“Good evening. Well-fed and happy?” asks Adrian Belew after the customary opening of Conundrum and Thela. Spring-boarding into Red, the Crims are enjoying themselves in the rather grand open-air surroundings they find themselves in on their first of two nights in this venue. During B’BOOM, as the Bruford-Mastelotto combo spread and divide pulse and beat against the swirling ‘scapes backdrop, they create a burgeoning tension, effortlessly building the tension with each passing bar. As they return to the ensemble under the auspices of the THRAK theme, it’s interesting to hear the group fractalise into a series of elemental figures moving independently, occasionally tangling to create new shapes and directions. How much is genuinely improvised and how much of it is habitual can only be gleaned when listening to all the shows across a tour but that’s hindsight. What really matters is right there on the night in question and there’s enough to dazzle, startle and interest an open-eared listener. As the final notes of THRAK recede into the night Belew observes, “That’ll get those digestive juices flowing.”
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