Nash the Slash was a genuine legend of Canadian music. In this interview, he talks about his Krautrock influences, illicit use of drum machines and why Toronto artists need to get themselves to London or New York.
There is a Nash documentary on its way, and we look forward to more material like this.
Vile Electrodes continue their conversion into a modern version of Throbbing Gristle. Caught here by Anders Wickholm, at their recent performance with Page in Stockholm, the duo of Neon and Swan dazzled with proto-pop from the 22nd century. And look, kids, no laptops!
Torch Song was originally the creation of three friends from London: William Orbit, Laurie Mayer and Grant Gilbert. Gilbert's place was later taken up by Rico Conning of The Lines.
The project was enormously influential. It cemented Orbit's reputation, well before he was called upon by Madonna and Spears to restart their careers. It showcased the talent of Mayer as a creative force and a peerless vocalist. With Conning in the mix, Torch Song took the Guerilla sound from the domain of danceable pop into electro-ambient territory.
In 1995, Torch Song performed on London's South Bank. This is the proof.
The incandescent Nash the Slash is sorely missed. In this clip from Canadian TV, he performs two tracks from his first album, Children of the Night: “Wolf” and “In a Glass Eye.” Gary Numan knew what he was doing when he ditched his planned warm-up act for Nash on his first Canadian tour.
Keluar are part of Alison Lewis’ trail of amazing projects. Currently in hibernation, while Lewis focuses on her Zoe Zanias character, Keluar were captured in this video from 2015. Playing live in Leipzig, it is clear that Lewis and Sid Lamar know how to fuse dark wave and minimal electronica in ways that will spook your parents.
Lau Nau is an impossibly talented artist from Finland. Her music draws on folk roots, but like the shamanic potions of lore takes listeners to distant dimensions. At times, she is capable of hewing magic from the ice; at others, she makes you hold your breath at the delicate tones of her voice. In this video, released to support her third album, she’s somewhere between the Earth and the Moon.
Zanias is the latest project from Australasian artist Alison Lewis. Now based in Berlin and performing as Zoe Zanias, Lewis has taken a step sideways from the darktronica of her previous acts, Keluar and Linea Aspera. In her new video, we see her as never before – bewitching and stern – with a sound that is as dramatic and angular as her look.
Through This Collapse [Zanias] from Ouroboros on Vimeo.
Belgians had the benefit of this performance, back in 1983, and it has thoughtfully been added to Youtube from an old tape of the Veronica’s Countdown programme. As is the way. Typically shambolic New Order, but with that human touch that means the machines never get in the way.
An awkward check-in at a hotel, an awkward discussion about synthesizers, an unusual use of shaving foam and a strange scene in a lobby bar – well, this clip has them all. Frank Tovey is sorely missed, and this early clip from Dutch TV provides a glimpse into his early steps onto the European continent in his Fad Gadget guise.
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