Review of EINSTELLUNG & CLUSTER at Town Hall Birmingham by Paul Jeffery photos by Katja Ogrin
Cluster, with their roots in the late 60s, defined the roots of everything from experimental ambient to dance, with a mighty dollop of krautrock thrown-in for good measure!
I’d not set foot in Brum Town Hall before, but it’s a cracking venue, all Victorian pomp and splendour sympathetically and expensively restored. Acoustics are good, spacious, but easily filled by relatively modest amp stacks.
First on were a band I was only very vaguely aware of – Einstellung, a Brum-based four piece relentlessly compared to Neu!. They offer-up a kind of ambient drone-metal, heavily guitar-lead, and occasionally pitching and bucking with some ferocity within the confines of their longish set pieces, ultimately yielding a sound that fits within the looser boundaries of Krautrock. These are not wet-behind-the-ears newcomers either, having all served time in other successful bands before. Their particular fusion rocks too – and I have honestly never heard guitar feedback used quite so creatively or effectively as in their set closer. On reflection I would have been pleased if I’d showed-up for this set alone.
Ben Graham from The Quietus talks to Einstellung, Birmingham based Apache beat, interstellar overlords
Formed in Birmingham in 2003 by ex-members of stoner rock band Sally, industrial metal titans Godflesh, Kat Bjelland’s Katastrophy Wife and post-rock/ shoegaze outfit Grover, Einstellung have stripped the motorik chassis of the first Neu! Album down to its essential cogs and gears, and fitted it to a custom-built hot rod roadster, equal parts Sonic Youth skronk, My Bloody Valentine narcotic noise and Black Sabbath hard rock. The resulting album, Wings of Desire, is finally available in the UK as one of the first releases on Capsule Records, brought to you by the fine people behind Birmingham’s unspeakably excellent Supersonic Festival. Released as an exquisitely-designed limited edition of 500 heavyweight vinyl double albums, Wings of Desire is a record that needs to be listened to loud, its six lengthy instrumental tracks (all given cod-German titles) building from droning, lazily melodic beginnings to monstrous, fuzz-blasted raptures and epiphanies, via sonorous avalanches of warped and clanging sturm und drang. We spoke to Einstellung guitarist Andrew Parker on the eve of a major show opening for Cluster at Birmingham Town Hall on the February 11, where the band will play their forthcoming second album, And The Rest Are Thunder, in its entirety.
Einstellung support legendary Krautrock duo CLUSTER on Thursday 11th Feb at Town Hall Birmingham
Tickets available from https://tickets.thsh.co.uk 0121 780 3333
You can purchase ‘Wings Of Desire‘ limited edition double vinyl from our SHOP – cover designed by artist Lucy McLauchlan (only 500 ever made)
Tonights show with Baroness & Taint at the Hare & Hounds has sold out.
This amazing limited edition poster designed by Jimbob of Taint will be on sale at the gig.
We kick off our 10th birthday celebrations with an extraordinary night of entertainment at the spectacular Town Hall Birmingham who are also celebrating 175 years in existence. Special guests include old friends TUNNGwho combine a perfect mixture of skewed electronica and pastoral English Folk music. SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE, psych-folk-pop, hippie jams updated for the kids of today. LIGHTNING DUST, the side project of Amber Webber and Joshua Wells, both members of Canadian band Black Mountain. Complimented by the bewitching BELA EMERSON, an innovative and prolific performer of electric cello, electronics, tenor viol and musical saw.
Birmingham gets a lot of unfair stick. People say the city centre looks like a giant shopping centre and moan about how it’s overrun by motorways, mega-clubs and football stadiums. It’s “more canals than Venice” claim is [almost] a national joke. Even Mike Skinner got a bit mockney to avoid admitting he was a Brummie.
10 Years of Capsule definitely won’t be adopting any faux accents anytime soon. They are Birmingham’s best experimental music producers, creating the likes of The Supersonic Festival and”The Home of Metal”. They’re making sure sure that the midlands doesn’t go ignored when it comes to innovative sounds.
Please note Lightning Bolt show has sold out – all other shows still have limited tickets
Wednesday 2nd Dec at Town Hall with TUNNG + SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE + LIGHTNING DUST + BELA EMERSON https://tickets.thsh.co.uk/ or phone – 0121 780 3333
Launching this Wednesday is the highly anticipated Flatpack festival, kicking off proceedings at Birmingham Town Hall is CURZONORA, a celebration of cinema’s early days featuring THE DESTROYERS
This week the ‘musical whirlwind’ known as The Destroyers will be presenting a brand-new set specially commissioned to open the Flatpack Festival. Curzonora is a tribute to Birmingham’s early film showman WALLER JEFFS, and will feature live scores to some of the films you would have found at his 1900s shows, including pioneering sci-fi movie TRIP TO THE MOON (Georges Melies), the rootin’-tootin’ GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY (Edwin S. Porter) and a selection of amazing footage from the Mitchell and Kenyon Collection, shot around Birmingham at the dawn of the 20th century.
Flatpack Festival 3 runs in venues across the city from 11-15 March.
More info at http://www.flatpackfestival.org.uk
Other events during the festival include a screening of the Led Zeppelin film ‘The Song Remains The Same‘ with a talk by music archivist Chris Phipps as part of our Home Of Metal celebrations. This will take place on Saturday 14th, 4pm at South Birmingham College in Digbeth.
Other music related events as part of the festival include a film about singer-songwriter Vashti Bunyan, a performance by the lovely Bela Emerson, Sublime Frequencies film Sumatran Folk Cinema + heaps more amazing stuff. Go check stuff out!!!
Review of EINSTELLUNG & CLUSTER at Town Hall Birmingham by Paul Jeffery photos by Katja Ogrin
There are still tickets available from
