Narc. Magazine Online
Reliably informed
Dominic Stephenson enjoys a night in the company of the post-Fall supergroup
Image: House of All by Dominic Stephenson
You could’ve been forgiven for thinking Faithful Johannes was an unusual pairing with post-punk forefathers HOUSE Of ALL, but the raconteur was added to the bill at such short notice that I didn’t even know he was playing until I arrived at the venue. This was also somehow the first time I’d caught him live and joined by regular collaborator Neocia, the electronic alt-rap duo fermented tales with dreamlike composition, including TV Raised Me, which were both pensive and probing. This wasn’t really my bag of cans but that’s more down to personal taste and they’d no doubt make a more fitting opener elsewhere.
The post-Fall supergroup HOUSE Of ALL have been channelling the prolific spirit of their collective former moniker, with four excellent albums in four years that have each sheared further into fresh sonic terrain. Back on the road in support of their latest LP Inklings, once the starting line-up had inconspicuously taken to the stage they rolled straight into the menacingly whirling groove of Prince Of This World, which straddled Steve Hanley’s ineradicable bass and stemmed into Martin Bramah’s mordant, Shakespearean lyricism.
The twin drumming motor of Paul Hanley and Simon Wolstencroft soon became a trident-headed entity when they were joined by mythical figure Karl Burns, with a volley of walloping percussion for the soused, swaying barstool chanting on Rebel Duke. The tribal rumble which brought arguably the highlight of the set – The Good Englishman – also struck a nerve; with lines like “We have very different interpretations of our heritage“, and at a time when an old friend is sharing social media posts from one of the most openly racist MPs many of us have seen in our lifetimes. They were firing on all cylinders again for the sprawling Time Is Out Of Joint, an out-of-space melding of churning guitar fuzz and industrial rhythm, with a similar trick repeated on the luminous Oh What Is Love Made For, both tunes being some of the finest in their inventory to date.
Stretching back to the self-titled debut, the inimitable old guard unleashed a full-throttle assault on the senses with the monolithic clangour of There’s More, before an unassuming finale featured another golden oldie, this time the woozily alluring Cuckoo In The Nest. Performed with ironclad consistency, this was another compelling appearance from the members of this venerable institution, but one that alludes they’re very much etching their own chosen path.
