paton who brings the four-string right to the fore. Armed with a screwdriver and a marker pen, he pulls some unearthly sounds from the amplifier, and using feedback as a weapon, stalks the stage as if a man possessed. Like a strong, black coffee, Awis Lewis is intense, but enjoyable.
After the explosive nature of Lewis’ performance, Birmingham’s Steckdose takes a more sedate (but no less powerful) route. Self-described purveyor of “disquieting electronics”, the one-man army known as Steckdose is like a mad scientist pulling strange sonics from his box of tricks. As he subtly adjusts tone and tempos, the sounds he produces have a strange effect on the crowd, this is not only music you listen to, but it is something you experience as he takes up to heady heights then drops us down to lows, and all with the twist of a button, and his set has won him a few fans tonight.
As an old school metalhead, I grew up on drummers who pushed aggressively at sonic boundaries, from the brute force of Slayer’s Dave Lombardo to the blitzkrieg style of Deicide’s Steve Asheim, I thought I’d heard it all. But then along came Ryosuke Kiyasu, a snare drummer who smashed all my preconceived ideas. Ryosuke also performs with as band leader with SETE STAR SEPT and Kiyasu Orchestra, but tonight he makes an appearance in solo guise. As a snare drum, sticks and microphone sit on a table in the middle of the venue, an air of expectation builds as we await Ryosuke. When he appears, it is as if he is in a shamanistic state; his sole focus is on the drum, and he attacks it with great gusto. He not only uses the drum sticks, but also his elbows, wrists, knees and even forehead, and this turns him into a one-man orchestra. As his set progresses, he becomes more erratic with his inner demon taking hold, he unleashes some devilish growls into the microphone. Ryosuke not only plays the drum itself, but the table too, upon which he climbs, as if he wishes to devour it. As the set reaches its conclusion, the table and snare drum are thrown to the floor (in an act that resembles Jimi Hendrix setting fire to his guitar), and in a show that has a quasi-religious feel, you get the impression that Ryosuke has cleansed his demons. At barely thirty-minutes, this is a rather short set, but Ryosuke has thrown everything into this show, and he looks visibly exhausted as he soaks up the well-deserved applause. A short set, but certainly sweet.
Photography: Peter Dennis
