ATP Shellac of North America

Just on the train on the way home from another great ATP. Well, great from the perspective of bands at any rate. The venue (Pontins at Camber Sands) took a bit of adjustment after the relative luxury of previous years — a severely limited choice of food and a bordering-on-the-suicidal bar management policy (running out of three of the four frankly below-par draught beers mid-way through the second day, and chronic understaffing the bars) being the most obvious areas of want. Then there was the frankly baffling security policy — randomly closing exits for no apparent reason, very rigid application of apparently arbitrary traffic control — very rum.

However, rant over, there were some excellent bands on offer — with no real duffers, but here are my highlights...

Day one

The event being curated by Shellac (billed as Shellac of North America, presumably to differentiate them from all the other Shellacs in circulation) this was always going to be a noisy line up, and Bristol's MyOwnFlag were the first to fulfil the promise. Good, honest, angular math rock! Scrawl gave an awesome performance of proto-Riot Grrrl indie (© lazy comparisons 'r' us). They were also the most prominent band in the audiences at the festival — everywhere I turned, I ran across the drummer. I even bumped into them at the station waiting for the train on they way home.

The final highlight of day one was the set by Turing Machine. Great loping grooves and Hawkwind-y motorik stuff going on, with a few nods to the funkier elements of post-punk. Other points of reference: !!!, an altogether noisier Hot Chip (geeks with grooves) and LCD Soundsystem (whose Nancy Whang joined them for the finale).

Day two

Day two brought a further series of delights, starting with Buke and Gase wielding their wonderful series of musical contraptions to superb effect. Coming on like a cross between Throwing Muses, Grizzly Bear, Kate Bush and Rodrigo y Gabriela on acid, they were one of the highlights of the festival. I'd recommend a listen to the recent EP Function Falls and 2010's Riposte (standout track Revel in Contempt).

An unfortunate scheduling clash meant I wasn't able to see the majority of what was promising to be a great set by Wire — the sonic assault of Melt Banana was calling. They didn't dissappont, and the crowd reacted with a volatile mosh pit and more crowd surfing than I've seen in a long time. They even chucked in a cover of “Wonderful World” for good measure. Awesome. This was given a run for its money by Zeni Geva's set, which delivered on the promise of the “prog hardcore metal” label. Even better, however, was KK Null's solo set which unleashed 15 minutes of relentless aural assault.

Day three

The third day delivered delights in the form of The Cravats' skronky para-punk (and best song introduction of the festival: "This song is called I Hate The Universe, which pretty much covers everything"), and The Membranes' bombast. The Ex also impressed, although it did look like they were being menaced by the brass section at times. Then there was the psychedeilic rock of Alix, the best of a number of Italian bands on the bill.

Sunday, however, was all about Dead Rider and Shellac. The former lived up to my expectations — brilliantly unhinged live, and one of the few bands I've seen who seem to manage to translate this to their recordings (2010's The Raw Dents being exactly what I was hoping it would be). Really great chunky, vision-disrupting sub-bass and angular guitar and rhythms combined with a brilliant display of showmanship (verbally abusing the drummer during the drum solo, the virtuosic catch and subsequent seamless donning of an unexpected woolen hat thrown from the crowd) to produce far and away the most entertaining set of the weekend.

And finally to the headliners. Shellac's set was as intense, powerful and accomplished as one has come to expect — they've lost none of their drive in their twenty year career. What sets them apart from the "me too" acts is the biting humour and intelligence exhibited by the band. This was a set for the mind as well as the body. The mid-set Q&A incorporated a grammar lesson, and Steve's impassioned plea to make the bands part of our lives underlined their utter commitment to talent. The closing act of Steve and Bob dismantling Todd's kit as he continued to play was a joy to behold. Inspiring.