UTR: Helm and Tropa Macaca

Promoters and record label Upset The Rhythm have really been having a good run so far this year, throwing the phenomenal Pete Swanson (of Yellow Swans) and Mark Fell (of SND) event last Monday, and last night putting on a small show in The Sebright Arms for hot-topic Helm (on the hot-topic label PAN, which I only recently realised is the same label that put out Sewer Election’s fantastic Vidöppna Sår in 2010) and the obscure Portuguese synth and guitar duo Tropa Macaca.

This was the first time I had ventured to Bethnal Green, and I must say, The Sebright Arms seems to be a pretty cool venue. The large upstairs is sadly full of standard East London hipster types, but after winding through some small staircases and tight corridors you come to a tiny dingy basement with a barely raised stage; just the way I like it.

Helm, whose fantastic 2012 album Impossible Symmetry was a highlight of the year, opened proceedings with his indefinable noise-ambient-drone crossover sounds. That’s about as much of a pigeon holing as I can really give it as this stuff has to be heard to be understood. Numerous sound sources were pushed through (surprisingly few, I thought) pedals to produce soundscapes that varied from rhythmic and somewhat danceable to light noise, with crushing drilling sounds that I particularly appreciated. This was certainly my highlight of the evening and anyone interested in current experimental music that doesn’t neatly fit in boxes should really make an effort to see Helm live (or watch his live boiler room set I guess).

Tropa Macaca were massively different to what I had expected from the one incredibly lo-fi recording I had heard: Ectoplasma, released on Software, the label Oneohtrix Point Never curates. From my single listen to this I was expecting a Roll The Dice style set up, with two boffins and a modular synthesizer. Instead we were met by a guitarist with a minimal pedal-board alongside a keyboardist with two keyboards and a fair amount of pedals. Opinion was split on their performance through our group: I felt it wasn’t quite what I expected – I really would have liked a denser soundscape – which somewhat reduced my opinion, whilst my flatmate felt that they managed to successfully incorporate a huge range of influences (ranging from Black Dice to free jazz) to produce an unique sound.

Either way, it’s clear from the fact that opinion was split that both of these artists are strong live performers. I look forward to seeing Helm playing live around his native London and am interested in how Tropa Macaca’s sound will develop as they get older and more exposure.