Beak>

with Litronix

Before June this year, we hadn’t heard of Beak>. That all changed at the Big City 2024 Festival curated by Mogwai. The review here provides the immediate impression the band made that day and the future promise of their headlining gig at St.Luke’s this week.

The trio of Geoff Barrow on drums and vocals, Billy Fuller on bass and shared vocal duties and Will Young on guitar, synths and keyboards appear to be a combination of mates who have turned up for a jamming session.

The stage is back-lit with the signature BEAK> lighting hung on wired mesh. Along with their instruments the floor is peppered with an assortment of pedals. It looked very functional. The lighting system at St.Luke’s only adding colour in a minimalist fashion.

Throughout the night there is a rapport between the band members, the audience and their sound engineer that is casual, infectious and humourous at the same time. Rule No.1 though when watching the band is don’t heckle them, their rejoinder can be quite cutting.

Early in the set, the band were plagued by a series of ‘technical’ challenges that had them and the engineer fiddling about with their equipment. It didn’t seem to overly bother them though and they made light of the situation as seasoned professionals might do. It also didn’t detract from the musical experience which is why we were all there in the first place.

And the musical experience was one of listening to the ‘boring’ part, the new album from start to finish.

Beak>>>> is hardly boring. It’s an exploration of psych-rock at its very best. Each song is layered with driving bass and drums, unassuming vocals and guitar/keyboard/synths creating a mesmerising sound concoction that sucks you into their world.

The live interpretation of each song seems to enhance the core aspects, whether that be the bass playing of Billy, the weird and wonderful sound created by Will or the rhythmic drumming and vocals of Geoff.

The remaining time on stage was filled with a best of selection that had the sold-out crowd bouncing and nodding in unison as Wulfstan II rang out to wild applause and lights up to signal there would be no encore.

And as we headed out into the night, the only negative thought was Geoff Barrow announcing his departure from the band. If this was a swan song tour, it was one he and the band can be immensely proud of.

Support act Litronix

It’s 8pm sharp. A smart looking guy walks on stage and starts fiddling about with the table full of loop machines, synths and assorted electronic gizmos. Turns to the guitar and starts to tune it up. It must be the sound engineer for the support act Litronix?

But no, it’s Kevin Litrow himself, or Litronix as he is billed.

There’s a definite touch of Devo about him as he moves robotic style behind his table of electronica, building each song up with a series of loops that bring us into his world.

There is something fascinating about one man and his ability to make such captivating music. You could argue it’s the electronics and gizmos that are doing all the work. And yet, they have to be programmed, switched on and off at the right moment. It has to follow the structure and that structure is created by Litronix himself.