Warpaint

13th of May, 2011

O2 Academy, Oxford

Went to see Warpaint, an L.A. band currently being heavily courted by the hype machine – an all girl quartet with a critically adored debut album, as well as having celebrity connections – singer Emily Kokal dated former Red Hot Chilli Pepper John Frusciante, bassist Jenny Lee Lindberg is the sister of actress Shannyn Sossamon, etc… But like the excited music press, I’d also become smitten by The Fool, which was released by Rough Trade in late October 2010.

Support is from London-based Kiwi oddball Connan Mockasin, whose sound is primarily floaty ambient-jazz soundscapes. His fragile child-like voice recalls Bowie on helium or after some terrible shrinking accident. Connan seems relieved by the politeness of the audience, almost to the point of nervous self-deprecation (this makes sense when you realise he’s had toilet roll and all sorts thrown onstage at him during past gigs). His dad Joe is persuaded to join in on some of the numbers, and some informal jamming begins. Mockasin’s set is trippy and full of strange whimsy, with songs like “Unicorn In Uniform” and “Please Turn Me Into the Snat” (mystical half snake/half rat creature), but his manner is reserved, his stage presence fairly static and the sound sometimes too low to compete with the chatter of the disinterested portion of the audience. It’s obvious this is something different, and liable to pass by the less than patient ears of the Friday night crowd unappreciated.

He closes with the climactic title track from his new (repackaged) album Forever Dolphin Love, bowing his disarrayed blonde mop of hair over his guitar in concentration as he bangs out a pretty emotive crescendo of sound for the finale. It seems this ten minute epic has somehow finally gotten through to the audience, as the girl behind me breathlessly remarks, “That last one was pretty awesome!”

For all his struggles on the gig circuit it’s heartening to know there is someone bringing artistry and diversity back into music and the record is a thing of mystifying beauty, imagination and off-kilter arrangements that seeps into your mind and stays there.

Warpaint arrive on stage in their thrift store stylings of floral prints, baggy grey knitwear, trainers and ‘just got out of bed’ hair. Their understated wardrobe remind me of another favorite all-girl combo The Raincoats, but as their hypnotic weaving rhythms start, it’s clear they have their own musical forces of magic to rely on.

They begin with “Set Your Arms Down”, a haunting ripple of spectral guitars underpinned by Jenny Lee Lindberg’s authoritative throbbing bass, the lyrics all confrontational – duels with pocket knives .

Next is “Warpaint”, an ethereal dissonance that drives on with Theresa Wayman’s reimagining of 80’s post-punk angular riffing and layered with the washed out sensuality of Emily Kokal’s sleepy vocals.

We’re also treated to single “Undertow”, which sprawls with a subtle languorous melody, sweeping the powerless listener blissfully under the surf. This is possibly the highlight of the set.

The name Warpaint implies hot-blooded warriors, battle cries and the pelts of slain beasts as headwear, but instead the atmosphere is that of an eerie, almost insular female clan dancing around a cold blue campfire, reinforced by the glassy guitar and chanted three way vocal chorus of “Composure”.

Incredibly, although there’s an organic narcolepsy in the way the songs develop, there’s also a focus and a tightness which, when balanced together, pulls off a near-perfect aural treat. Their sound is dreamy and impressionistic at times yet also driven by a pounding, tribal urgency, think My Bloody Valentine and early Cure crossed with The Slits.

All the girls have fine airy voices that blend flawlessly together, and also stand out well alone, as Emily Kokal demonstrates with the intimate solo strumming of “Baby”, which silences the whole room, even the chatty types at the bar!

They finish with the pounding, bass-heavy “Elephants” from their Exquisite Corpse EP, with Kokal’s hair flying, keening like a banshee “I’ll break your heart to keep you far from where the dangers start”.

It is a neat, finely-tuned performance with not a foot out of step and not a note out of place. The audience is left dazzled, and transfixed with a quiet reverence that lasts even after they leave the premises with their hands stuffed full of leaflets and flyers they were too stunned to refuse.
Believe the hype and go and see them if you can!

Author – Carrie Quartly

I am a transplanted American and music obsessive living in England. Also an avid animal lover and fan of Japanese art toys. I write about my favorite subjects as a hobby and like nothing more than life altering live experiences and supping oddly named cocktails.

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Photo credit: all images by Chris Quartly