Doormouse attacks Bristol
Every now and then you go to see a gig and get blown away. This is why live music is so important. This is why live matters most. I went to see Doormouse play in the Take-Five café and got blown away. Doormouse, aka Dan Martin a Miami based breakcore music-maker who gained UK exposure after his album Broken (on Planet Mu) was featured amongst John Peel’s record box favs for September 2002.

2003 sees him touring the UK with a new release, Method (on Violent Turd), a tour which included one stop in Bristol alongside local acts Sheriff Rosco, Gusset & Parasite.

I'll get to being blown away in a moment, first it is worth addressing the climate across the UK the gig was held during, as it was hard to escape. Bush as also in the UK, and so there I am, late Thursday night, watching the equipment being assembled and wondering what Dubya and Blair are unto. I know they're at the American ambassadors house where GW has got the queen and all that over for dinner. I'm guessing that Blair is there, and maybe they retired after the food for port and cigars (except Dubya don't drink no more) and they're exchanging old war stores, George is telling how he dodged Vietnam and Blair is saying about how he dodged socialism...so here I am, also with an American who is visiting the UK, but where we are and where they are is a world apart. Doormouse isn't protected by a £5million security operation. We're all cramped into a basement under the Take 5 Cafe and Mr.Mouse is rocking the house.

Prior to the gig I'd not heard any Doormouse, I kind-of knew what sort of thing to expect. Prior to playing, he had solid support from Sheriff Rosco, Gusset and Parasite, so the crowd was hyped and ready. The set-up looked interesting; a laptop, mic and sequencer thingy and a mixer. When the time came, Doormouse was poised, not on a stage elevated above the crowd, but in the pit with the rest of us. Poised in his white socks and Bermuda shorts and t-shirt. Given its winter here, this clothing is either a statement of intent ("It's gonna get hot.") or a statement from home ("I from Florida."). The former is the truth; Intent. It got hot. What followed was a blistering assault of talent that proved beyond any doubt that the breakcore scene is one of the most dynamic, innovative and uncompromising happenings of today. Dynamic because Doormouse's sound was electric, dirty and raw. Innovative as he jumped from a Michael Jackson done at 720bpm to playing sampled crowd noises back at the crowd. Innovate as he flipped from rap to punk to death-metal. Uncompromising as he did what he wanted to do, from the 'fuck Bush' lrycis to all-out gabber assault drum beats. You were left in no doubt that this was his sound, done his way - like it or lump it. I liked it so much I brought the CD. Doormouse live is a five star, thumbs up recommended event.

You can see pictures of the event at Gusset's website. To find out more about Doormouse, visit Addict Records.



PS. Another funny IRC exhange from Bash.org:
<@minion> i think abortion is a time travelling alien's plot to stop us from advancing
<@NrK> no
<@NrK> conservitives are