The a.P.A.t.T. of today take a skilled yet cheeky approach to playing progressive pop that owes as much to Kurt Schwitters and the Chapman Brothers as it does to ABBA and Zappa. In touring new album Fun With Music, a.P.A.t.T. have condensed their vision-quest into 45 minutes of hooky, style-busting live band material, evading capture at every turn. This is the band that swaps instruments live mid-track and has even run its own small country for an evening: it's a restless and relentless take on 21st century music and performance through a lens of knowing, winking, quintessentially British humour.
a.P.A.t.T.'s sound is something of a moving target, they take a leaf out of the same book that gave us the big-thinking thugs of clever music - you know the kind… Yoko, Paul, John, Fripp, Eno, Thom, Johnny, Kate, Madge, Dave, Dave, and Dave, Wonder, Mothersbaugh, Dré, Pac, Biggie, Walter, Wendy, Karlheinz, and Kuti.
BBC Radio just played 'Yes...that's Positive' & BBC Radio 1 awarded a.P.A.t.T. 'Album of the Week' for their album Black & White Mass.
"a.P.A.t.T. are a motherfucking experience. Probably the only UK band I can think of to come up with their vision of the dark, vicious and - fuck me, rather scary - vision of the ACID PUNK dropped onto us from the visions of Gibby from the Butthole Surfers. We love them. You need to hear this. It's insane." - Alan Mcgee, Creation/Poptones
PASCAL MAKONESE
Some would say it has a childlike innocence, with its music-box evocations, but for Pascal Makonese, the Mbira is a sound that has accompanied the ups and downs of his existence: a magical, spiritual resonance that communicates more to him and through him than any spoken word. It caught his ear as a child in Zimbabwe and has partnered him to Britain and to Manchester, where it continues to be central to the music he performs today.
The sound and mystical power of the African instrument often crudely referred to as a ʻthumb pianoʼ is the dominant theme in a conversation with Pascal. He says that “if you
want to talk serious, the mbira sound just...gets there,” and he himself does “talking serious” well, despite the frequent big grin that appears beneath his thick rimmed glasses and jazzmanʼs hat. “I feel that with the mbira, with that sound, I can really reach out, and it really gets inside, so that when people were doing terrible things, it could help them to change their ways.”
Pascal has written songs that reflect his experiences and observations of life as an African in Britain, looking to a homeland in regular crisis. “It was affecting me,” he says, “I could see it clearly. I wanted to say, ʻenough is enough.ʼ I felt something should be done.” For Pascal, using his magical sound is his way of making that positive difference, highlighting the injustices, tragedies of Zimbabwe and the African continent, whilst reflecting and celebrating itʼs beauty and spiritual power.
BARBEROS
Barberos, a progressive / electronic / avant-noise band from Liverpool. Being positioned somewhere in the middle between Tangerine Dream, Ruins, Genesis, Mr. Oizo and The Locust doesn't give you much to work with, I understand, but hopefully after listening and watching them you'll have a better idea.
They have been going since 2008 playing all over Europe, toured Russia in 2013, released three LPs and one 7" in the last few years, working with various DIY labels in Spain, France, Italy and the UK, and just finished recording their first full length album.
ABOUT MIX UP
Mix Up is a monthly live music night which as the name suggests features three musical acts across different styles and forms.
Held on the first Thursday of the month at The Klondyke Club in Levenshulme (1 Burnage Range, third road on the left from Levenshulme Station off Albert Road, walking towards Burnage – call 0161 224 4122) the night promises to offer three quality bands, all for a nominal entry fee.
MIX UP is a cracking night of live music featuring the cream of Manchester’s music scene. We will soon be confirming further acts for future nights.
You can keep up to date with who’s playing and when on our website http://www.mixupmcr.com/
Please, please show your support for the night by joining our Mix-Up Facebook group. https://www.facebook.com/
It will be great to see some familiar faces and hopefully some unfamiliar ones on the night!
