Live: Severin, The Victoria (Dalston), July 19th, 2012.
Before I watched them play, I did not know a single thing about effects-laden electronic duo Severin. My only observations preceding their show were of guitarist Danny Sanchez chain smoking out the front of the venue, but this turned out to be a pretty suitable metaphor for the breath-taking fog of electricity that poured into the room during their performance. I can’t even begin to imagine how much voltage there will be when he switches to e-cigarettes.
Sanchez and singer/synthesizer-er Elizabeth Anne Martin made their point straight away as they took to the stage of The Victoria’s pitch black show room, basking in the glow of the deep red stage lights. The sinister lighting fit perfectly with their set-up: Martin’s robotic, statuette-stillness unnaturally juxtaposed with the schizophrenic hooded figure of Sanchez, whose spasmic jerks made him look particularly psychotic. Considering the amount of intimidating machinery and pedal boards that surrounded him, he was a pretty engrossing figure, no more so than when the synchronized strobe lights kicked in – if we had been any closer to him we’d have probably been zapped.
Fortunately the power-plant set-up wasn’t merely superficial eye-candy; Severin’s whole set was swathed in a kind of electronic wind, creating fantastically spacey atmospheres that segued each song together, but the songs themselves were captivating. Severin justified their ambitious performance with innovative, motorized, vibrant beats and deep, industrial drum drops, all locked together with Martin’s structured and solid vocals. Switching from a pair of highly-energized opening tunes to some refreshing half-time beats broke up the set just at the right time – if the vocals had been shifted to a higher octave they could have almost resembled Massive Attack.
It was the manipulated guitar effects, though, that really made the band stand-out from other electronic-based outfits. It took me a couple of songs to work out what exactly Sanchez was doing with his guitar – you’d be easily forgiven for believing they had just forgotten to plug it in as they jammed along to a backing track. In fact, he was acting as a one-man sound machine, the instrument being literally transformed by a plethora of digital effects; the only guitar tones evident were occasional tremolo-soaked string wails that pierced the background. This kind of manipulation is what makes new music interesting in the modern day, so I applaud Severin’s innovation.
The duo didn’t over-indulge, keeping a relatively short set which I’m glad to say held every audience member transfixed. It was a sight (/sound) for sore eyes – so go and see Severin as soon as you can for some Lucozade-style refreshment.
