Live Review: Usurper Of Modern Medicine, French Rockets, Mudlark, Spirit Level

Synesthesia, as defined by Wikipedia, is “a neurological phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway”. The title of the gig pretty accurately describes the experience, with Spirit Level opening up the show with some live mixing and guitar work while scenes of old movies were projected on the screen behind them. The guys got the few punters who showed up early into the groove of the evening with some sweet synth work that complemented the moody lighting.

Next cab off the rank was Mudlark, whose drummer got into a great drum'n'bass-sounding loop several times through their act. But not only was his drumming spot on, he even had the moves busting out as he was attacking the kit. In a counterpoint to the vintage films playing before, these guys got the nature doco footage going with some funky filter effects reminiscent of Instagram for their video projections. While it looked cool, it seemed to fall a bit short compared to the great sound being put out by the duo. By this point more punters had trickled in, and the art house vibe was getting more and more established.

After a short break, French Rockets hit the tiny stage of the Astor Lounge. On the frontman's head rested a hat, which this reviewer could not help but relate to Stevie Ray Vaughan; all that was missing was a kimono. These guys seemed a bit more mature in their sound, even a bit haunting at times. They got off to a very solid start, and despite a hiccup which attracted the comment from the guitarist, “a perfect example, we're live, this shit happens”, these guys brought it home beautifully.

And who could forget Usurper Of Modern Medicine bringing their signature spin on the genre? The guys wasted no time getting the now strong crowd to the front of the stage to get down. One of the lads even came down from the stage to dance with his girlfriend in the crowd. The art house vibe was definitely still in effect with the moody lighting, but the music and projections were still upbeat and kept the groove going.