I went to a noise show on Wednesday night and I have questions. I don’t know where to begin, so let’s jump right into the show, and I’ll save my questions for later.
Estranged Flesh was the first act to perform. They were set up on the ground right in front of the stage at Zhora Darling with a table of electronic equipment, a guitar to one side, and a piece of chicken-wire-looking fencing to the other. I was intrigued before they even jumped into their quick set and was quickly captivated as they played through about fifteen minutes of noise. That chicken wire-like fencing was the star of the show. Estranged Flesh would scrape it with metal tools and tap it on the ground to create booming sounds of chaos through the attached contact microphone. Although I would stop short of calling it music, it was a stunning example of creativity that was only deepened as the performer went on to use a vibrator against the fencing and then proceeded to hold said vibrator in front of the pick-up of the guitar on the other side of the table creating even more intriguing sounds. Never did I ever think I would see a set made up primarily of fencing and a vibrator, but hey, that’s noise, right?
Following Estranged Flesh was Nursing Death. I was expecting sheer brutality based on this act’s name, and that’s what I got, but it wasn’t my normal metal brutality– it was noise brutality. To me, Estranged Flesh’s sound was just the sound of static. It didn’t do anything sonically for me, but watching this performer captivated me. The way they would fiddle around on their table of toys and stand there shaking a small box that seemed to change the current of the static in a way fascinated me. I couldn’t quite figure out where each sound was coming from or how the old-school projector that was turned on about halfway through the set fit in, but knowing isn’t the point, is it?
Although just as electronic feeling as the previous acts, Stud took a more literal organic approach to their noise. Using a giant wooden log to create an almost eerie ambiance and with sounds that seemed to revolve around water, the best way to describe Stud’s performance would be by just using the word “nature.” There were moments throughout Stud’s set where I felt like I was on a calm lake up in northern Minnesota, just listening to the loon and droplets of water from other creatures in the water. It was beautiful but juxtaposed by more abrasive sounds created by the log being scratched and jammed into the ground. Was this a political statement about the environment? Am I reading into it too far?
Closing out the night was the one and only SEER. Okay, I say that like I know this human and have heard of them before, but, truthfully, I haven’t– it was just clear that the good-for-a-Wednesday-night-noise-show crowd was ready to take in all that SEER had to offer. Although I could question the meaning behind the first three acts of the night, SEER’s performance was a bit clearer to me. It was a politically charged set that brought light to the terrible anti-trans movement happening right now. Sure, the “Support Trans Kids” t-shirt gave that away a little bit, but, really, it was in the aggression and slight desperation that I felt in their sounds between samples of politicians talking about the subject matter. Ending the night with SEER was perfect because it gave me so much to think about but still left me with so many questions such as…
What did I miss? Sure, I could sit here and dig into the meaning of each band. The meaning behind Seer and Stud seemed to be a bit obvious, but was Nursing Death’s set a statement on old-school Hollywood because of the projector, and maybe Estranged Flesh’s was a statement on the border wall (I say that because of the fence used in the performance)? Are there deep meanings behind noise acts like that, or is it meant to be just that- noise?
What were people nodding their heads to? There is no time signature when it comes to noise, yet there were moments throughout the night when I would catch multiple people nodding in unison. What were they hearing that I wasn’t? I won’t lie; I texted my boyfriend, who was standing right next to me, about this, and his response, although dramatic and smart-assy, made me think. He said, “Don’t you feel it, babe?” Again, I know he was being a bit of an ass by saying that, but then I focused on my feet against the floor and felt the vibration of everything I was hearing. Although I still didn’t feel a discernable beat in it, I did appreciate the fact that I could feel different wavelengths traveling up my body when I focused on this element.
Who is really out there, sitting around, and suddenly comes up with the idea that a vibrator against a fence would make a cool sound? Or who in their right mind looks at a log and is like, “Yeah, that’s my new instrument.” I know that sounds bratty in a way, but I’m being serious and don’t mean any offense. I think my question about this portion of the night is out of sheer jealousy. I wish I was that creative and could come up with different things that make unique sounds to the point where they could be incorporated into music.
Is every noise set different? The log that Stud was using clearly doesn’t have specific notes or keys, and by the end of the set, the log was pretty destroyed, meaning they would have to find a new one, so that would change everything, right? Do noise artists come to the stage with a particular “song” in mind? Or is it purely abstract art served up with a fearless sense of improvisation and whimsy?
This leads me to my final question– is noise music? Or is it just noise? Without a discernable beat and with the use of unconventional things as vessels of sound, do people really sit at home listening to this while they make dinner and think that they have just found the perfect soundtrack for that moment? Or is it all about how creative you can be with tones and vibrations? Are there people sitting at their desks right now, getting ready to jump into work, and they have acts like any of these that I saw on Wednesday night softly playing in the background?
I’m confused and frustrated by Wednesday night but also overjoyed that I live in a town with venues that will host this. Did I see a concert? I honestly don’t know. What I do know is I saw a showing of beautiful creativity that sparked something in me. Wednesday night was my first true noise show, but I surely hope it isn’t my last. Are you in the noise scene here in Minneapolis? Let’s chat. I genuinely want to understand and would love to check out another show like this, but truthfully, I just stumbled into this one and don’t know where to go next.
Line Up:
Venue: Zhora Darling
Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable
Average Age of the Crowd: 37
Crowd Surfers- 0
Stage Divers- 0
Mosh-ability- 0 out of 10
Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- 0
Broken Bones- None Noticed
Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing
Fights- None Witnessed
Pukers- 0
Passed Out People- 0
Idiots Taken Out By Security – 0
How Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-
Estranged Flesh – 0
Nursing Death – 0
Stud – 0
SEER – 0
Celebrity Sightings – None
Overall Score – 7 out of 10
Show on Deck —Jillian Rae / Laura Hugo / Katy Tessman / Emmy Woods
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