ROBIN GUTHRIE TRIO
The Fleece, Bristol | February 22nd
The Cocteau Twins, who stopped making music together back in 1997, have returned to the live scene in two distinct forms: singer Liz Fraser’s triumphant shows at last year’s Meltdown and guitarist Robin Guthrie’s formation of a trio to support the songwriter’s idiosyncratic sound.
Tonight’s show pulls in the hardcore shoegaze old timers with the help of support from Mark Gardener of Ride. Performing alone tonight, while his cherubic voice and looping guitar work recall some of his former band’s charm, Ride’s ubiquitous wall of sound is absent.
As the Trio take the stage, the mass-effected guitar assault breathes into life, forming that sonic cocoon so definitive of the Cocteau Twins’ sound. Layer upon layer, tone upon tone sweeps the crowd into a New Age swirl, carrying you through deep glades of a unique psyche. With no introductions or vocals, the music lacks a fixture point, melting into itself. The trio work as one, the rhythms section providing Guthrie with ample embellishment without bringing the sound to a roaring pinnacle. As Gardener joins them onstage for their collaborative single The Place We Go, we’re left refreshed at witnessing individuals so resolutely individual continuing to make music the way they see fit.
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Words: Philip James Allen
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