Synthetic, Swarf and Manuscript Live

First up are Synthetic. We have of course been privy to a performance by this band at the Islington Garage a few months back, and whilst I wouldn’t say that I was too critical about their accessible electro pop, I would admit to being slightly cynical. Hence tonight its a surprise to find that given a more intimate venue and a better PA, Synthetic can actually create a brooding atmosphere with enough intricacies to enrapture even the world’s biggest cynic. The band’s appearance alone is enough to raise a few eyebrows- Front man Tim is a thrusting tornado of dreadlocks and our keyboard lady is dressed in commando-style fetish gear which recalls many a childhood memory of Diana Dors’s appearance in the ‘Two Ronnies’ ! I’m reliably informed that she works in the teaching profession by day, and believe me, there’s no way my homework would be late were I in her class! Musically, the indie dance crossover sounds of PWEI are still Synthetic’s rhythmic template, but tonight the guitar work occupies a higher place in the mix, and new tracks such as ‘Body Farm’ indicate that the darker techno Goth of Rosetta Stone or Killing Miranda will be an influence on future releases. Definitely a band to watch with renewed interest.

Swarf are another band whose name may be familiar if their material isn’t. With their set up of two keyboards and a female lead vocalist being more than familiar in the underground music scene, it’s easy to feel that we’ve encountered this band before in another guise, a fact only heightened by their cyber Goth dress sense. Surprisingly, Swarf are not the atypical industrial noise barrage, but a glacial mix of trace-like ambient techno graced by celestial vocals that seamlessly weave in and out of the lush sound waves that the electronics create. Our lady lead singer seems to have spent a long time studying Siouxsie Sioux, as every gesture, swoon and make up stroke recalls Ms Dallion in her Banshees prime.

SWARF

The voice on the other hand bears closer resemblance to Julianne Regan or Candia of Inkubus Sukkubus. In describing the band as a whole, the only comparison that I can make would be ADSR band Fockewolf. If Swarf make any mistake it’s by being a little too friendly on stage (A crime usually attributed to Synthetic!) thus destroying any sort of mystery in the process. Our lady lead singer continually gestures to her pals in the audience and even reminds us that her Dad is here as well- rock and roll obviously doesn’t upset parents in the way it used to! Whilst there may not be much variety in Swarf’s set (Apart from the obligatory long one, which our lead singer reminds us is a good point at which to go to the bar) the beautiful futuristic moods they conjure up are a more than refreshing change.

When a fanfare of the theme from ‘Battle Of The Planets’ fills the auditorium all those assembled in the crowd know they’re in a for a good time, which Manuscript more than ably deliver. This five-piece stand out initially for the presence of two guitars and a bass onstage, which after an otherwise keyboard fuelled night, is an interesting change. Similarly, their sharp dress sense of designer suits is a vast counterpoint to the fetish fashions that we see all too often on stages these days. The bands keyboard player/backing vocalist is still dressed in black leather trousers and as such receives a sign on his instrument proclaiming him as the ‘token Goth’. Musically this bunch hint at the eighties guitar Goth of The Nephilim, but they’ve wisely coupled these sounds with the kind of techno opulence that the Covenant have made their own. Both of our vocalists have voices which approximate the displaced remoteness of Peter Murphy, with our leader even throwing in a few of the spectral one’s contorted stage poses. Again there’s a little too much playing to the crowd (Butlins-style battles between the two halves of the room, smiles all around) but since the band have made clear their intentions to entertain us from the start, this isn’t really unexpected. A rousing rendition of 'Rock me Amadeus' gets the audience to thrust their hands skywards, with Manuscript proving, as Synthetic and Swarf have done already, that you don’t have to be one of the big three (Mesh, The Covenant or Sulpher) in order to please an alternative crowd.