Spacedog review
A review of the gig Spacedog played at the Freebutt in Brighton on the 13th December 2008.
who are spacedog?
Spacedog are a the brain child of local artist Sarah Angliss. Sarah has worked on sound installations in London Zoo, regularly gives lectures at some top institutions around the country on combining sound and technology, and has exhibited in the South Bank centre among other places. Spacedog are one of these projects, and with her sister, husband and a friend named Mike, the band perform occasional gigs in Brighton.
the music
I didn’t know what to expect from the gig, things could have got very experimental, but it was actually pretty straightforward. The band perform simple songs, many of them covers, in a relatively straightforward way, but then add some lovely unique and experimental touches.
Songs included a few of the bands own, a Portishead number, a beautiful rendition of a song from the Wicker Man, a toned down Diamonds Are Forever and a traditional Wassailing song. Sarah’s sister has an lovely voice and brought to mind Goldfrapp during their calmer moments, or Vashti Bunyan. Along with Mike’s guitar and the vocals, Sarah played piano, singing saw, waterphone, theramin and programmed a stack of robotic bells!
Beautiful music, subtly experimental but accessible to all – 4/5
stage presence and banter
The bands personality really made the night, somewhat ramshackle, lots of private chats onstage and checking each other was ready before each song, some fun chit chat with the audience, a very warm and friendly bunch. As well as the chit chat the band gave an explanation of their name (a tribute to the first dog in space), and some information about the various unusual instruments so we got to learn something new as well. There were some nice visuals, psychadelic swirls, archive film footage and a live hookup to a webcam on stage involving a doll, Flaming Lips style.
Nice music, but the bands personality and extra effort made the night 5/5
venue and audience
The venue wasn’t full tonight, probably a good thing as The Freebutt has a massive pillar in the middle of the room obscuring the stage and requiring everyone to crowd in the corner. As said though this wasn’t an issue tonight and the intimate venue was just right for the number of people. More of an issue was the thumping music coming from the loft venue upstairs, despite the place being empty. Any quiet moments during the set were marred by this. The audience seemed to contain quite a few friends and family of the band, which made the gig seem a little like a private party, no bad thing.
Great crowd, shame about the music upstairs 3/5
overall
A great night out, with 2 sets by the band – in total the gig was 2 hours, but it didn’t feel that way at all. No mean feat for an unsigned band to pull off. A unique and fun night. 4/5
