Nerve Fundraising Benefit

52 Roscoe Street, 17th February 2006

Reviewed by Amanda DeAngeles
Photographs by Bob Iddon and Minapop Goldfish

I had the vaguest idea of its location 52 Roscoe St (adjacent to The Grapes pub in a street leading up from Berry Street), behind a Chinese restaurant. The building was previously a training centre to teach women how to bricklay. Righteous indeed. As with most of Liverpool City Centre, when surrounding construction work is completed it will be in a prime spot, highly accessible for many arts events.

I knew I had found it when I heard live music and spied faint graffiti walls through the darkness. Greeted by a friendly smile, I exchanged £3 as a rocking vocal blasted, “I’m gonna shock, shock myself, one of these days.” I betted myself it might be in the coming hours.

Matreoshka provided an instrumentalsoundtrack, Moscow-atmospheric in style. Two women (Amy and Dan) seated as roses between thorns - sorry Denis - embraced guitars with a steady repetitive riff as though they attempted to calm infant wails. Initially, feedback echoes executed, exceeding a level of hurt. Guitars twanged like elastic bands. The showmanship and experimentation from Denis - as temperamental as a kid let loose with a toy guitar - leaping around wah-wah tricks. He played with beat and mechanics. This is world noise; layers of sound within sound, as ingenious as Russian dolls. Minus electronic amplification, this performance could only have occurred in a cathedral, though I’m not sure what holy on high would say about the chain-saw massacre of a wooden chair. I laughed as Denis played an electronic keyboard with one hand while he simultaneously played a sax with his other. This mental instrumental is best suited as soundtrack for film, theatre, or sinister readings in haunted halls. The performance was visual, riveting and captivated the audience. An additional mention for bass guitarist Amy Corcoran, resplendent in black satin with a pink chiffon wrap. Amy hosts a book club for women at Blackburne House every month. The current reading choice is 'Rebecca' by Daphne Du Maurier.

Dutch Porn Thursday rocked it up. I dare not ask about their chosen band name, I might blush. Paul (vocals, electric guitar) roars the heaviest rock I’ve heard live since the late eighties; reminiscent of pop metal from back then. This trio certainly know how to push the output button hard and fast - sweating from their second track and throughout their lengthy set. Paul lacked long, curly hair but had everything else loud. A furious drummer and a wild bass guitarist accompanied him. They are definitely entertaining, definitely appreciated but indefinitely eighties. I love it when a rock ballad hypes-up midway. I liked the music and I wasn’t nostalgic alone. It’s about time this genre of music came back. The CD is in production and will be available soon.

The DJ is Simon Mack, and hidden in a dock behind some amps, Simon is busy as a chef. Mixing beats and samples for an eclectic palette, he dishes-up some delicious funk.

All the way from Sierra Leone, star poet Marvin recited two short poems, both optimistic. The first is a verbal picture of African children playing. The second, 'Reflection' is an innovative tale of movement of his shadow. Marvin happily ends his word warbling with: “I can see it jump before me, before I jump in bed.” I hope to hear more of his enthusiastic, wordy talent, soon. Contact him at zbrrana@yahoo.co.uk

The Fuckups stayed true to form and were absent. Bless.

Heads Of State played more metal with (rare to see) talent of a drummer-vocalist! They were less polished than the black and white amputated heads (part of Dutch Porn Thursday's stage set) perched on amplifiers but marginally more together. I’ll keep an eye on how this group progresses over the coming months. They had some good material – and printed 'Hats off to beat state crime' T-shirts are available from Crystal Eyes Imaging for £10. I’d like to listen to a CD in-depth as soon as it’s available. I think the latest time-slot is difficult for any band. Hold your heads up high.

There was also plenty of art on show as part of the 'String Theory' exhibition. Some imposing wooden sculpture appeared randomly and smoothed-out hollows within each piece (some about metre in height). It gave an impression of movement within the stillness of the shaped wood, in the same way as the wind and sea fashions craggy rocks. Some looked sexual and when I circled around each one, it gave me the same delight as a vase of flowers I have rotated and placed at a perfect angle.

'Do you like Spirograph™?' by David Ellis and Mike Kerslake consisted of large black and white boards and panel-pinned meticulously threaded, perfect, circular patterns. All were strikingly displayed in the same manner as gold discs glinting in the foyer of a record studio. There were some variations on this theme with a background of splattered ink and introduction of colour. Beautiful designs, but for me a variation on form would develop the work of this duo. I would also like to view an alternative background-texture or image, and maybe some experimentation with the type of thread.

'MyPod II'' is the work of Jamie Torode, and is a narrow pyramid made with what looked like old school gymnasium parquet flooring stood tall, featuring precise angles and rising to a needlepoint sharp tip.

An iron grey panel reached from floor to dubious ceiling: a mural of tall buildings. This could have reflected current surrounding construction sites. Whatever urban landscape it depicted, I liked it.

Rising to the rafters and spilling like a landslide, a daubed dwelling separates the room, opposite a tiny refreshments hatch. I wasn’t sure which was the most primitive, but the mud-cave - which you could crawl into - was certainly an amusing feature. I popped my head in a few times during the evening, to giggle at the four or five people who had enclosed themselves in the space for privacy or less noise (or something like that).

Images by 'S&M' artists Colin Serjent and Sue Milburn were projected against an imperfect wall. I felt it was a shame this was set unobtrusively away from the stage. What I caught of the rolling display varied. Some slides were imaginative but fun and some had obviously taken a great deal of time and talent. A medley of something for everyone but I hope the images will be set to turn over slowly in future.

I know the Nerve editorial team put in a tremendous amount of work to make a great success of this night. I’m already looking forward to the next fundraiser in April.