Review: All Tomorrow's Parties - Nightmare Before Christmas, December 2010

‘As the ATP festival has become more democratic’, claims The Wire's Derek Walmsley, in reference to events curated by ‘the fans’ and a ‘best of ATP’ special, ‘it's become less adventurous. There's little that's new in hip-hop, jazz, or electronic music […] instead indie rock favourites return to the event time and time again, and a stultifying consensus results. In recent years, the festival has become limited by its own boundaries, “ATP music” a genre in itself’. (Derek Walmsley, ‘The Masthead’, The Wire, Issue 308, Oct. 2009, p. 6) Walmsley may have a point. If one looks over ATP line-ups over the last few years, familiar names repeat themselves and many new names are those of groups in the same vein as the regulars. In this sense, the notion that ATP has become a genre in itself also holds some truth. This perception that ATP has become a backward-looking brand is also compounded by the concept of ‘the fans’: in this sense, indie-rock consumers who make pilgrimages to the holiday resorts of Minehead and Camber Sands and seek ATP as the holy badge of an 'alternative' identity; fanboys (and girls, but mainly boys) clinging to the soundtracks of their (in some cases, fading) youth.

In the programme to ATP's Nightmare Before Christmas, its founder Barry Hogan writes of The Wire's criticisms, and quips ‘as I am sure [The Wire’s] entire readership will be in attendance this weekend they can decide upon [whether or not ATP has become less adventurous] – there’s only fourteen of them, so it shouldn’t take long’. It is interesting that Hogan makes this comment in the programme to a festival that evidently contains a rather Wire-friendly (so to speak) line-up: Borbetomagus, John Butcher, Emeralds, and Keiji Haino are all performing. Maybe this argument would not hold up at a weekend featuring some of the more usual suspects. The event’s curators, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, made their first appearance since 2003, drawing legions of fans to the event making it difficult to witness the group at any of their three performances over the weekend due to obscene queues to obtain the unnecessary priority wristbands and to get into the stages themselves. This was exacerbated by the choice of many people to watch the band all three times. Nevertheless, GY!BE chose a diverse and interesting line-up for the weekend, even though many of their fans would inevitably miss out on some excellent performances by choosing to watch the head-liners multiple times.

The first night of the festival was perhaps marked by absence of Throbbing Gristle/X-
TG, who pulled out of performing due to the sad passing of 'Sleazy' Peter Christopherson just a week-and-a-half before. A replacement was not found; instead X-TG’s music was played through the PA on the Pavillion stage. Meanwhile, Black Dice’s set of skewed techno entertained though dulled somewhat in its second half as they worked through a repertoire from their Repo LP, while the turntablism and plunderphonics of Phillip Jeck and the rich, textured, and sometimes visceral electronics of Tim Hecker provided more multifaceted performances later in the evening.

The festival's second day opened with a mesmerising performance by the Flower/Corsano Duo. Chris Corsano's intuitive drumming melded perfectly with Mick Flower's balancing act of frantic and reflective psych on the shahi baaja to create enthralling, transcendent music – and perhaps one of the finest performances of the weekend. Corsano provided another excellent performance the following afternoon alongside Richard Bishop and Ben Chasny in Rangda. Later in the second day John Butcher played to a half-empty room (maybe due to the misfortune of clashing with the Godspeed queuing hour, or others’ preference for arcade games). Butcher played an excellent set exploring the tonal extremes of his saxophones, though this engaging music was somewhat undermined (although in some places complemented) by the incessant chatter and clatter of slot machines beside the stage. Borbetomagus followed with an intense performance – the combination of grotesque yet liberating noise and the somewhat (homo)erotic elements of the physical performances of saxophonists Don Dietrich and Jim Sauter, with their phallic tubular mouthpieces and the bestial mating ritual of their famed ‘bells together’ act, provided another highlight of the festival.

Godspeed opened Sunday with a predictable though mildly enjoyable set comprising of material from across their catalogue. Spontaneity was provided later in the day by Keiji Haino, who performed a violent and astounding set on guitar, vocals, and electronics, which ranged from guitar drone and noise blow outs to literally body-shaking electronics powered by the man's own body movements, and haunting falsetto vocals shifted in an instant to guttural screams. Incredible. Emeralds also impressed – though marred by some technical problems, the group's familiar yet somehow forward-looking and futuristic pulsing Kosmische workouts enthralled throughout.

‘Festivals’, writes Walmsley, ‘fantastic sites of sensory overload – should completely fuck with your expectations and aesthetic ideals’. I’m sure that Haino’s literally body-shaking set and Borbetomagus’ hour and fifteen minute journey into another, darker world fucked with many a Godspeed fan’s expectations at the festival. And what could challenge one’s senses and aesthetic ideals more than such prolific experimentalists performing at a venue which is perhaps the epitome of British tack? Maybe ATP has become less adventurous in recent years. One could even argue that even this event was backward-looking, with the inclusion of reformed ‘alternative’ legends GY!BE, avant veterans Borbetomagus and Haino, and ageing punks Mike Watt and Nomeansno – a line-up which then does indeed echo Walsmely’s comments that ATP offers nothing new in hip-hop, jazz, or electronic music. Nevertheless, regardless of which side of the polemic you gravitate towards, this was a diverse and engaging programme of music. Well, there may have been fourteen happy faces at the festival, at least.

Top 10 Best Sets at ATP Nightmare Before Christmas 2010

Personal 'best of' lists are pretty pointless things. However, for some reason I feel the need to compile a 'Top Ten' list of my favourite sets at All Tomorrow's Parties (ATP) Nightmare Before Christmas festival 2010, curated by Godspeed You! Black Emperor. I'm sure that everyone will be interested in this, so here it is:

1. Flower/Corsano Duo

2. Borbetomagus
3. Keiji Haino

4. Emeralds
5. Rangda

6. Tim Hecker

7. John Butcher

8. Nomeansno

9. Wolves In The Throne Room

10. Godspeed You! Black Emperor

N.B. Black Dice were also good, though they got less interesting during the second half of their set, which is why they failed to chart on my list. Phillip Jeck was also cool. Maybe they would be numbers eleven and twelve, respectively. Oh, and what I saw of Oneida's twelve hour set was good too.