Australian experimental musician Always (Alex Vivian) has developed a strong following locally and internationally for his unique and innovative music. His latest album, F.I.S.T. (Freedom in Shit Together), was launched on December 13 to an appreciative crowd at Melbourne’ Utopian Slumps artist-run space, with support from Hi God People and Rohan Bell-Towers.
The idiosyncratic Hi God People opened with a relatively reserved performance, devoid of their usual aptitude for full-costumed fanfare. Combining moments of acoustic folk with electro-acoustic interludes, Hi God People created a musical atmosphere that was at times humorous, at times moody, all drifting in and out of fleeting traces of shoegaze. The performance, however, suffered somewhat from what seemed to be an unintentional incongruousness, with passages entering and exiting the mix seemingly inappropriately, in a fashion that suggested due consideration was not given to the piece’ internal musical logic. That being said, Hi God People delivered a unique listening experience, which was both memorable and bound with enjoyable musical moments.
Next up, Rohan Bell-Towers performed a synth-laden fusion of retro-pop and psychedelia, shrouding his audience with smoke machine mist. Resting somewhere between Talking Heads and Tangerine Dream, Bell-Towers’ performance satisfied with a lush palette of synthesised musical textures, all laid against a steady drum-machine pulse and coupled with his own likeably blithe vocal phrases and psychedelic lyrics. Thoroughly entertained, the crowd eagerly anticipated the headlining performance of Always.
With an astonishingly contemporary approach towards minimalism, Always chanted into a microphone and delay pedals, his vocal utterances looping repetitively and consequently morphing from human generated noises into unidentifiable “sound objects’. Seated modestly with his legs swaying, he gradually developed a rhythmic, pulsating wall of sound that shifted and evolved seamlessly. A unique improvisation that made for an entrancing and engaging performance.
Jared Davis
