Words and Photos by Andrew Parks
The Artist and Their Latest Release: Broadcast, Broadcast and the Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age (Warp)
The Set in a Few Sentences: We’re not sure when Broadcast was last in town, but we do know they rarely breach these shores. And since no one knew what to expect on Tuesday night, the longtime couple/collaborators (James Cargill and Trish Keenan) trampled our collective subconscious with two distinct sets: an atonal A/V piece of spectral samples, serrated synths and woozy Op Art visuals–a powerful argument for their recent Wire cover story–and a Lewis Carroll-like look at such familiar cuts as “Black Cat” and “Corporeal.” Some people left before ‘the real set’ started, thinking Broadcast were shunning their back catalog and delivering one pointed fuck you to us all. If you stuck around, though, you would have witnessed a brilliant fusion of avant-pop music, from delicious drone tones to occultish oscillators to strictly analog stabs at filtered noise and electronic music.
Or as one fan said on the way out, “My hands were shaking. I thought I was going to have an orgasm.”
And a Letter Grade: A
