Blackcloudsummoner - Spend the Night.

Blackcloudsummoner – Spend the Night – Live 2019-2022- Download – 2022.

https://blackcloudsummoner.bandcamp.com/album/spend-the-night-live-2019-2022

      1.       HYPERION IN REVERSE (LIVE @JT SOAR 16TH JAN 2020)

      2.       WHEEZING JUNK (LIVE AT CENTRALA 11 JUNE 2021)

      3.       LOVE SONG (LIVE AT THE AUXILIARY 23RD JULY 2021)

      4.       FOLD YOUR BLOOD IN HALF (LIVE AT THE CHAMELEON 6TH MARCH 2022)

I am driving Blackcloudsummoner and Itching to a gig at Birmingham Centrala 11^th June 2021, we reach the city centre of Birmingham.

Me – ‘Guys the sky is looking very cloudy today.’

Blackcloudsummoner – ‘Come on lads, get back in the box you’re out too early!”

One of our beloved Nottingham’s lead noise projects is Blackcloudsummoner, along with Itching, there is no posturing or hype, only the delivery on recordings and live performances. Whenever I see the steel dragon on the outskirts of the city centre, I can’t help but think of the project and how much I love the work. I don’t know where he came from, suddenly he was there, playing gigs, doing his own zines and releases. The recent coming out of Blackcloudsummoner as a queer project has been epic and straight to the point. Photos in lingerie straight out online declarations of Queerness, no build up, no hints, again, it just happened. I fully support this and fully endorse the greatness of the project live and on record as you can see from past reviews. Spend the Night consists of four live performances across 4 years, I think I was at 2 of them.

The first recorded performance is from JT Soar in Nottingham – Hyperion in Reverse. This has that weird Blackcloudsummoner sound that uses quirky sounds that sound like nothing else. It indicates how the project seems to influence and inform itself, it has an awareness of its surroundings and contemporaries, but any influence (if it exists) is stripped down to what suits the project and keeps it self-protected whilst expanding upon what it does. The noise and the occult factors of the project get stranger the more you look at them. If I am honest analysing the work of the project only builds up more questions.  I’d describe the sound as startling, it feels as if it is grabbing sunlight, mangling it into a different shape and throwing it back out to the listener.

Recorded nearly a year and a half later as gigs gradually returned after lockdown, Wheezing Junk interrupts the audience’s conversation aggressively, it coughs at them and begins to converse within itself, simultaneously projecting outwards at the same time.  The sound has an immediately more noticeable bad mood to it, a sullen sound, not happy, no rays of sunshine bounced around in different forms. I say that, yet a playfulness does enter the sound later in the performance, but it is way screwier than the previous performance. It is like someone simultaneously being playful and threatening at the same time. This evolves into throbbing hostility, not an explosion but the sound pulls back, slows down and drags into a restrained sonic tantrum.

Hot on the heels of the Centrala performance comes Love Song, how it interrupts the audience uses a lot more aggression than before, it throws screeching jolts and contact mic abuse. Both elements increase what they do to multiply their effect until the sounds howl out, launching outwards off the distortion. I’d describe this as Harsh Noise’s wierdo one off cousin, locked within the explosive conversation of their own sound. Love Song is way Joltier than previous performances, cutting off and starting out in new directions a lot. The screwed up playful sound returns later in the set, it bends and reshapes the light, there is less menace here only a fuller redelivery. It says, “look at me, I am going off, freaking out, nobody else does it this way so soak it in!” This moment is everything beautiful about the work of the project raining over the audience, even the long collapse of the sound is perfect.

Eight months later, four months ago, Fold Your Blood in Half happens at Chameleon in Nottingham. This one has a quiet start, the intro is subtle, the sound tries different things, each performance does this, but this one does it more so. There is a lot of drag to the sound, it scrapes a lot, the contact microphone sounds really emphasise this. It isn’t aggressive, here we have a depressive, blacker sound for sure. Feedback is left wailing for longer until other noise joins in, the atmospheres roll out for long periods of time. The project has clearly retained its one-off qualities whilst going elsewhere. The work of the project is done with a less busy palette, everything is subtle. I like the sudden leap forwards, progression never stops. The clouds came out at just the right time on this day.

Beautiful work, the performances all differ from each other, the development of the work is consistent and never loses its individuality. Well worthy of purchase.

Army of one, eradicator of all scene cliques 2022.

Gig Review - Knifedoutofexistence, Blackcloudsummoner, Itching, Steckdose, Cites Prepare for Attack, Pale World.

 

Knifedoutofexistence, Blackcloudsummoner, Itching, Steckdose, Cites Prepare for Attack, Pale World.

Birmingham Centrala Space,

Friday 11^th June 2021.

I’d been to Centrala previously to see Tunnels of Ah, Satori and Colosloth play over a year ago, I found it a pleasant venue and it was a good gig. This venue’s reputation as one of the key venues for creative culture in Birmingham is now intact. Centrala has an art gallery, café/bar, book shop and sells music: I was excited at the thought of visiting there again. What I didn’t expect is that this socially distanced gig (my first in well over a year) was that it was held in the upstairs gallery, which was a massive space instead of the downstairs area all acts played in last time round!

The first set was a brief one by Pale World, now this performance set the benchmark high - Joe Parkes was crouched on the floor, hitting and throwing a piece of sheet metal that was contact microphoned up and this created a loud assault. There was feedback added to this and mournful drones that came through as the metal abuse slowed down. It was a simple but incredibly effective set. I have seen a handful of sets over the years that use a minimal amount of gear to strong effect, this did that perfectly. I am a fan for sure now as I have been playing stuff off the Bandcamp since this night.

Pale World.

Steckdose was meant to play next, there were technical issues with his equipment, so Cities Prepare for Attack played second.  This was a surprise I wasn’t expecting, I knew of the name as I have met Andrew Cooke a few times and I was expecting some sort of guitar drone type work. It wasn’t like that. There was a guitar that was amped up, I am usure if there were extra pickups or contact microphones added, but the guitar would be hit with different metal instruments to make different sounds. The clanging ranged from dreamy psychedelic sounds to harsher noise reminiscent of the torture scenes in the Ipcress File film and many moods in-between. This all created complex experimental music - another highlight of the night.

Cities Prepare for Attack.

The Steckdose technical issues were sorted out by this time and his set began. I liked the minimal feel the sound started with – just a slow, pulsating hum that wavered and shifted gradually. There was a constant feeling of intense focus on the sound, the feedback that started to punctuate the sound even further concentrated and controlled. Drones emerged that cut through all of this and built up like an infected storm, the intensity to the sound was consistent as it accelerated, getting busier. There was a sense of purpose and discipline to the intricate details that cut into the storm of noise. Steckdose’s relentless, microscopic eye to detail created a constant tension that gripped the audience. This was by far the tightest set of the night, an exercise in sheer control, this artist knew what they were doing and demonstrated that perfectly.

Steckdose.

I have reviewed Itching several times before. The project is by Henry Davies and has replaced his Nacht Und Nebel project that ran for many years. The Cello was the source for all Nacht und Nebel’s sounds, Cat Purrs are the source for all of Itching’s noise and this started the set - due to the volume of the PA, this really filled the gallery making the audience feel like they were inside a happy cat. The source sound gradually began to distort and crackle adding unease to the happiness. It became something else that became increasingly apocalyptic and fractured as the set evolved. The purr eventually came back and the distortion faded all harmony was restored. I like the continued originality of the source materials; this was a powerful set that demonstrated effective methods that truly delivered solid results.

Itching.

Blackcloudsummoner followed Itching. There was a real element of performance here, the sound was immediately there was an aspect of him being the depressed DJ blasting shards of dark, chaotic weirdness at the still audience, his use of noise was immense, fractured and odd. I liked how he really seemed to get off and react his own cacophony as it grew and filled up the space. It is difficult to clearly describe what went off as the build-up and sounds were very odd (when I repeatedly use the word odd, it is meant as a compliment as there is no one else that sounds like this). Blackcloudsummoner’s set was haunted, very impressive, easily the darkest set of the night and the best performance that I have seen by the project so far - a unique one off.

Blackcloudsummoner.

I have seen Knifedoutofexistence several times in the past and reviewed much of his work – there seems to be constant progression occurring here. The set seemed to start from slow rumbles until sharper sounds began to cut in and take over, this is how the sound intensified. I am always raving about how Dean Lloyd Robinson is the master of burying his vocal behind his noise, so it is still a vocal, but also part of the noise – he did that to the full. At one point he was joined by Richard of Unyielding Love and the two as a duo was impressive. Dean’s vocal became less coherent and noisy at one point, so it was pure noise. A melody then enters the set towards the end and he appeared to sing for a time, before it all broke down to noise and shouting again, this was strong how he just did it, successfully weaving it into the set. Knifedoutofexistence alone is strong, backed by the rise of his label Outsider Art, Llloyd Robinson has surrounded himself by similar thinking Harsh Noise and Power Electronics artists old and new that forms a new chapter in the History of the movement (I am aware there are many chapter’s occurring). This set was an intense, dramatic finale to the end of the night.

Knifedoutofexistence.

Often at these sorts of busy gig line ups there will be a bad act, or someone who isn’t as good as the others – this wasn’t the case here. All six acts were different and strong in their delivery making it one of the best noise gigs that I have ever been to.

Coventry Soul 2021.

Artist Links:

http://centrala-space.org.uk/  

https://outsiderart.bigcartel.com/   

https://knifedoutofexistence.bandcamp.com/

https://blackcloudsummoner.bandcamp.com/music

https://itching.bandcamp.com/

https://paleworld.bandcamp.com/

https://steckdose.bandcamp.com/

Blackcloudsummoner, Wet Mirror and Itching.

Nottingham Noise – a recent round up of works by Blackcloudsummoner and Itching.

https://blackcloudsummoner.bandcamp.com/music

https://itching.bandcamp.com/

https://territorialgobbing.bandcamp.com/merch

Itching is from the same creator (Henry Davies) as the Nacht Und Nebel project and Blackcloudsummoner like Itching is a Nottingham, UK based project. There have been 17 Blackcloudsummoner releases (including splits) and four Itching releases and two compilation appearances. Both have played many live shows around the UK in recent years. All releases in this review are available in physical and digital from the links above.

Itching – Itching – Cassette/Download – Self Released – 2020.

As Nacht und Nebel came to an end, Henry started the project Itching. After a couple of compilation appearances, he has recently released Itching’s first six track cassette. It was common for Nacht und Nebel to frequently self-release cassettes as well as working with many other labels, Itching continues the self-releasing tradition.

The album begins with lone cat purrs as all the sounds are constructed from field recordings of different cats purring. This is immediately intensified through the sound treatment of the purrs and multiplication of different purrs on top of one another. As the sounds echo and resonate, they create a powerful mass which at times is cut into with other purrs or distorted to alter the core sound, allowing it to shift far from its original sound identity and become a variety of pulsating noises. At first the notion of Purrs may sound strange, but Nacht und Nebel was created from treated Cello sounds and experimental is as experimental does. This is the same methods used to continue making strong distinctive noise which is unique and very well thought out. This is pushed and used to full effect to create a wide range of varying sound pieces held together by the frequent fall back to pure purr.

I am also impressed by the noise pyrotechnics demonstrated as they rise and fall back down to a recognisable purr before warping off somewhere else. This is a strong, impressive debut release.

Itching & Blackcloudsummoner – CDR/Download – Self Released – 2020.

Itching (as Nacht und Nebel) and Blackcloudsummoner have played live together and toured the UK with Luxury Mollusc in recent years. They have also collaborated on several split releases in the past. This is the first collaboration with Henry performing as Itching. There are two twenty-minute tracks on this release they are ‘Hunks of Spoiling Flesh on Disintegrating Bones’ and ‘Setting the Body to ‘NO’’.

The sound of this release compared to the Itching tape is darker. It echoes a lot as the sounds build and multiply up from lone purrs. Feedback begins to cut into it as the storm is in full flight. The titles are negative, as are the sounds – both combined build this feeling perfectly. At times, the sound really erupts and crackles as if falling apart or in pain, even the warm rumble of Itching’s sound sources at times blasts like a roaring pit as the volume and distortion rise.

Small details become apparent whenever the sound eases off, tiny clicks and chipping sounds. The happiness of the purr comes through the darkness of the noise– all these details give it other aspects of sounds and moods. making the quieter parts of the album as important as the heavier passages, they also lighten the moods that have built up across the split. In contrast to this, play it on a lower volume and it churns a lot more darkness at you - strange that.

I like this album, both artists combine to form a perfect whole. Each of them has a strong track record that continues here to make for an exceptionally good album. Looking back this is one of my top 2020 releases but can’t say that officially as I only got it last week in April 2021.

Blackcloudsummoner – Ugly Inside – Cassette/Download – Self Released – 2020.

Ugly Inside is the 15^th Blackcloudsummoner release, there has been a steady flow of releases on Tape and CDR since 2017. Blackcloudsummoner has been reviewed several times on this blog over recent years.

The album starts with a track called Rusty cage; I am keen to point this track out as it sees the quirky charm of the project shining through. The organ like loops throb whilst sounding mournful, creating a distorted, hybrid funeral soundtrack. This plays out on a bed of distortion as sounds go off in the background as if a child’s keyboard is being used as a jam instrument. This feels like early noise/PE through its’ raw production whilst being cut into through the playfulness of the keyboard sounds.

The sound seems to melt for Faceless Ghost and starts to scrape, splutter and screech. Despite this, the sound refuses to die, despite this there are glimpses of beauty that shine through via quirkiness of the noise that makes this project unique. What’s established here is a negative blast that is the sound of death and that carries through into Music Like Escaping Blood which starts as a background conversation of sounds that suddenly erupts. This too has epic rises of noise punctuated by beautiful oddness.

A display of Death Synth resonance forms Ugly Inside, this echoes and marvels at itself until punctuated by screeches and clangs of metal. The mix to this really restrains it, so it radiates a distanced ambience and more beauty flows through because of this.

This is an outstanding release.

Wet Mirror – CDR/Download – Self Released – 2021.

https://archive.leftove.rs/documents/grid/title/nepa_news

Wet Mirror is a new project that is a collaboration between Andrew from Blackcloudsummoner and Territorial Gobbing from Leeds. I will confess I have not heard Territorial Gobbing before.

Of the four releases this one along with Itching really stands out on it’s own. The sound sources Territorial Gobbing uses are equally unique:

Recordings of water and cycling through mud manipulated on reel-to-reel and Dictaphones, guitar, vocals, floor tom, objects (on floor tom or otherwise), synth and live manipulations of a Capitol Hill riot livestream.

The cover is from a collage made from illustrations in a 1970s prison newspaper called Nepa News, this was a short-lived prison newspaper that had articles written by prisoners. It discussed the conditions they were kept in; their treatment in prison, their rights and it ran for 18 issues from 1973 – 1975. There is a link to pdfs of each issue above, it makes for impressive reading of prison conditions of the times. This is coupled with interior art by Blackcloudsummoner, I can’t ask for more. Blackcloudsummoner does a zine called Baked Arcana that is well worthy of inspection.

The sounds on this recording are as you can imagine, interesting. A lot of it is done quietly, so sounds communicate with space and depth created by the quiet. At times it is like Small Cruel Party and Spoils and Relics nasty, distant cousin, at other times it radiates beauty. Like all of the releases in this review, it is its own thing. Even the noisier pieces go off on their own tangent.

This warped lockdown recording is very ‘out there’, an obscure gem.

Army of One 2021.

Blackcloudsummoner & Pale World.

 

Blackcloudsummoner and Pale World – II – Outsider Art – Cassette/Download – 2020 – OA058

https://outsiderart.bandcamp.com/album/ii

https://paleworld.bandcamp.com/

https://blackcloudsummoner.bandcamp.com/

https://outsiderart.bigcartel.com/

      1.  Ever-Open Door.

      2.  Forced Human Extinction.

      3.  Moon of Abstract Time.

      4.  Slitting the Throat of the World.

II is the second collaboration between Pale World and Blackcloudsummoner, all tracks are collaborative. Ever-Open Door sounds like a soundtrack to another dimension as feedback and echoing clang metal go off. This goes on for a while, creating horrid mental landscapes. Deep drones seem to overwhelm everything as their deep rumble resonates around everything. As this really kicks in the sound is massive with the lead sounds allowed space so that they really create a rich, overlaid atmosphere. As the Ever-Open Door falls back into the distance, what sound like hymns being sung finish everything off.

Forced Human Extinction demonstrates aggressive electronics to produce a ruthless sound. Sounds seem to layer on top of each other when you feel it can’t possibly expand further. Screaming noises are woven into the sonic texture; this is more hellish than the opener. The electronics are very disciplined and effective until piano playing interrupts as if to cut off the chaos.

Moon of Abstract Time demonstrates a determination to out do all that came before it on this tape. The nasty electronics reek of depravation and suffering as noises scream like voices continually. As the track progresses the deep churning sounds stay the same, but the over laying noise seems to get increasingly demented as it warps out. I like the unique nastiness of this work as it erodes itself to an end.

The demented qualities of the sound work to maximum effect as a warped Slitting the Throat of the World drags itself along. As the electronics gain speed the sound grows and intensifies massively into another huge display of negativity. The smaller sounds that exist within the chaos interest me, they are quirky and odd like a lot of Blackcloudsummoner and Pale World noises often are. This is the longest track between the two artists and the twisted language between them really builds and moves throughout.

I am pleased Outsider Art is picking up on a lot of odd, warped variations of Power Electronics like this that are emerging, as releases like this really are amongst the best new work out there today.

Euphoricbullshitvibe 2020.

Blackcloudsummoner - Blood Music.

Blackcloudsummoner – Blood Music – Cassette/Download – Self Released – 2020

https://blackcloudsummoner.bandcamp.com/album/blood-music

        1.    Part 1.

        2.    Part 2.

High pitched wailing introduces a project that I am now well familiar with Blackcloudsummoner, serious frequency abuse lets me know that the work has begun. There’s a gentle side and an in contrast there is an aggressive side which is the side that this release revels in. There is an esoteric feel to the noise. Shifting, differing high pitches seem to argue with each other, whilst continually altering what’s being said by the sound. Something is nature like about the sound as it develops, like angry birds singing against each other. At times this feels like it is screaming at me and as it accelerates, the work becomes manic as if teetering on the edge of a malfunction. As this happens, the sound becomes more computerised, crashing and screaming out of a chaotic void, not a wall, a huge bleeding, writhing void. The die out is a fantastic, brief display of Harsh Noise.

Deep bass like drops and short screeches of sound introduce part 2. At first it sounds desolate as it is just a play off between bass drops and sharp noise as if both are taunting each other. The square up continues until a wailing sound takes over and intensifies the blackness, as if a flute with a tune of blackness, a Pied Piper leading us to our death. This is a lot bleaker than the first part, by far. As this builds up and becomes more crowded, the intensity and urgency rise increasingly. You can feel the overload coming as the use of distortion thickens up the sound, leaving no space – this is chaos.

Listening to this, the project clearly occupies its own territory. The works rips into itself then projects outwards. It is abusive yet affectionate, there are a lot of contrasts playing off each other in this cassette. The self is digested and spat out, limited to 13 copies, buy one before they go as this is Top work.

Nevis Kretini 2020.

Oil of Vervain & Blackcloudsummoner.

Oil of Vervain / Blackcloudsummoner – Split release – Downloadcassette – 2020.

https://blackcloudsummoner.bandcamp.com/

https://oilofvervain.bandcamp.com/

http://www.stevelarder.co.uk/?LMCL=XoaPz6

Oil of Vervain

      1.    Strange Lights.

      2 .    Ciara.

      3.    Non-Human presence.

Blackcloudsummoner

      1.    Hyperion.

I haven’t heard Oil of Vervain before, I have heard some of the bands Steve Larder has been in and I have heard his guitar contributions to some Blackcloudsummoner tracks. But Oil of Vervain is quiet in comparison to his other work. It has the delicate sound of guitar strummed and picked; I am not sure if other sounds are overlaid. The melody of the guitar always resonates as the lead element, some ambient sounds seem to play off in the background and the sense of space within the sound is very well emphasised. The builds in sound are beautiful as is the vocal on the second track Ciara. The guitar sound has a warmth to it, yet the mood is sombre, and this side of the release is excellent.

I am left with the question is this work perfect as it is, or does the project need to expand into a band? Either way, carry on like this and you cannot go wrong as I was surprised by this and am impressed by Oil of Vervain’s rich qualities.

I have now reviewed Blackcloudsummoner once and is one of my ‘to watch’ new noise projects, I have many releases, seen the project live and highly recommend it. Subtle noise and sometimes hostile esoteric noise are the general feel of the project, yet Hyperion is surprisingly ‘even more’ hostile than usual. There is a lot of blasting noise and scraping, arching drones that combine to make for a combative sound. Feedback builds up and is shot into the work and seems to bring on immense shifts in sound. The way this is constructed ensures that the uniqueness of the project remains intact as it still doesn’t sound like anything else out there.

The Blackcloudsummoner side has a huge sound, it is the darkest, most forceful and intense work that I have heard so far in the discography. The question I am left with is, is this Blackcloudsummoner’s best work so far? I can’t tell and can’t stop listening to it.

Both projects give excellent performances on this cassette making it one of my favourite releases so far, this year.

Nevis Kretini 2020.

Blackcloudsummoner - Four Breaths

Blackcloudsummoner – Four Breaths – Download/CDr – 2020

https://blackcloudsummoner.bandcamp.com/

1. Ultraheaven Crawling Fortress.
2.  Indoor Nebula.
3. You, Me + the Rocks.
4. Old Painless.

Blackcloudsummoner is one of those obscure projects that I hit upon a while back, a friend mentioned the project in passing so I enquired and found out more and bought some releases. The work grabbed me immediately which led to me buying more and more albums. Live, there has been tours with Nacht und Nebel and Luxury Mollusc as well as many other performances around the UK. Part of the beauty of Blackcloudsummoner is its obscurity, this project is always somewhere in the background occurring and developing, it isn’t in any cliques, it isn’t shamelessly pushed around on the web, it just exists and finds you – that’s how I feel in regards to my discovery of this work.

The sound is unique, it has a certain quietness to it, there is real variance in the tracks as there is continual, varied, odd experimentation occurring throughout the release. There are some strong combinations with guitar noise (Steve Larder) with the drones which really builds up and resonated strongly. The gentler noise sounds are beautiful, and they too build up and really throb the speakers on occasions as if sparkling and glowing in the bright light.

In contrast, hostility does exist within parts of the sound, it isn’t all sparkling light. You, Me + the Rock is a key example of this, digital frequency abuse pulsates at me. The slightest rise in sound or break from the quiet spaciousness raises the intensity and can easily shift the mood of the work.There are crackles pops and antagonistic drones that resonate darkness – the dark/light contrast that exists in the sound is constant. 

Pulling back to the experimentation, I cannot work out how the tracks on Four Breaths tie together, there is so much going on as if a lot of work was carefully worked through and eventually selected. This is all strong work and its quirkiness is impressive. It does tie in together, I just cannot explain how, but I can’t explain a lot about this project and that is what has kept me coming back. This is a strong release.

Nevis Kretini 2020.