Televise - 93 Feet East, London, 16/1/2006
by Anthony Dhanendran
published: 8 / 1 / 2006
intro
The Beautiful New Chidlren have just released an album which is 23 minutes long, and is the new garage puk outfit of German electronica star Michael Beckett. Anthony Dhanendran watches a band of two distinct halves at 93 Feet East in London
Brandishing the devil horns signs with their hands, the Beautiful New Born Children walk on stage. Barely seconds pass before they’re thrashing into their first song, and barely a minute passes before it clatters to a halt. They pause to grab their breath, and they’re off again. Their debut album may only be 23 minutes long, but the band seem to be eager to set a new record tonight. They pause after the second song to ask the audience to guess where they’re from. It turns out to be Germany, although that isn’t made clear. In an example of the German sense of humour, perhaps, the "where are we from" line is repeated throughout the night. The man behind the sense of humour is Michael Beckett, the man behind Kpt.Michi.Gan and the guitarist with electronica outfit Schneider TM. With the Beautiful New Born Children he’s thrown away his computers and gone back to basics. That said, the Beautiful New Born Children do have a large amount of charisma, and the three-chord thrashy punk jams they play are endearing, even if many of them do sound suspiciously similar. The third song in the set, 'Do the Do', however, has more of a stomping swagger to it, and has a discernible beat, which instantly distinguishes it from the preceding two numbers. They are more than your basic ramalamalama-merchants, this lot, although they suffer from their more melodic songs being less, well, fun, than the trashy thrashy throwaway stuff. 'All We Have Is Love' falls into the same trap, being a bluesy stamper, but lacking the immediacy of the songs where you can’t hear what Beckett’s singing. Unsurprisingly the punky tracks, to which the band return frequently, are the more interesting and the more fun. 'Hey People!', the title track of the band’s album, is good, but takes three entertaining attempts to finally get going. It’s about “what goes on round our way”, apparently. It’s the best song of their set by a little way, being an accurate synthesis of the band’s two halves demonstrated up to now. There’s the frantic vocals and the punk guitars, but mixed in with a steady, strong beat. It’s got shades, or more, of 1990's Britpop, oddly. All this time, there’s been one solitary dancer frantically getting down at the front of the diminishing crowd. Beckett sees him and looks him up and down, then says “Mange Tak” (many thanks). It’s to no avail, as the guy finally looks around him and gives up, halfway through the last song. No matter, the band are still enjoying themselves. “Au revoir,” Beckett says cheerily as they leave the stage, “as they say round our way.”
Picture Gallery:-
interviews |
Interview with Simon Scott (2004) |
Simon Scott was the drummer on Slowdive's classic 'Souvlaki' album, and has been a member of the Charlottes, Inner Sleeve and Lowgold. Now the frontman with guitar group Televise, he talks to Anthony Strutt about his new band and also his previous ones |
reviews |
Sometimes Splendid Confusion (2008) |
Largely instrumental and experimental beautiful-sounding second album in a matter of months from Televise, the project of former Slowdive member, Simon Scott |
Radiation Sound / Underwater (2007) |
Outside Out (2005) |
most viewed articles
current edition
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities - #15- On Being Dignified and Old aka Ten Tips From Jah Wobble On How To Be Happy.The Church - Interview with Steve Kilbey
Simon Heavisides - Destiny Stopped Screaming: The Life and Times of Adrian Borland
Secret Shine - Interview
Vetchinsky Settings - Interview
Repomen - Ten Songs That Made Me Love...
Flaming Stars - Interview
Jack Roscoe - Interview
Near Jazz Experience - Interview
Sami Sumner - Interview
previous editions
Heavenly - P.U.N.K. Girl EPPrisoners - Interview
Joy Division - The Image That Made Me Weep
Dwina Gibb - Interview
Allan Clarke - Interview
Jimmy Nail - Interview
Michael Lindsay Hogg - Interview
Joy Division - The Image That Made Me Weep
Sam Brown - Interview 2008
Bluebells - Interview with Ken McCluskey
most viewed reviews
current edition
Kula Shaker - Natural MagickLewis 'Burner' Pugh - Bullets for Bread
Ian Hunter - Defiance Part 2: Fiction
Inutili - A Love Supreme
My Life Story - Loving You is Killing Me
Smalltown Tigers - Crush On You
Hillbilly Moon Explosion - Back in Time
David Cross Band - Ice Blue Silver Sky
Beyonce - Cowboy Carter
Ty Segall - Three Bells
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart