Peter Broderick @ Manchester Academy, 8/02/09
Photo by Ronan Thenadey
If you ever find yourself in a situation with a man writhing around on the floor by your feet, making guttural sounds and shaking a rattle, you’d be well advised to step away quietly and try not to make a scene.
Unless of course, the man in question has just spent the last hour playing truly beautiful music, and the aforementioned writhing comes at the climax of his set.
Peter Broderick, of Portland, Oregon, and more recently of Copenhagen, was in town to play Manchester Academy 3. He seemed thrilled with the turnout, and it appeared that everyone in the room was just as thrilled to be there.
You could see why the crowd was rapt – Broderick is one of those fellows who seems able to just play whatever musical instrument he happens to trip over. Not only that, but he plays solo and makes use of looping pedals to build layers and layers of sounds which range from a plaintive piano line, a sprinkling of guitar, then maybe some violin, a dash of digital fuzz, some field recordings, and on and on. A bowed saw even came into play at one point, and he also uses his voice as an instrument in its own right.
Watching an aficionado such as Broderick slowly crafting song after song, it’s wonderful how natural and organic the process seems. On one track, he appeared to catch the end of the crowd’s applause at the beginning of a violin loop by accident, before incorporating the sound into the song, resulting in yet another wall of sound – truly some of the most innovative crowd participation I’ve ever seen.
Peter Broderick sings songs of feelings and memories, clearly touched by the pleasures and pressures of traveling and finding a new base – indeed one of his two albums from 2008 was entitled Home. But he seems more than capable of turning wherever he is into his own space, taking all the sounds he finds familiar, and presenting them lovingly to his willing fans. From his cocoon-like throne surrounded by instruments, cables and boxes, the music he plays feels as precise and orderly as it does chaotic and spontaneous.
For an insight into Broderick’s beautiful mind, we’d thoroughly recommend that you check out either of his albums from last year – the more acoustic, folksy Home or the more ambient, instrumental Float – although they both compliment each other very nicely. But given his prolific nature, it’s fairly safe to say he will be back in the North West before long, and his live show is an enchanting experience. Keep an eye out for him.
Paul Capewell
