DEFCON

By Rabbi Lev

It was another DEFCON night of varied musical delights which seems to be the spirit that the surreal minded people behind DEFCON wish to create. I think they want to mix things up to stage genuinely interesting events beyond the all too many and predictable corporate induced ones. The free fanzine sets out these independent leanings giving info and interviews with the night’s main bands along with articles designed to confuse in a deranged sort of way.

First up was Peter McVeigh playing acoustic guitar. I remember a lyric in the first song about not being able to see the stars in the sky anymore. Very heartfelt stuff, he had a powerful unpretentious voice necessary for this style of music.
Paul How from Bueller was next acoustic act on. He covered Bolan’s 20th century boy, a song that never really did anything for me, but Paul put an awful lot of huskiness into the version that I’m sure guarantees a lot of female attention.
Next on were the Ockatams who provided a link to the main bands. They made me feel very wired and messed up with their contradictory blues, Cajun and punk sounds, and the singer sounded like a farmyard animal at times.
Teenbeat were the first of the main bands with basic songs that bordered on slovenly. Although basic is a little inaccurate as they were layered very well. Stig were happy to bombard everyone in the room with their noise and angular rhythms, heard most of the way down Seel St.. They had distorted unmelodic guitars, a tunefully manic trumpet. The real Stig would have been proud.
Zukanican just flowed as they usually do. This was very good Avant Jazz, but I was far too drunk now to appreciate the subtleties. The night ended with Badboy playing some great backbeat. I got back to my flat and collapsed with exhaustion, but I’ll forgive Defcon for that.