Crack

Saturday

The exquisitely picturesque Alexandra Palace provided the setting for All Tomorrow’s Parties – I’ll Be Your Mirror - two-dayer curated by Portishead, whose return to the live arena was eagerly anticipated to say the least. The line-up gathered by Beth, Adrian and Geoff incorporated all the oddity, quality and idiosyncrasy you’d expect from one of the most boundary pushing acts of all-time and it meant this was a weekend we'd been anticipating for sometime.

The Saturday began with DD/MM/YY, and was a great energetic alt-rock staple to get the juices flowing for the day ahead. In a similar vein, Geoff Barrow’s Beak> provided the raw, avant-garde sounds for all the ATP heads to get in the zone for some of the weekend’s more alternative tit-bits.

Doom’s lyrical soup on the main stage fell disappointingly flat, mainly due to the lack of sub levels that left the hip-hop sounding far too tinny in order to match the size of Doom’s personality and the sheer size of his hype-man.




So it was therefore left to arguably the artist of the year in PJ Harvey, to sweep us away with her war-stories and beautiful laments from her quite incredible album, Let England Shake. Drawing almost exclusively from that record, her performance with long-term collaborator John Parish, was magical. Humble, poignant and heartfelt, an emotion stirring event this most definitely was.




Company Flow's hip-hop is much more on-song in the West Hall, before we grab our spots for Portishead. It’s no exaggeration to say this was one of the most staggering performances Crack has witnessed in recent times. Magical moments are in plentiful supply, from the haunting, stripped-back, Wandering Star and The Rip, to the rabble rousing We Carry On, and of course classics in thr form of Mysterons and Glory Box. Visually, the imagery used is fresh and engaging and provided a beautiful aide to the performance. And then Beth’s voice. Tortured, piercing, at times understated, at times careering right through you, watching Beth Gibbons perform is like experiencing a dramatic range of emotions. Truly one of the great female vocalists of our age, Portishead’s long periods of searching, creating and making sure everything is perfect are all for performances like this. A spellbinding hour and a-half flies by.


Sunday


The line-up for Sunday is utterly mouth-watering. Due to some logistical reason, Godspeed You! Black Emperor take to the stage at half twelve in the afternoon, far too early to truly appreciate their masterful soundscapes. Despite being drawn in by the epic visuals, we can’t quite give in to it. Liars stride onstage to a rapturous welcome, their trademark rhythmic approach engrossing from the word go. Angus Andrew is a formidable frontman, in terms of presence and sheer size, and Scissor proves an inevitable highlight of their dynamic show.




A beautifully measured set from Beach House underlines just why so many bands are trying to sound exactly like them, while reformed no-wave icons Swans serve up industrial clatter at tea time. Alan Moore & Stephen O’Malley's off-kilter, spoken word performance is an example of the kind of oddity which makes ATP what it is. Though it’s great to see the legendary Moore in the flesh, it’s just not for us.




On to Grinderman, and the opportunity to be in the company of one of contemporary music’s greats. This project appears to have given Nick Cave a new lease of life, and their set found him as feral and engrossing a front man and he was all those years ago in the Birthday Party. Kitchenette, not an outstanding cut on record, comes to life here, Cave bellowing “I’m just trying to relax!” as if it’s his final breath.

But the day, once again, is all about Portishead. As on the previous evening, the whole experience is simple breathtaking.

A truly impressive full-band set from Caribou manages to draw a final burst of energy from a crowd who’ve just had their socks knocked off, but by that point we’re anyone’s. Beth, Geoff, Adrian. You done good.



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Words: Geraint Davies & Hulio Bourgeois

Photos: Tim Ferguson & Clark Merkin

http://encosion.com/

http://www.atpfestival.com/

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