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ATP - The Nightmare Before Xmas - Day Two Review

10th December 2007 | by Gavin Riley

Day two of the ATP Nightmare Before Xmas kicked off early Saturday afternoon with a problem. Both Autolux and Malcolm Middleton clashed, and choosing one or the other proved impossible.

Ever industrious, we worked out a plan to watch both. Thankfully, Autolux kicked off on time, with the trio of Greg, Eugene and Carla bringing their art-noise/shoegaze sound to the people convened in Minehead.

After a staggeringly long intro, they settle into some dark pop melodies, layering quite effectively over distorted and screeching feedback, while Carla Azar smashes her cymbals with all her might.

Eugene takes the lead on most of the vocals, constantly keeping his eyes shut while pronouncing the lyrics to the band's chosen tracks. And there's a fair balance of music, with the majority of the tracks selected, taken from debut album 'Future Perfect', while also previewing material from their upcoming album, due in 2008.

Scurrying off to see former Arab Strap Malcolm Middleton, we join him half way through his set on the Pavillion Stage, where the Scotsman is on top form, both with his music and humour. Introducing his drummer to the assembled audience, he sarcastically quips: “He's from Edinburgh, but he's actually alright!”

He plays a great set, including the rank outside bet for Christmas number one - 'We're All Going To Die' which goes down feverishly well.

Its been a whirlwind couple of years for A Hawk And A Hacksaw, having released 'The Hun Hangár Ensemble' EP, the band have relocated to Hungary and have also extensively toured with the likes of Calexico and Beirut, peddling their indie folk mash-ups to increasingly impressed European audiences.

Tonight, they put on a glorious show, a show full of extremely talented musicians, gaining an army of fans in the process. It doesn't matter how unfamiliar the tracks are, or how unfamiliar the genre they play, A Hawk and A Hacksaw never ceased to amaze.

Operating with Jeremy Barnes as the multi-percussionist and Heather Trost as the main violinist, they are joined by a team of Eastern European musicians, who actually mange to steal the show. One of them plays a cimbalom, and for about five minutes, he plays it solo, wowing the crowd with his speedy arrangement. As he comes to a halt, the audience gives the biggest cheer of the weekend, prompting Jeremy and Heather to conduct their solo performances - while walking amongst the audience. Classic stuff.

From the sublime to the bizarre, next up on the Central Stage was a chap called Glenn Branca & Paranoid Critical Revolution. Walking onto stage, we couldn't help but gain the upmost respect for the guitar he brought with him.

However, after a bizarre (and yes, we know we're using that word a lot) opening solo, we were forced to leave, because it was quite frankly awful, noisy, trash. Maybe it picked up after one song, who knows, but we weren't the only ones heading for the exit and the paracetamol.

Feel free to coo at the guitar pics:

Unfortunately, it didn't get much better, because over on the Pavillion Stage, was one Julian Cope. Coming onto stage, the band looked more like Sum 41 than the iconic rock stars they thought they were, with Cope constantly uttering various drivel in-between songs. How on earth Portishead can enjoy Cope, is beyond me.

But after the disappointments of the last two bands, we were delighted to settle down and enjoy the delights of Portishead and Aphex Twin. But just a quick note before we conclude the day two review, share a thought for the people below who all queued for upwards of three hours to get in to watch Aphex Twin on Saturday night, but who were all turned away, because the venue was full.