TRISTEZA + ROTHKO
London Spitalfields the Spitz12 March 2001
Rothko triple-bass attack has been blessed with the patronage of SImon Raymonde (ex-Cocteau Twins) for a while now, and their latest releases have appeared on Raymonde and Robin Guthrie's new Bella Union label. It's easy, though not screamingly obvious, to see the connection. The three basses are used separately and really quite imaginatively. While one drives the rhythm the others fill out the sound, picking out melodies and colouring the spaces inbetween. It's a minimal, ambient sound in the end, awash with effects and low frequencies, which owes much more to musical pioneers like Eno and Harold Budd than I expected. Somehow how I imagined Rothko to be bleaker and more grating than this, but I was very impressed. If you close your eyes you can imagine you're not in a small upstairs venue in the East End.
However, we are in a small venue in the East End and most people have filled it to see San Diego's Tristeza. I wasn't too familiar with their material either, but they quickly won me over. They specialise in swirling hardcore-ish instrumentals - I was expecting something like Fugazi's last few records but I end up being reminded of Quickspace, Unrest, or maybe even Prolapse (in their more melodic moments). Some of the understated guitar works well too, and they all gel remarkably together as a unit. They are blessed with an amazing drummer who drives the long pieces along, propelling them through various time changes and working up quite a sweat at the end.
Tonight made a pleasant change from forking out lots of money to see established bands, and although it's not often that both bands are unknown to me and impress me so much, I really must check out some of their records now.
