Earlier this week, Shane Parish greeted Merseyside with his presence as a part of his Autechre Guitar tour. It got me thinking of experimentalism in the live space; many billed studio albums, recorded in a live setting. Then there’s the unvarnished approach. Moments like Live at Pageant : Soloveev – the collaboration between Bill Nace and Mike Polizze. Their performance last summer in Philadelphia, captured and finally etched to tape.
It sounds strange to consider Nace a veteran in experimentalism. However, as this decade has seen Bandcamp become a portal for so many new voices to emerge from all across the world, Nace was wrangling with gadgets long before many of them. Alongside Polizze, who himself adds wild flavours to your run-of-the-mill-noise show with an array of untethered and ungodly sounds, together the duo underlines the importance of the living recording. When done right (in this case via a recording on Polizze’s iPhone!), a live recording can thrive, which is exactly what this volley of ideas does.
Live at Pageant : Soloveev is a brain rewiring exercise. A long-form jam of raw energy where the pair showcase their respective skills. Nace has always breached the enclaves within the experimental sound world. (His latest example with Primitive Art Group’s David Watson for On Bats via Amish Records.) Meanwhile, Polizze has found his own way through the briars by bastardising the blues in Purling Hiss and Birds of Maya, while also getting it done through the campfire flames. (Last year’s Around Sound, a considerable highlight.)
Bill Nace / Mike Polizze Duo: Live at Pageant : SoloveevIt’s all captured throughout these 23 minutes of metallic resonance and ear-splitting noise. Nace and Polizze, orchestrating something that feels like psychedelia aping itself. Between Nace’s taishōgoto and Polizze’s guitar, their acid-based tones rage like a wildfire, evoking the thoughts of the most outlandish forms of blues psych. The results see Nace and Polizze existing to dismantle any boundaries previously set.
The frenetic nature of this recording captures the turbulence that exists in one’s mind. Granted, some may see this as just mess and noise, but it is any different to what’s inside your head? The noise is hard to escape, and with a performance like Nace and Polizze’s here, perhaps they are suggesting we embrace the chaos? That precariousness, embodying the spirit of punk as much as anything else.
And speaking of, the bonus of Live at Pageant: Soloveev is that duo put the kibosh on streaming. A boon for the crate digger but also for those who find any excuse not to go to gigs anymore. Whether it be the external pressures of jobs that crush whatever’s left of your soul, family, finances, or all three! Here, Nace and Polizze offer a solution that is the best of both worlds. It’s this reason why it won’t fall into the abyss, as every other artist pedals their odds and ends online. It also that helps that Live at Pageant: Soloveev fucking shreds, of course. Nace and Polizze’s communication, a collision that you want to be a part of. And here’s hoping there’s more of it in the future.
Live at Pageant : Soloveev is out now via Drag City. Purchase from Bandcamp.
