Over the summer, we’ve brought you our musings from various in store appearances at Resident from top emerging international bands like School of Seven Bells, to local favourites The Robot Heart. It’s always a great opportunity to see bands close up, how they cope with the intimate shop floor setting and the random mix of fans, passers by and the damn right curious. In this months’ SOURCE, we give a heads-up to Chicago’s Maps and Atlases who are in town promoting their new album ‘Perch Patchwork’, and who dutifully take their turn performing in preparation for the gig proper at The Hope later.
Not that M&A particularly need the practice – anyone who has been following this laid back, but intense band for the past few years will testify to their originalitywhich seems to stem from there ‘collective individuality’. But in experimenting their musical quirks to their full extent so freely leave the band with a clear picture of their sounds progression, or is that the whole point of their music?
Playing to an appreciative audience, it’s plain to see that the band don’t have to wow the crowd with a set of technical math rock to make a good impression. M&A are a polite and affable bunch of guys whose performance would definitely be a strong contender for any ‘Best In Store Set’ 2010. It certainly drew an impressive (if somewhat unexpectedly large crowd), which packed out the shop with an impatient queue forming outside. At the sold out gig at The Hope later too, we are treated to a fantastic gig at full blast with the catchy Solid Ground, fast becoming the track off the new album. If anything, the contrast between the bands explosive rifts and their unpretentiousness is stronger than ever and more enduring.
Even before the gig, the band happily meets an inner cycle of devotees who are treated afterwards, to an impromptu song. As long as M&A are happy for us to share their journey, however kooky it may be, we are only too happy to catch a ride whatever the destination.
Maps & Atlases
The Hope
Friday 8th October
Words by Andrew Wilson
