I have my cousin to thank for my trip through from Perth to Edinburgh for this gig, having introduced me to Ian Svenonius via the Nation From Ulysses album Plays Pretty for Baby , what now seems like aeons ago. To be fair, that’s only part of the reason for my trip to Festival City. I could have seen Escape-ism in my home city, however, the Sneaky Petes gig did have the added attraction of the mesmerising Scorpio Leisure as the opening act…for our audio pleasure.
Scorpio Leisure
If you’re still not au fait with the incredible Scorpio Leisure, my question for you is, what the fuck are you waiting for? Oh, and you missed a belter of a support set, so more fool you. The quartet were on fire on the compact Sneaky Pete’s stage, partly because of the heat in the venue, but mainly due to each of the band bringing their A game. The word must have been out, red is the colour… the band all elegant and suave in scarlet to complement the sartorial style of the headliners. And that suave elegance translates across to the music, all the familiar Scorpio Leisure songs getting an airing, kicking off with their powerful set opener Seeker before galvanizing the gathered throng with a stimulating set including the dance groove of Give Me Some Space, the hypnotic throb of Driving, and the primal scream of Feral Life. For me the highlight of the set this time around was the electrically charged urgency of Parasite. Look out for Give Us Some Space coming out soon on Ram Rock Records and get along to see them as soon as the opportunity arises (currently your only opportunity is 15th December supporting The Scars, also featuring Port Sulphur)
Scorpio Leisure • Instagram photos and videos
ESCAPE-ISM
What can I say about Escape-ism? I’m not sure their are superlatives that can describe the experience effectively. Ian Svenonius is a unique talent, the mould was certainly broken after he came along, and as such this was a unique and highly entertaining show. I say show, as this was much more than just a gig, it was a performance, a veritable cocktail of ingredients; one part music, one part beat poetry, one part societal commentary, one part stand up, with Svenonius and Alexandra (Sandie) Cabral the mixologists with a manifesto. Svenonius prowls the stage, animated in the delivery of said manifesto, throwing himself against the back wall as he riffs on his guitar, his quirky style of playing switching between vocals and guitar as he chooses to hold onto the mic while playing. Meanwhile Sandie is coolness personified as she plays bass or electronic drum kit with an air of nonchalant confidence.
As the backing track kicks in there is an element of Suicide to the sound, Ian even, dare I say, has a passing resemblance to a certain Alan Vega. From the start he has the audience eating out of the palm of his hands, having an audience member introduce the band, and inciting many hearty “yeahs” and whoops and hollers throughout the set which kicked off with Black Gold as he joked about electric cars taking over…then he continuously played with the audience in a game of verbal tennis, and impressed with gems like (I Was Born With) A Woman’s Intuition and I Ain’t Got No Hammer with a raucous Bodysnatchers and a defiant Whatever People Say That I Am, That’s What I’m Not particular highlights of the intoxicating set.
Music | ESCAPE-ISM (bandcamp.com)
Svenonius returns to these shores in October in his guise of The Make Up, be sure not to miss this, it is set to be a cracking night.