Lurking down a nondescript alley in Angel, Islington, is Electrowerkz; a venue which is growing increasingly synonymous amongst underground musicians and artists across London and plays host to eclectic nights run by the likes of Wrap records and other such beacons of cool. Mooks went along one rainy Friday evening to sample the delights of ‘I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night’, the maiden voyage at Electrowerkz of a multi-faceted club night which showcases bands, DJs, VJs, stand up comedians, dancers, spoken word performers, installations and also gives away free pies (mince, in this instance).
A recent refit of Electrowerkz has primed the venue perfectly for the evening, a tube carriage houses a cosy bar and DJ booth and sits in the middle of the main room alongside what looks like Dr Henry Jekyll’s workshop, complete with a burning cauldron on which chestnuts roast. Hanging upside down from the rafters is a rather life-like, human-sized, vampire-bat creature. The room in which the bands play has a ceiling made of branches and a one-way mirror into the DJ room.
We catch Black Daniel on stage, a motley crew sporting sunglasses, moustaches and fur coats who specialise in darkened electro rock with a garage twist and whip up the crowd with inspired numbers such as ‘I Love You But Don’t Touch Me ‘Cos You’re Sick’. Headlining the night are The Helmholtz Resonators, five gentlemen in top hats who pound their guitars, keyboards and drums in a melodramatic fashion, dishing out dark and melancholic numbers such as ‘Land Of Dreams’ with the aid of funeral organs, creepy glockenspiels and blood curdling yells.
Elsewhere, the DJs next door bash out a mixture of psych, garage, punk, rock‘n’roll, wonky pop, surf and soul, accompanied by the troubled visions of the resident VJ. In the third and final room poets, dancers, comedians and local artists showcase their audio-visual installations – one of which involves capturing a distorted image of the viewers face and trapping it in an old telly.
If the tonight lacked anything it was punters, which is all the more reason for you to get down to the next one should you find yourself in London town. I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night and Electrowerkz are the perfect combination for a beautifully bizarre night out which doesn’t cost the earth (£3).
http://www.myspace.com/blackdanielspace
http://www.myspace.com/thehelmholtzresonators
http://www.myspace.com/toomuchtodreamnight
Tags: angel islington, Djs, electro, electrowerkz, Too much to dream, Vjs
