Matmos @ Le Poisson Rouge, 2/11/12
The live show of Matmos is an embodiment of the bizarre. I went into this one in the dark, knowing only of the band’s tenure in the realm of experimental electronica. The show felt like a progressive mindfuck, and was all the more enjoyable for it.
Opening this evening was Horse Lords, an instrumental group with guitar, bass, drums, and horn. They played some solid extended jams, but interested me more in that their group formed a revolving cast of backing instrumentation for Matmos on stage.
Matmos started with their latest single, “Very Large Green Triangles,” which stretched to about ten minutes with the addition of a foreboding and mysterious monologue. It was as overtly Illuminati as you could get at a concert. Following that song, they dropped the cultish stage presence for friendly banter, essentially switching from one extreme to the other. These guys do love playing tricks with your mind.
The performance lasted just north of an hour. A highly interesting menagerie of visuals and instrumentation were utilized throughout. Balloons and bubbling water each saw songs where they were the primary focus. By the conclusion of the show, it felt as if I had completed an ordeal through the weird. Once live will likely be enough for me, but do keep an ear out for them. Matmos has just released a new album, The Marriage of True Minds.