Animat, our very own masters of the ambient dub scene, are set to launch their latest EP, and to celebrate the event there’s a summer treat – a gig at the Yellow Arch Studio complex on August 11th. As you might expect from Animat, who’ve been staging unique and quite honestly, unmissable live events in and around Sheffield for over 10 years now, the support will also be well worth turning up for. Spy Band, not surprisingly, play TV and movie theme tunes from the likes of Bond and Man From UNCLE (I’m hoping), with visuals to match – not something you experience every day, but I’ll be there for that one. Also unmissable is a performance by Jerusalem-born Avital Raz. Her music is infused with politics, sex and personal discovery, and has an often quite uncomfortable realism, but is all the more compelling for that. Her ‘Edinburgh Surprise’ song and video from 2014 broke any and every taboo you care to name. I’d urge you to check it out, but be warned; it is as powerful and uncomfortable a music video as I’ve seen in quite some time.
She is a singer-songwriter who is streets ahead of any other female singer/songwriter, and I cannot wait to see her perform.
After all that build-up, the main event needs to be good, but I’ve no doubt Animat are more than capable of providing the perfect end to the evening. I’ve sung their praises before, and listening to their new tracks has left me in no doubt that they are at the height of their game. Mark Daly and Michael Harding have been producing their ambient dubstep sounds since 2005, and they’re performing at a couple of festivals this summer, so it’s only right and proper that their Sheffield fans get the chance to hear them. They’ve promised a mixture of new and old, along with excerpts from some of the film soundtrack work they’ve done over the years. The King of Fenny Bently did surface on a compilation recently, so tonight is a chance to celebrate it in all its glory, as it forms the lead track on their newly issued EP. Its release is a timely stop-gap between their last full CD, How To Be A Shadow and a remix album due for releases shortly.
They don’t play in Sheffield very often, so if you fancy a balmy summer night of musical excellence, Yellow Arch will be the place to be on Friday 11th August.
Get tickets here: http://www.yellowarch.com/events/
