A CERTAIN RATIO + HOLY TONGUE – CHALK, BRIGHTON 6.5.23
“Looking for a certain ratio.”, ‘The True Wheel’ – Brian Eno
Some three years after this penned lyric by Mr. Eno along came A Certain Ratio, a group who have come to be regarded as a key component towards bringing funk to the post-punk world. Despite never really attaining commercial success with their twelve studio albums and numerous singles (but, then again who wants something commercial?), ACR have continued to maintain cult status to this day, and Saturday’s show at Brighton’s Chalk, joined by Holy Tongue as support, pretty much solidifies that statement!
A Certain Ratio were among the first bands to be signed to Tony Wilson’s Factory Records, an indie label that was quintessential in acting as the grassroots for many a notable post-punk and indie band such as Joy Division, Happy Mondays and even Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark for a short spell. Originally formed by Simon Topping and Peter Terrell, ACR eventually recruited three key members who still remain in the band to this day in the form of Martin Moscrop, Donald Johnson and Jez Kerr.
Affiliations with the aforementioned Tony Wilson, as well as a John Peel session in 1979, (and two others in 1981 and 1982), eventually lead to the group supporting Talking Heads on their ‘Fear Of Music’ tour that same year. Following the release of their first two major albums ‘The Graveyard And The Ballroom’ (1980) and ‘To Each…’ (1981), ACR had welcomed in the influence of Latin music as well as jazz music and more intricate usages of percussion into their sound palette, leading to their 1982 release ‘Sextet’ possibly being their magnum opus…!
Since ‘Sextet’, the band has gone through a couple intermittent periods of silence and significant line-up changes, including the departure of Topping and Terrell, as well as the introduction of sax player Tony Quigley. They eventually reached their second album of 2020s earlier this year with ‘1982’, an album that acts as a testament to A Certain Ratio’s legacy as a one-of-a-kind post-punk gem.
Saturday night’s line-up featured Moscrop, Kerr and Johnson as well as the inclusion of Matt Steele on keyboards and synthesizers, Viv Griffin on bass and electric guitar, and Ellen Beth Abdi taking occasional lead vocal duties, as well as flute (each member also plays various percussion roles throughout the show).
It’s 7:15pm, Brighton’s beloved Chalk slowly starts to fill up with eager ACR anoraks, for this special Brighton Festival performance, with myself placed right in front of the stage… however, first comes Holy Tongue! Masterminded by drummer and composer Valentina Magaletti and electronic musician and producer Al Wootton, Holy Tongue have spent their time since the pandemic crafting and composing EPs’ worth of material that stretches across the sounds of dub, jazz, krautrock and ambient music before eventually coming out with their debut album released last month, ‘Deliverance And Spiritual Warfare’.
A watertight five-track set was what they had to offer us, but those five tracks certainly delivered more than asked. Some soft, pulsing synths from Wootton cleanses the palette left by Chalk’s background speakers; they jitter and thin out before Magaletti introduces us to the groove. Her drumming is intensely tight right out of the gate, slipping into an angular 3/4 rhythm. Backed by bass and percussion work from one Susumu Mukai, my immediate thoughts reminisce about Portishead’s 2008 record ‘Third’, an album that basks in a marriage of krautrock and proto-punk grooves and analog synthesizers.
The second track segues from its predecessor in a rhythmically unique way, now emphasising that krautrock flair. Mukai and Wootton start to really play their parts now with the former partaking in these intricate and steady basslines and the latter creating these really atmospheric, yet requisite synth soundscapes.
After a deeper and more percussive dive from the trio on the third track, which in itself remains dynamically steady throughout, the second-to-last track immediately hits us with a darker and kick drum-led introduction, almost acting as a pulse before throwing us immediately into action. Despite this track’s rhythm remaining comparatively minimal in composition, Wootton’s manipulation of Magaletti’s drumming recollects an inherently strong dub-esque sound, a welcoming palette for the ACR crowd.
The final track demonstrates how expressive Magaletti is, in particular, with her performances, keeping a steady level of focus, but a remarkably virtuosic strength. Not just this, but this was easily the most intense song of the five, with Wootton’s synths almost reaching into turntablism aesthetic territories! And with a singular “We are Holy Tongue, thank you, goodnight!” from Wootton, Holy Tongue were finished, leaving a now full Chalk crowd eager for their post-punk heroes.
Check out Holy Tongue’s brand new album ‘Deliverance And Spiritual Warfare’ on their Bandcamp page HERE and other releases HERE.
Holy Tongue:
Valentina Magaletti – drums
Al Wootton – synthesizers
Susumu Mukai – bass, percussion
Holy Tongue setlist:
‘Spirit Mask’
‘Bracha’
‘Seven Arrows’
‘Breicha’
‘Rivers Cannot Wash It Away’
‘Untitled’
The audience did not have long to wait as barely 25 minutes later, A Certain Ratio took to the stage (10 minutes early, no less!). The trio of Donald Johnson, Martin Moscrop and Jez Kerr assemble their starting positions, respectively, on bass, drums and vocals, however as history proves, instrumental duties change hands across almost every song in some manner. Joined by local Mancunian bassist Viv Griffin and keyboardist Matt Steele, the group kicked straight into gear after a kalimba introduction from Kerr, on the opener ‘1982’, off their most recent album of the same name.
Despite the show starting somewhat minimal in instrumental scope, the introduction of flautist and percussionist Ellen Beth Abdi on the following cut, ‘Get A Grip’, knocks the show into a more vibrant stature with several dancing encouragements towards the crowd! As Moscrop and Johnson swap instrumental duties, Kerr introduces Griffin as a recent addition to the line-up, before making a quick quip of her bringing the average age of the band down somewhat…!
‘Do The Du (Casse)’ showcases ACR in funkier actions, with a highlight being Moscrop’s reserved, yet groovy, electric guitar performances. A clear demonstration of ACR’s talent as multi-instrumentalists, 2021’s ‘Emperor Machine’ sees Griffin now on electric guitar, Moscrop on bass and Abdi exchanging the flute for cowbell percussion. This track is where Steele starts to shine on the synthesiser, almost reminiscent of Talking Heads’ ‘Making Flippy Floppy’, possibly a testament to the influence they’ve had on ACR over the years…? ‘‘Lucinda’, a track stemming from their 1982 classic ‘Sextet’ sees Abdi enveloping the audience in this spacious, yet powerful vocal work across the song’s sparse lyrics, not to mention incredible bass work from Johnson.
Following the ever-shifting dynamics of ‘Flight’, off their debut ‘The Graveyard And The Ballroom’ cassette, Kerr and Abdi introduce the commencing trio of tracks to the crowd, all of which come from ‘1982’. The first of these, ‘Afro Dizzy’, sees Kerr behind his trusty pad sampler, whacking seven bells out of it… or should I say horns in this case (albeit sampled)! The song transitions almost seamlessly into ‘Samo’, where we see Moscrop scratching one of his percussion drum heads to the beat, something that seemed to really grab the attention of the crowd (some of which were delightfully inebriated at this point). The final track of this trifecta of 1982 is ‘Constant Curve’, a track in which some incredible call and response patterns take place between Steele’s synths and Johnson’s drumwork.
“Are you up for a bit of raving”, Abdi asks the crowd, before Kerr dips away from the sample pad for Moscrop to take over on ‘Yo Yo Gi’, a track where percussion starts to play a tighter role. Some superbly eerie organ sounds from Steele engulf the rhythms as well as Kerr and Abdi, virtually duetting… with whistles! This proves to be a common component in the setlist, particularly towards the last leg of the night.
‘Mickey Way’ from their 1986 album ‘Force’, sees the one and only trumpet performance from Moscrop; I couldn’t help but remark on how creative ACR were with their instrumental performances as no guitars whatsoever were present for this one, leaving Griffin to lead the band in on bass, grouping together a watertight groove with Johnson and Steele.
Unfortunately, back in 2020, long-time vocalist for A Certain Ratio, Denise Johnson passed away at only 56, hence Abdi’s presence in the group; Kerr dedicates the next cut, ‘Won’t Stop Loving You’ to her memory. This was an extremely highpoint in the set for me, as this, once again, reminds one of Talking Heads, albeit ‘Little Creatures’ classic ‘Road To Nowhere’. Not just this, but the emotional vocals from Kerr almost moved me with just how gripping they are against such lively piano work.
The last four songs in the set show the group at their most percussive, starting with ‘Good Together’, where Johnson executes some tremendous drum fills here and there before the song eventually erupts in a rhythmic cacophony, laden with bongos, cowbells and whistles!
The fan favourite cover of Banbarra’s ‘Shack Up’ brought the audience to their most vocal as repeated cries of the title lyric are carried across the room. A strong highlight, at least instrumentally, from the show was Johnson’s immaculate slap bass performances, and that certainly came into fruition on ‘Knife Slits Water’.
Now, we come to the final song of the night, possibly the truest highlight of the entire show, the instrumental ‘Si Fermir O Grido’. In this one performance alone, where all but Steele is behind percussion of some description, we see Johnson and Moscrop hopping off the drum kit and taking front-stage percussion duties several times, some drum scratching solos and an overwhelming tense groove from start to finish.
And with that, the night is over; final “thank you’s” are given from Kerr and Abdi before the band departs the stage. As I turn around and take a final look at the dissipating crowd, my sights could summarise the legacy of A Certain Ratio: there stood a dedicated fanbase, a majority of whom are now middle-age, but still embracing the love for the band that they admired throughout their career, with even a couple bringing along their sons or daughters for the ride. And with their final UK show of 2023 resides at Bolton on July 8th at the Right to Roam Festival, A Certain Ratio have proved that, although considerable time has passed since the mid-80s where they were arguably at their peak, they still have the momentum and determination to give their admiring audience exactly what they want and need…!
Check out A Certain Ratio on Bandcamp.
A Certain Ratio:
Martin Moscrop – drums, bass, guitar, percussion & trumpet
Jez Kerr – bass, vocals & percussion
Donald Johnson – drums, bass and vocals
Matt Steele – keys
Ellen Beth Abdi – vocals, percussion and flute
Viv Griffin – bass, guitar & percussion
A Certain Ratio setlist:
‘1982’ (from 2023 ‘1982’ album)
‘Get A Grip’ (from 2020 ‘ACR Loco’ album)
‘Do The Du (Casse)’ (from 1980 ‘The Graveyard And The Ballroom’ album)
‘Emperor Machine’ (ACR* Vs The Emperor Machine tune) (from 2021 ‘ACR:EPC’ EP)
‘Lucinda’ (from 1982 ‘Sextet’ album)
‘Flight’ (from 1980 ‘The Graveyard And The Ballroom’ album)
‘Afro Dizzy’ (from 2023 ‘1982’ album)
‘Samo’ (from 2023 ‘1982’ album)
‘Constant Curve’ (from 2023 ‘1982’ album)
‘Yo Yo Gi’ (from 2020 ‘ACR Loco’ album)
‘Mickey Way’ (from 1986 ‘Force’ album)
‘Won’t Stop Loving You’ (from 1990 ‘acr:mcr’ album)
‘Good Together’ (from 1989 ‘Good Together’ album)
‘Shack Up’ (Banbarra cover) (a 1980 single & 1994 ‘Looking For A Certain Ratio…’ album)
‘Knife Slits Water’ (from 1982 ‘Sextet’ album)
‘Si Fermir O Grido’ (from 1986 ‘Force’ album)
