Theesatisfaction - Love and Death, Belfast
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Theesatisfaction, Nathan Flutebox Lee
Love and Death Inc., Belfast.
Friday 8th June 2012
Despite being billed as the first of the two acts to perform tonight, the majority of anticipation surrounding the gig seems to be focused on the self-professed "Queens Of The Stoned Age", THEEsatisfaction. With their new album awE naturalE receiving a wealth of glowing praise and noteworthy performances from this year's South by Southwest festival in Austin, there is a significant amount of buzz around the band ahead of tonight's performance.
Partners on and off the stage, Stasia Irons and Catherine Harris-White are in a world of their own as they prepare to play to a modest crowd, rehearsing their dance moves and head-bobbing to music that only they can hear. Their performance isn't quite as assured as they are; their dancing is simply mesmeric at times and their vocals are impressive - but at the expense of their backing tracks, which are a large part of what makes them stand out. It's disappointing and definitely affects the crowd's enjoyment, but tellingly the band's best numbers shine through, and the likes of "QueenS" and "Sweat" still sound impressive live.
Whether it's a fierce appreciation of fluteboxing (beat boxing through the flute whilst playing it at the same time) or simply the amount of booze they've consumed by the time Nathan Flutebox Lee takes to the stage, tonight's audience are thoroughly intrigued. Joined by his band The Clinic, Lee proceeds to deliver a unique set that takes in jazz, funk, rap, and eastern European music. It's technically impressive, and when Lee performs solo it certainly seems like an awful lot of music coming from just one guy - being part of the Asian Dub Foundation live setup has probably helped him in that regard. All in all it's a little gimmicky, but the majority of the swelling crowd aren't bothered as they make their way towards the front of the stage - flutebox converts for one night only.
Andrew Lemon
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