Is it THAT time Already???

They say the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and I really need to get my daily count up. Insulating myself against the good advice of staying home, I instead braved the storm that was battering the UK, and strode out once more up the hill to the train station, bound for God's own city and BLEEP #14. On the way, I pondered: is it really a whole month since we played BLEEP #13? It feels like a fortnight at most, and yet the calendar claims otherwise. To misquote Douglas Adams: time is an illusion, January doubly so.

My usual chums had other plans this month, so I made my way to The Peer Hat alone. Not that Bleep ever means alone. Since I first set foot through the door last April, I've never felt like I was on my own down there. The atmosphere, fuelled by familiar faces, is always warm, welcoming and up for pretty much anything. 

A pint of Squawk in hand (£4, dry, hoppy, and a hell of a hangover if you drink one too many), I descended the stairs. The Manchester Electronic Collective were hard at work, and the space was more dressed than usual. Two tables were already set up. Tonight, we were promised a creative DJ to top and tail events.

The space began to fill. Faces new and old arrived, as did Dave Walker (of course!) and the posse from the Electric Tentacle in Stoke: Andy, Colin and the inimitable Anna Hapax who was also along for the ride.

First up was DJ Shelley, playing an eclectic mix of house styles, with the era-defining Roland pop organ much in evidence, climaxing in remixes of Blur and even Simply Red. Her set gained a strong round of applause and a big cheer. I don't know if it was her first live outing, but she seemed as taken aback by the response as we were to our set last month. 

DJ Shelley hard at work, with Dave Walker recording the event for posterity.

Next up was Goetia, with a set that ran from heavy tribal electronica with big atmospheric chords, through to in-yer-face rave with tonnes of energy, and into an industrial finish. He certainly got the crowd moving. 

Goetia in full flow. I really need to learn to use this camera better.

The third act was Shared Systems. I've never seen him play before, but f I had to label his sound with a mere genre I suppose I would classify it as glitch, but his brand of real time sound mangling is so much more. Glitch, stutter, even malfunction. All very danceable and perfectly executed from a tiny box of tricks. Catch this man's performance, bottle it, and power the nation. It's quite something. 

 

Shared Systems shaking the room with extreme sonic manipulation. Yes, I really need to get better at photos.

Speaking of malfunctions, Mango Thomas was up next and experienced them at the start of his set. They say it's how you react to such trying events that matters, and he was calm and reset everything. When he got going, his set travelled smoothly from gentle tribal dance into the best drum and live bass I've seen in a good while. Tight, intricate work from Mr Thomas. By the end of his set, he had the room rocking and cheekily played an extra song to finish.

Mango Thomas, after recovering from technical difficulties, delivering drum and live bass.

 

Time for an interval to replenish glasses and take stock, and what should pop up on the PA but the new Jon And Libby track, Monday Can Wait. I always try to put a track in to see how it sounds on a big PA, and I'm glad to say it sounded pretty thunderous. It's one that will be going into the live set later in the year. I just need to decide which of my other babies to sacrifice to make space. 

As I listened, Anna Hapax tapped me on the shoulder. We did our first EMOM gig together at Electric Tentacle just before New Year, and it was good to catch up. We're playing Derby next week, and she's already done it, so notes were swapped. If you get a chance to see her Underworld-influenced set, you're in for a distinct treat.

Having gigged a couple of times now, I'm beginning to view other acts through the prism of fellow stage dweller. The nuances in body language, concentrating 100% on getting it right, every wince, every nod of the head, whether they're hunched over the table or looking out into the audience. It's all so much more apparent than it ever was before. Confidence is in the eye of the beholder, and the crowd picks up on whether you're visibly enjoying yourself.

I began on the subject of time, and by 9pm it was pressing. A 6:30am start on Friday is a hard taskmaster. As I wandered about looking for people to say goodbye to, I bumped into Nicki and Les of the mighty bluestronica duo Dots, talking to Dave "Mho" Walker. I finally got to tell them that if it wasn't for YouTube showing me a video of them out and about in Manchester and alerting me to the very existence of EMOM this time last year, I wouldn't have been on that stage last month, so it's all their fault. Comedy accusations made, I congratulated them on their recent nuptials and discovered that Les' ring contains a length of guitar string from Def Leppard! How cool is that? 

EMOM gods Nicki and Les of Dots, with the coolest wedding ring I've ever seen.

And then, all too soon, it really was time to rush back to Piccadilly and to bed. With no time to say my goodbyes, I hope this will suffice: goodbye, thanks for a great night, and I'll see you all again soon. 

Next time, Derby. I'm told the PA is excellent, but people sit at tables and listen instead of dancing like maniacs. How will our raucous sound go down? There's only one way to find out, and it happens on Thursday night from 7pm at Dubrek Studios. In the words of Dave Walker, it should be a hoot.