GIG: THE NECKS
PREVIEW BY LACHLAN JOBBINS
Their live performances have been described as minimalist, revolutionary, experimental, post-jazz, ambient, even mystical experiences. Australian cult band The Necks will perform four shows at The Sydney Opera House Studio from next week, accompanied by video art created by drummer Tony Buck.
The nature of improvised music is that you never quite know what you’re going to hear – and the same goes for the performers. Sometimes they discuss what they might do but after 21 years together, they don’t rehearse anymore.
Tony Buck (drums), Lloyd Swanton (bass) and Chris Abrahams (piano) have an ESP-like communication on stage which gives every performance the sort of tension and excitement you sometimes miss from more traditional bands.
Buck says they just started out playing the sort of music they wanted to hear ‘ rhythmic, experimental, evolving soundscapes, pieces that continue for forty or fifty minutes at a stretch. ‘We didn’t know what people would think of it, but they seemed to like it.’
A typical gig begins with the three performers motionless at their instruments, eyes closed. One starts to play, perhaps some pattern from the piano, a low hum from the bass, the stroke of a drum skin. Unplanned, but entirely under control, the piece grows as they introduce changes, a new beat, bass chords, textures. The crowd sits, often with eyes closed, exploring the worlds the band throws out to them.
Every performance is unique. It is a temporary aural installation. You sit down, experience it, and it is gone. Unlike a band playing pre-rehearsed numbers, there is always the tension of creativity: the question of whether new ideas will work.
It is cerebral, thinking music, where you find yourself at the end of a set, in silence and often awe, wondering where the time has gone. Sometimes it’s good. Sometimes it’s bliss. Always it’s vital, inspiring, and a privilege to experience.
The Necks
28-31 May
The Studio, Sydney Opera House
$25-$35
Bookings: 9250 7777 or www.sydneyoperahouse.com
