“There’s no beat,” spews one rather oversized and balding ogre during the final support band Luo. Perhaps he’ll find more solace in primal chanting at football matches. But it’s not the short-sighted opinion that grates; it was the volume with which he expressed these rudimentary thoughts. Clearly he’s not yet aware of the SOURCE Gig Charter – pipe down.

A mutual look of mild disgust was shared with Ex-Easter Island Head’s drummer Jon Hering (also part of a.P.A.t.T Orchestra) because the culprit would have been even less impressed with the Liverpool-based band’s minimalist and unconventional song structures. EEIH certainly won’t take you by the hand and lead you down a series of clearly sign-posted verses and choruses. If you’re inquisitive enough, you’ll find yourself in a world of tantalising tones and textures.

But this isn’t a world that just miraculously appears from the trunks of trees. It’s a carefully fabricated soundscape that demands surgical levels of precision. So much so, you could even witness Ben Duvall practising his rhythm section on a sofa in a dark corner. And when the real performance was unleashed, it was utterly beguiling to see ‘Mallet Guitars Three’ unfold.

The ghostly droning strings in the intro, the spiritual chimes and the metrical drumming; it swirls round you until you’re left in a daze. The epic track builds patiently before reaching a theatrical climax that had choppy rhythms similar to those of Battles. There’s a lovely duality in the (guitar) drumming too; you get the initial thud of the drumsticks on wood but you’re left with a delicate aftertaste as the strings resonate from the contact. It sounds tribal at first but the technique makes strumming guitars seem outdated, old-school almost.

Like the other two compositions, ‘Mallet Guitars Three’ is one long orchestration. You’re barely allowed time for a breather. And after being dazzled for nearly half an hour, the modestly sized crowd were rapturous in their reception. EEIH might be difficult to understand from the comfort of your home and the sounds certainly aren’t the most accessible but in a live environment, with the splendour of it all smashing you in the face, you wonder why people still yearn for the familiarity of basic song structures.

Hope, Friday 8th March 2013
Words by Matt Yau