Heart of Noise

Probably shouldn’t admit to this, being an aspiring music writer and all that, but Field Music had formed, split up and got back together again for their new album by the time I’d first heard of them. It was reading Kitty Empire’s review in the Observer that made me think they were a band to look out for and I booked tickets for their gig in Scala this week.

When I got round to listening to the new double album, Measure, after buying the tickets, it wasn’t anything like I expected. Rather than being inventive and left-field, it seemed to me that this was a really retro record, with the Brewis brothers (especially Peter) emulating Paul McCartney’s singing and the repetitive, rhythmic phrases harking back to the 70’s rock and also to the minimalism of Michael Nyman.

Retro it might be, but after a few listens, you realise this style is contained within textured melodies and amazingly innovative rhythmic structures -  the changing time signatures made me count the beats out loud as I was listening, to try and understand what the hell is going on (much to the disdain of men-in-suits on the tube…ahemm).

At the Scala gig, Peter and David Brewis both move with ease from drums, keys and guitar via the microphone and it doesn’t seem to matter who’s doing what - this is music where the instrumental melodies have just as much to say as the vocals. The band split up three years ago so that the two brothers could work on their solo projects and whether or not that’s to do with different musical preferences, you do get a sense of conflicting sensibilities between two directions: four-part harmonies and Beatlesy guitar hooks, and the prog-rock, angular guitars in songs like Clear Water and Each Time is a New Time.

It’s a difficult balancing act, but its one that the four-piece reincarnation of Field Music that I saw on Wednesday had mastered. There are complicated rhythms and cross-melodies, and when some bands are playing this sort of thing (I’m thinking a lot of Jazz musicians) they are so absorbed that you get the sense that the audience may as well not be there. But after Field Music had warmed up and played straight through the first couple of tracks, there was plenty of back and forth with the crowd and they let loose (or as loose as such a rhythmically tight band can be) and worked up a sweat along with the audience.

There was a hardcore group of Sunderland fans making their voices heard, and the band had them eating out of the palm of their hand with plenty of onstage banter (centered mainly around taking the piss out of guitarist Kev Dosdale’s Hawaiian shirt).

It definitely helped that I knew a lot of the tracks being played, but I still think I would’ve enjoyed their jerky energy and the abstract, layered tunes if they weren’t familiar. It’s not easy music, and might be quite hard to get into on a first listen. But Field Music are definitely worth the effort.