Eastern Promise @ Platform, 1 Oct

Article by Oisín Kealy | 12 Oct 2010

Wounded Knee and his age of austerity orchestra as he calls it, or rather nifty vocal loop pedal as I do, is a hypnotising act. Making no effort to reassure before he begins grunting and sniffing into the microphone for a cover of Love is Teasing, you are braced for the worst but won over as the layers coalesce into something utterly captivating, though at times this proves more impressive in spirit than in sound.

Pianist Nils Frahm begins next by hitting a single note repeatedly for a minute or two, long enough for it’s resonating frequency to subtly rouse partners in the other strings of the piano, a subliminal melody emanating from this crude repetitive motion before Frahm relents, building a smoothly advancing outer vehicle around this central jackhammer. A much longer suite follows after which some leave the room all pianoed out, missing a treat in a staccato sharpened duet between Frahm and his tourmate, fellow pianist Rachel Grimes.

Showcasing her own talents next, Grimes proceeds through her album Book Of Leaves in its entirety, which, though of masterly composition and sincere delivery, disenchants a little in its generosity and has a sedative effect on the crowd. This would be fine were she the night’s headliner, but Josephine Foster and the Victor Herrero Band are now challenged with waking us up.

The band sit in a semi-circle, exchanging instruments and throwing voices back and forth. They make a tight team, and so they should, right-hand man Herrero sharing the band with both his girlfriend and his brother. Foster is, as always, a profoundly engaging performer. On the more dynamic numbers like opener Los Cuatro Muleros or Las Tres Hojas, she stamps her feet and clacks her castanets with relish, enjoying the safety of her band and letting loose.

There are glimpses of a more familiar, spectral Foster in Lalas Morillas de Jaen, a tightly wound, creeping dirge which takes her theramin-like soprano to sinister places. The band end closer to flamenco than funereal with Sevillanas, requested by the audience’s Spanish contingent, receiving a mark of approval from both sides of the language barrier. [Oisín Kealy]

http://www.platform-online.co.uk