Silver Apples - Luminaire, London, 8/8/2010

  by Chris O'Toole

published: 29 / 7 / 2010

intro

Now just reduced to a single member, Chris O' Toole at the Luminaire watches a riveting performance from seminal 60's electronic act, Silver Apples

It is impossible to overstate the significance of Silver Apples. The influence of the group’s first two albums – 'Silver Apples' and 'Contact', recorded in 1968 and 1969 respectively – is incalculable, having become touchstones of recorded music. Virtually all the influences which have gained popular currency over the past few decades – Kraftwerk, Neu!, Suicide to name just a few – took at least a little from the work of Simeon Coxe and Danny Taylor. Key to their success was the Simeon – a homemade synthesizer consisting of 12 oscillators and an assortment of sound filters, telegraph keys, radio parts, lab gear and a variety of second hand electronic junk. Played live the instrument, matched with the textured, almost anti-rhythmic drumming of Taylor, created a sound which remains fresh, vibrant and exhilarating in the second decade of the twenty-first century. Sadly the group was never afforded its commercial due during its original ru, and disappeared from view during the intervening decades. A chance bootleg reissue of their catalogue in the late 1990s saw the original duo reform and tour, before the death of Taylor ended that, second, incarnation of the band. Simeon has since returned – not without his own troubles following a near fatal car crash – and still brandishes an unwieldy collection of oscillators. It is this version of Silver Apples which takes the stage at the Luminaire this evening. Given the significance of the performer, the first fleeting moments of the spectacle sound musty; an echo from a former time. But the moment the Simeon whirs into life all doubts are allayed. Underpinned by programmed drum samples and live vocals from Simeon himself, the sound is as dense, textured and utterly unique as it has ever been. Favourites – including 'Oscillations', 'Gypsy Love' and 'Misty Mountain' – roar past; each a sparkling, crafted gem. Outside of the gurgling synths, however, it is the immense tenderness with which Simeon adds the vocal melodies to the universally accessible lyrics which really give the band their sound. Even after forty years, the words penned in Greenwich Village still continue to resonate with each passing generation. Simeon is joined by Sonic Boom, a former member of Spacemen 3 and collaborator under the title Simeon and Sonic, for the finale. 'A Pox on You' – embellished by 'Sonic on the Theremin' – is followed by the duo’s own freeform collaboration, before both leave to delighted applause. A brief encore takes in 'You & I' (but not before Simeon inadvertently plays a sample from fan favourite 'I Have Known Love' sending the crowd into, misplaced, raptures) before the final curtain falls. It is the obvious joy which Simeon finds in playing the early Silver Apples material which is perhaps most striking about the performance. Reduced to a single member, Simeon is still relentlessly pushing Silver Apples forward all these years later; a true visionary.

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