Fuck Buttons

My expectations were high for this hype-band and I was surprised to see how minimal the set-up looked on Fuck Buttons’ first arrival. The pair’s mad-professor collection of effects, synths and other gizmos were laid out on a simple waist-high, white-cloth-covered table, and the only decoration was a mirrorball on a simple frame, but when this kicked in, everything made sense.

Most of FB’s music seems simply structured, but shifts in tonal colour and new layers occur and build continuously, gradually creating a kaleidoscope of sound which the mirrorball’s colour-throwing complemented to hypnotic effect. Vocals were restricted to junglistic monkey chattering and filtered, rhythmic screaming, so the music stayed fully abstract. One of the distinctive sounds they use is a distorted synth, creating a huge noise-wall that reminded me of Kevin Shield’s 'glide guitar’ – combining harshness with a soft, warm wave of sound. At times there was as much bass being generated as at a dub sound system.

Though the noises they make are similar to those in dance music, most of their tracks are dominated by sonic textures instead of a danceable, driving beat – rhythms almost constantly shift, beats stop and start. For this reason the gig didn't feel as kinetic or exciting as fellow sonic experimenters Animal Collective's live show last year. However, standing either side of their gadget desk, both Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power rocked and bounced continuously with the noise – and for highlight 'Flight of the Feathered Serpent’, Power beat out a tribal rhythm on a floor tom and got everyone jumping around. A lot of the crowd seemed to leave awestruck – whatever your tastes, FB offer an unpredictable and stimulating musical trip.