By the power of land and sea,
By the might of moon and sun,
Hearken to Three Mother's plea,
For Spring has begun!
An eccentric bunch of creatives roll up at the Kings on the 20th for a weird and wonderful event, Vernal Equinox. Great music, performance and art installations await those looking to escape the hum-drum. And music will be provided by the peerless Rose and the Diamond Hand, The Capoeira Band and Nummo Twin.
It's a lovely selection of one-off musical acts supplemented by performance artists... Pigs Legs are on-hand to 'purge your soul of wintery rot'. Join them in a unique celebration where they'll be summoning spring with eerie song, joyful dance and, erm, a straw bear.
And there'll be a Trauma Room Installation: Schwarze Romance – Outer Heaven. Luckily, Louise Woodcock is on hand to oversee proceedings and perform incendiary live art of her own.
Artist and writer Louise discusses her eclectic background..."I've mostly been performing and doing experimental music the last decade or so. I'm in ritual group Water...I last performed with Lydia Lunch at the Kings Arms last year with my spoken word. My satirical alter-ego, ex-page 3 Trish Dee was a talking point, she caused a bit of a stir and a few walk outs from Manchester Gallery."
It would be fair to say that Rose and the Diamond Hand is an act to keep an eye on. They create atmospheric, down-tempo songs with a spell-binding other-worldly feel. It's a classy new- gothic sound where intense bass is coupled with stylish electronica. And, if you encounter a finer live vocalist than Rose Niland please let us know, we've yet to hear them. The band has been compared favourably with Portishead, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Cocteau Twins.
The Capoeira Band is a nice addition to the bill with a fittingly, festival-esque folksy aesthetic. Nummo Twin is an interesting noise folk act with hand-carved tree instruments.
The acts are diverse and unique and give the event a great spring-time celebratory feel. Louise enthuses about the line-up...
"I'm looking forward to Nummo Twin as I've not seen her live for a long time" she says "I loved her throbbing bass in Ten Mouth Electron and her noiseout guitar in ILL was just glorious. I know she's making her own instruments a lot at the moment, I'm intrigued. Also, Rose and the Diamond Hand were breathtaking when I last saw them. I was lucky enough to play with Rose in Poppycock, Una Baines' collective. Her voice sounds like a Celtic goddess. I've also heard great things about the Capoeira Band, can't wait!"
The Vernal Equinox promises to be an unforgettable, psychedelic festival. It has all the ingredients to make it the perfect alt-fest, and it's all under one roof. If you are search of an off-the-wall experience to kick off the festival season, I couldn't think of a better way.
Vernal Equinox
Friday 20th March
Kings Arms £5/ £6
For further details see the Facebook event page – click here
Words by Ian Leslie
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