When was the last time that you saw a fully-clothed individual strip themselves of all of their clothing except for their socks, envelope their head and shoulders in a four foot by two foot sheet of bubble wrap, cover their body (and bubble wrap) with stage blood and then proceed to play a few minutes of piano and then about fifteen minutes of some seriously rocking drums on a full kit? Further, when was the last time you saw such a display and were immediately convinced that it was *exactly* what you were needing to see at that very moment? Odds are that your situation isn’t that terribly far removed from my own - this sort of chaos is not your average night’s entertainment. After catching a completely captivating performance from the No Neck Blues Band this past Sunday night I have no choice but to heap yet more praise on this band’s extraordinary talents.
From start to finish, the entire performance was probably of the most enjoyable, involving and daring live shows that I have seen in several years. Keith Connelly started the whole thing off from a seat on the floor with a rapid brush-beat on a drum. His slight push was all it took to get immediate results from a percussively played guitar, another guitar, a bowed cello and some bass. This immediate entry-point took form and started to flow into a very solid jam which featured solid levels of interplay from all of the evening’s five performers. While the movement of the music was already commanding, about fifteen minutes into the performance Dave Nuss turned the intensity of the in-room dynamic up several notches. He was obviously moved by the overall vibe whenever he switched from playing the cello outright to finding ways to perform with the cello and the attached pickup microphone without having to use a bow. From here he dispatched with the cello, moved temporarily to a large drum and then climbed upon a table and began producing various metal items from a pouch that he proceeded to forcefully throw onto the cement floor resulting in a very positive and audible clamor. A few minutes after repeating this exercise was when Nuss proceeded to disrobe and turn himself into a blood and bubble wrap shrouded drumming machine, a role that he relished for the remainder of the set. During the period in which Nuss was on the drums the band’s true groove for the evening set in - steady rhythms coming from both the kit and from Connelly on smaller drums and shakers, a full influx of synthesizer sounds and guitar as well as the occasional accompaniment of the various shouted/chanted vocals. Other inclusions? Well, the use of various visual devices was definitely in play (beekeeper masks, balancing acts, rope tricks), along with the removal and “display” of ceiling tiles, the playing of conch shells just to name a few things. About forty minutes after it all began the final instrument was silenced.
What a fantastic fucking show.
