Tess Parks and Anton Newcombe Delve Deep Into The Soul at Hebden Bridge
Entering an inconspicuous door and climbing up a dark staircase, there is, for the first time visitor, an uncertainty as to whether or not this is The Trades Club in Hebden Bridge. Though there is an indication that this is indeed the right place from the bustle of people at the main bar, it is not until going through a set of double doors that there is absolute certainty that this is, in the small dark venue room, where Tess Parks and Anton Newcombe, of Brian Jonestown Massacre, will perform tonight, 22nd September. The pair collaborated for the drone rock sultry sounding album ‘I Declare Nothing’, of which they will play it in its entirety this evening. Psychedelic projections are projected across the venue walls, as Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot’s ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ permeates the incessant muttering from the smartly dressed crowd – reminiscent of a bygone era. As the band finish setting up and indicate that they’re ready to start, all talk dies down quickly in anticipation.
With an air of cool casualness, the set begins with ‘Wehmut’. The room, with its fluorescent molecular visuals, is immediately warmed up by Parks’ smooth yet smokey crooning and Newcombe’s hazy guitar riffs. The pair, whose collaboration is enchanting on record, is even more so performed live. As the song, concludes Newcombe’s guitar screeches with feedback, until ‘Cocaine Cat’ drags in. The band plays with a heaviness that puts pressure on the venue; the song’s lyrics resonate with a surly echo, contrasting with Newcombe’s ear splitting solo.
The pair thanks the crowd, with Parks bursting the sultry stage presence to display an amusing attempt at a Northern accent. Vocally, ‘Peace Defrost’ is a lot harsher sounding whilst, the lyrics “you are nothing” in ‘German Tangerine’ plunge deep into the soul. The crowd responds to the set with a sort of disconnectedness; there is no coherent movement. But this reflects the impact that Parks and Newcombe’s music has. The drone ambience paired with the dark nature of Parks’ lyrics has an isolating impact – it’s felt internally.
However, with ‘Gone’, the evening touches on a lighter note, and the crowd dances with a little more spark. Newcombe really takes centre stage in this song, finishing it off by contributing to the vocals. ‘Our love is dead and gone’ he chants; the projections continue to illuminate the room with a novel cheeriness. ‘October 2nd’ drags its feet, kicking a load of reverb at the crowd as it does so, whilst ‘Mama’ has more of what could be, if it had to be, a sing-a-long of a song. Yet, even here, it builds itself up into a crescendo of fuzzy noise.
‘Voyage de l’âme’ is heavy hitting and sees Parks’ vocals at their most compelling. ‘Melorist’ is almost unnervingly upbeat – though an impenetrable layer of haze looms nonetheless. It’s a brilliant track, especially as it exposes how well the band work together on stage; the six piece, all included, play seamlessly and tightly, achieving a charming mixing pot of sound. Parks and Newcombe conclude their performance of I Declare Nothing with ‘Friendlies’, as according to the album’s tracklist. Neither as upbeat as Melorist, nor as heavy as the majority of the album, there’s a certain optimistic atmospheric quality to it.
Moving on, ‘Grunewald’ sees a different side to the pair’s collaboration. With a phenomenal solo from Newcombe, Parks joins on guitar towards the songs end. It’s the closest that the set gets to a reasonable head bang response from the crowd. With a slight smirk, Parks asks if anyone had seen the rainbow earlier in the day, in anticipation for the next song - ‘Talking About the Weather’. Parks’ humour is, unfortunately, lost however by a bizarre and unnecessary comment that, in fact, the only rainbow to be seen was when Parks came on stage. Dryly and unflinching, Parks looks out through into the crowd at nothing or no one in particular; she’s heard that one before. There’s a melancholic cloud that hangs over the venue for this slow and sludgy song, as even Newcombe’s riffs are tamed by the song’s mood.
The set concludes with a cover of The Doors’ ‘Five to One’. Parks’ vocals are more energetic and dynamic than previously, and the band’s performance borders on eccentric. It’s a well-played end to the show, for as wonderful and mesmeric as ‘I Declare Nothing’ comes together live, it can impose a daunting and strange state of mind.
