Now in its fifth year, StrangeForms returns with a brand new line up and a brand new home. After four successful, sell-out years celebrating the best in post-rock, math-rock and post-hardcore at Leeds’ Wharf Chambers, the 100-capacity venue could no longer contain the festival’s ever growing character. 2018 begins a new StrangeForms chapter at The Brudenell Social Club and with more space, more facilities and more variety in the line-up than ever before, it’s a huge step forward.
Saturday
Adam Betts
One-man drumming and sampling machine Adam Betts kicks off the weekend in style. The Three Trapped Tigers sticksman describes the set as “playing with my computer to see if I can make songs from it,” and he does a damn fine job. Triggering samples from drum pads while laying down some seriously impressive rhythms, it’s obvious that Betts is a huge talent and when the drums are less busy, the unmistakable groove makes it impossible to stand still. Some songs lose their way as the drums become a little too frantic and cluttered, but it’s a great start to a festival that’s known to celebrate instrumental prowess and technicality.
Soeur
While Betts celebrates the classic StrangeForms experience, Soeur are representative of this year’s wider reaching line-up. Among their ranks is ex-Maybeshewill drummer Jim Collins and as this three-piece indie-alternative act kick into their set, it seems that’s the only link connecting them to the scene usually promoted at StrangeForms. It’s an inoffensive and palatable experience, but their pedestrian pace and straight-up rock songs are formulaic and do little to excite the crowd.
Trigger Thumb
Every festival has its regulars and after several years, some faces become very familiar. It’s good to finally see Trigger Thumb bassist Damen Hughes on stage this year and after this performance, it’s clear that the stage is where he belongs. The official StrangeForms pamphlet describes them as a mix between System of a Down and Muse which, despite sounding unlikely, is surprisingly accurate. The schizophrenic pace and dynamics of the opening two tracks make it difficult to know what’s happening, but the more the set goes on, the more infectious it becomes. The entertaining stage presence and constant surprises make Trigger Thumb one of the unexpected highlights of the day.
Chiyoda Ku
If a whole day of this festival consisted of Toby Green playing drums, we’d be fine with that. The seated member of Chiyoda Ku is able to do extraordinary things with just the bare bones of a drum kit and his infectious rhythms are the backbone of the band’s set. When the guitars lock into a riff it gels the band together nicely, but too often they’re meandering and uninteresting, allowing them to be overshadowed by Green’s fantastic performance. There’s definite potential with this trio, but this set isn’t quite the finished article.
Jo Quail
Armed with an electric cello and loop pedal, Jo Quail creates an epic, dramatic atmosphere that’s dark and brooding. Quail utilises the loop pedal to create a percussive background, from which each composition can build, and while it’s an intriguing set, most songs build in the same way and become repetitive in the second half.
Big Lad
Like Adam Betts and Chiyoda Ku before them, Big Lad’s high-octane performance is accentuated by a superb drumming display. The combination of high energy, pulsating drums and electronic samples makes for a thoroughly enjoyable start, but the set doesn’t progress or add new elements as it goes on, allowing the initial excitement to dampen.
Valerian Swing
Making the trip over from Italy, Valerian Swing are the furthest travelled band of the weekend, but unfortunately they haven’t made it unscathed. A broken foot leaves their guitarist rooted to a chair and his ailment serves as a metaphor for their set, which feels oddly fractured and disjointed. Each individual performance is impressive, but on a day personified by excellent drumming performances, it’s a real shame that the snare is barely audible, as it would’ve provided the glue to hold everything else together.
Talons
The sight of six people on stage at once seems oddly overwhelmingly after witnessing many three-piece bands through the day. With double the average member tally, Talons generate a cacophony of noise, matching swelling guitars with two violins and a frantic rhythm section. Their on-stage composure tells otherwise, but it’s the band’s first show in 22 months and their return is boosted by the news of an upcoming record. We’re treated to a few new tracks in the set and as each trademark, dramatic crescendo passes, the excitement to hear the new album grows throughout.
SUNDAY
Vogons
After a diverse opening day, Vogons start the next in a more traditional fashion. StrangeForms has long celebrated clever instrumental bands and Vogons’ math-rock fits right in with clever dynamics and interesting time signatures. Some of the transitions don’t flow quite as well as others but on the whole it’s a good start to the day and a warm reminder of the festival’s DNA.
Earth Moves
With headliners Rolo Tomassi on the horizon, Earth Moves start to step up the aggression early, showcasing the heaviest set of the weekend so far. Steadily growing, epic slabs of post-hardcore don’t come any more impressive than the band’s closing track, which evokes memories of ‘Satellite Years’ era Hopesfall. It’s a journey from start to finish that’s as interesting as it is impressive, and highlights the huge amount of potential in the band.
A Sudden Burst of Colour
We featured this Motherwell-based quartet in our Ones To Watch 2018 feature, and this stunning performance shows why we’re so excited about them. Their brand of instrumental post-rock soars with ambient beauty thanks to the uplifting guitar lines, and moves with unstoppable momentum courtesy of the intelligently crafted rhythms. For a band that looks so young, they’re admirably composed and confident on stage and their refined set is not only a highlight of the day, but of the entire weekend.
Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster
The Tool influence is strong with this quartet, resembling an instrumental version with less complexity and dynamics. The solid riffs make for an enjoyable, head-bobbing set, but without any bursts of volume or tempo to add flickers of variation, it does lose its shine towards the end.
Wot Gorilla?
The unique blend of complex instrumentals and catchy hooks provides Wot Gorilla? with so much promise that it’s a shame they’ve never managed to maintain momentum over the years. 2017’s comeback EP ‘Angel Numbers’ gifted us some of the band’s heaviest tracks to date and nno with a fourth member, the live renditions sound even thicker, adding more substance and bite. They transition in and out of riff patterns so often that they need to be watertight to pull it off and it’s a bit hit and miss this time around. The more they perform as a quartet, the tighter they’ll get, and we’re hoping it won’t be such a long wait to find out.
VASA
The ever reliable VASA do what they do best, treating us to complex, creative and groove oriented math rock. The sight of talismanic bass player John Niblock taming his giant six string bass is always a joy to watch and with songs as impressive as their musicality, VASA are, as expected, one of the highlights of the weekend.
Poly-Math
Taking the award for best-dressed performance is Poly-Math, who make the place look tidier in their black suits. The addition of an organ player on stage adds a new level to their experimental prog-rock concoctions, and tracks from their upcoming record ‘House of Wisdom/We Are The Devil’ undoubtedly represent their best work to date.
Codes in the Clouds
Ambient post-rockers Codes In The Clouds played at the inaugural StrangeForms but haven’t been seen on stage since ArcTanGent in 2014. They end their four year performance drought on a high, treating us to snippets from a new album that’s in the works, and providing an enjoyable calm before the impending storm of the weekend’s headliners.
Rolo Tomassi
After a weekend of diverse, instrumentally complex and thought provoking acts, Rolo Tomassi are an ideal headliner to round things off. New record ‘Time Will Die And Love Will Bury It’ is their most expansive and challenging to date, and incorporates many of the elements heard throughout the weekend in one ferocious package. Opening tracks ‘Aftermath’ and ‘Rituals’ are prime examples, moving from the wonderfully melodic and calming, to outright brutal and devastating. Eva Spence manages the transitions from angelic singing to throat-bursting screams seamlessly, showing her progression as a vocalist. Flanked on all sides by superb musicianship, it’s a set that’s every bit as impressive as their highly regarded new record.
Growing a successful festival experience is not an easy task and it wouldn’t be possible without supreme organisation and dedicated passion. Over the previous four years, Bad Owl Presents have not just built a festival, they’ve developed a community, and it’s been a pleasure to watch it thrive and grow. Relocating to a larger venue was always going to be a risk, but the promise of such a unique festival experience has enticed a wealth of support.
While Wharf Chambers was an ideal match for the community spirit of StrangeForms, the layout of the live room left many punters unable to get a good view of the bands, and often felt cramped between sets. The size and facilities of Brudenell Social Club are much more accommodating, making it a perfect location, and one that will no doubt be an ideal home for many years to come.
MARK JOHNSON