Building poetry out of the everyday
Think of 90 minutes of ear shattering energy packed drumming and percussion on the move. Think of wild, imaginative and fun. Think of http://www.stomp.co.uk/, a rousing piece of musical theatre.
On Saturday night, Istana Budaya Kuala Lumpur reverberated with noise as infectious rhythms banged out on bits and pieces of janitor’s junk, syncopated by stomping feet and martial arts kicks. Sticks and people danced in seemingly artless choreography as the performers clumped into a tribe of urban warriors, street-fighting hooligans with split-second timing and an infectious sense of rhythm.
Stomp! is created by Luke Cresswell, founder member of the wild street band Pookienackenburger (sadly now defunct), formerly half of the ‘junk percussion’ duo Urban Warriors who trashed a Daimler on ‘The Tube’. In Stomp! Cresswell, fellow ex-Pookie Steve McNicholas and five other actors, dancers and musicians beat - an insanely talented cast - clap and tap out a bewildering inventive variety of sounds on anything from oil drums to brooms and Zippo lighters.
Before I saw Stomp!, I thought the idea of seven people on a stage drumming dustbins and clashing the lids together is the kind of thing which gives performance art a bad name. When I actually saw Stomp! I can see that the entire audience at Istana Budaya was mesmerised. Intoxicated is more like it. Stomp is visually arresting. Full of personality: the cast dance like warriors. Infectious rhythmic drumming. Some of the audience stomp their feet for an encore.
I thought it was ingenious the way they make music out of "janitor's junk" - such as boots, bins, brushes, bags, tea towels, sand, cigarette lighters, rubbish and junk. Who would expect an empty water bottle creating one of the most impressive scenes of the evening, at once visually stunning, surprisingly delicate and rhythmically inspired.
The noise, beautifully sustained, modulated and orchestrated, won’t let your mind quit for a second: the sounds are a magical aural phantasmagoria that impinge wondrously on the ear. Quite wonderful that you forget that all they’re doing is smashing bin lids together. It’s not Mozart, but it is fun and it is disconcertingly infectious.
I thought it was wonderful the way the Stomp cast take a little something and build it into something powerful. Taking something simple and turning it into a complex experience - it is art made out of the everyday. Building poetry out of everyday life.
On Saturday night, Istana Budaya Kuala Lumpur reverberated with noise as infectious rhythms banged out on bits and pieces of janitor’s junk, syncopated by stomping feet and martial arts kicks. Sticks and people danced in seemingly artless choreography as the performers clumped into a tribe of urban warriors, street-fighting hooligans with split-second timing and an infectious sense of rhythm.
Stomp! is created by Luke Cresswell, founder member of the wild street band Pookienackenburger (sadly now defunct), formerly half of the ‘junk percussion’ duo Urban Warriors who trashed a Daimler on ‘The Tube’. In Stomp! Cresswell, fellow ex-Pookie Steve McNicholas and five other actors, dancers and musicians beat - an insanely talented cast - clap and tap out a bewildering inventive variety of sounds on anything from oil drums to brooms and Zippo lighters.
Before I saw Stomp!, I thought the idea of seven people on a stage drumming dustbins and clashing the lids together is the kind of thing which gives performance art a bad name. When I actually saw Stomp! I can see that the entire audience at Istana Budaya was mesmerised. Intoxicated is more like it. Stomp is visually arresting. Full of personality: the cast dance like warriors. Infectious rhythmic drumming. Some of the audience stomp their feet for an encore.
I thought it was ingenious the way they make music out of "janitor's junk" - such as boots, bins, brushes, bags, tea towels, sand, cigarette lighters, rubbish and junk. Who would expect an empty water bottle creating one of the most impressive scenes of the evening, at once visually stunning, surprisingly delicate and rhythmically inspired.
The noise, beautifully sustained, modulated and orchestrated, won’t let your mind quit for a second: the sounds are a magical aural phantasmagoria that impinge wondrously on the ear. Quite wonderful that you forget that all they’re doing is smashing bin lids together. It’s not Mozart, but it is fun and it is disconcertingly infectious.
I thought it was wonderful the way the Stomp cast take a little something and build it into something powerful. Taking something simple and turning it into a complex experience - it is art made out of the everyday. Building poetry out of everyday life.
posted by Penglipur Lara at
9:25 PM
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