Viking Moses at the Luminaire

Viking Moses at the Luminaire

14 October, 2008
by: Sween

'The Lumi' as she's affectionately known is London's dim little nest of auteurs, where experimental crusaders and anti-social whackjobs (amongst giants of country music) flap in to roost from time to time. Tonight is exemplary in that regard, as Viking Moses crash in to play some of their sophomore album, 'The Parts that Showed'.

Viking Moses is lead, and united, by Brendon Massei. The support acts tonight consist of current band members playing solo, and often with Brendon as loquacious, polite compère.

Golden Ghost, aka Laura Sue, plays solo, gleaming, bristling guitar that lies in the ditch between gentle and horrible. Like the odd girl singing her secret song at the Prom, she depicts violence and the mundane with a languorous sweetness that comes of lachrymose resignation. But she injects playful touches to her country-blues guitar, and sudden unnecessary crescendos (aided by Massei's baritone sheets) that illumine the bitter mood. Her mode won't find favour with all, and seems to lack careful crafting – but it'll come on.

On Viking Moses' MySpace it says 'They only call it Folk so you'll buy it'. I apologise, but my expectations fell for it – they're not what you could call a folk act. But then, they're not predominantly anything else either. They certainly enjoy whatever it is they do… given Massei's touring history (pretty much constant since 1995), its not surprising that he looks as at home on stage as if he was in a favourite armchair. The rest of the band quietly watch for cues as he goofs.

They open with a new track that embodies Viking Moses' approach: childish innocence, introspection tempered with glee, without neglect for moments of gravity. Brendan's mild-mannered face recedes under a spasmodic mask as he wrenches a sub-operatic gospel howl from the guts. The songs tumble out haphazard, but not intense. These fragmented songs, with no legible origin or destination, are the direct expression of the years spent on the road; Polaroids of feelings, memories of places and people obscured behind miles of road that roll ceaselessly behin

Some tunes have the pious chugging rhythm of The Boss (if he played to 50 people instead of 50000… and with a clarinettist). Others make me think of what it would've been like if The Pixies had been a revivalist band. They're personal, without confession – this is more like keen observation. And that's what 'The Parts That Showed' is all about.

To find when more experimental crusaders and anti-social whack-jobs are playing, simply check out our page for The Luminare.

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Sween