James Chance & Les Contortions @ Stereo, Glasgow, 12 March

Live Review by Will Fitzpatrick | 23 Mar 2015

The wraithlike James Chance walks on stage slowly, looking every one of his 61 years with possibly a few more in reserve. Eternally dapper, a casual stride appears more laid-back than his fearsomely confrontational reputation would have you believe – has age mellowed the impressively-bequiffed no waver? One eardrum-shattering burst of stuttering, untamed sax tells us most assuredly that it has not.

Backed by a sterling lineup of his famous Contortions (that’s Les Contortions to you and I; the relatively new guys hail from France), he wails and hollers through a frantic set of furious, jazz-tinged punk rock, as ever combining the taut funk heat of James Brown with wild blasts of noise that alternate between the hyper-mellifluous and the eyebrow-raisingly dissonant. One helluva potent combination.

Despite their refraction of punk principles, you’d be hard-pressed to ally Les Contortions to the Ramones’ blitzkrieg pop, despite the efforts of one japester who repeatedly shouts “1-2-3-4!” in between numbers. It’s noise rock that comes to mind most of all: atonal strafes of guitar scree fuse with Chance’s eyes-shut-tight yelp, hinting at the menace of disciples like Pussy Galore, and the guttural rumble of The Birthday Party.

The songs themselves remain electric as ever: Design To Kill and Contort Yourself are bottom-shaking grooves to rival anything in the disco canon, while a bruising rendition of the aforementioned Brown’s King Heroin sprawls openly towards magnificence. Despite the inevitable trappings of the mortal coil – never mind contorting himself; spinning stylishly on his heels is now a slow, circular trudge – the fire still burns brightly and determinedly in this one. A truly memorable performance. [Will Fitzpatrick]

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