NUKULUK + POLITE BUREAUX + NINA KOHOUT + OWN WORLD – THE HOPE & RUIN, BRIGHTON 24.1.24
With the Christmas season now over, I’ve somewhat found myself in a lull… it’s been over a month since my last review for Brighton & Hove News and the camaraderie that comes with gig-going and writing is becoming more and more desirable again as I reach my 50th repeated spin of New Order’s ‘Blue Monday’ to get me through January. But, on Monday night at The Hope & Ruin, I found myself in luck as four genre-morphing bands from all walks of musical life assembled in conjunction with ‘Hidden Herd’ for a stellar show! The headline act, Nukuluk, have enjoyed relative success with their ‘DISASTER POP’ and ‘SUPERGLUE’ EPs that fuse styles of post-punk, abstract hip hop and experimental electronics, all the while maintaining a synergistic force between its five core members, fronted by the team-up duo of rapper and vocalist Monika and Syd Nukuluk (real name Luke Kulukundis), on the guitar and samplers, as well as frequent vocal duties.
Opening the night for Nukuluk was the Tottenham-based Own World, a new face to the ‘Hidden Herd’ roster, forming only three years ago. Possibly the most conventional instrumental set-up of the entire night, the stage is adapted to hold a simple drum kit (plus sample pad) manned by Holly Hardy, bass guitar for its parent Alex Bailey, electric guitar for their frontman and vocalist Joe Sigee, and three sets of keyboards, synths and samplers for backing vocalist Matt Lawrenson. The quartet kick things off with the track ‘Artificial Head’, adorned with chorus-heavy guitars and a very watery sound that reminds one of Mac DeMarco. Joe proceeds to grace the crowd with a stage presence that is both flamboyant and anxious, while Matt’s fuzzy synth lines have a strange Tubeway Army vibe to them…! The song comes to an intriguingly short conclusion; verses and choruses are present, but a strange ending does not surprise knowing that the band are big Arthur Russell fans, an artist notorious for collating various versions of the same song with different structures.
‘Simulate’, the band’s first official single, features sparse, yet intricate drum patterns in the opening leg, with a slightly more downtrodden vocal melody in the song’s core. This song left me in pure admiration of the synth arrangement in particular with saws and squares galore, as did the following ‘In Style’ which took me right back to the indie waves of the early to mid-2010s. ‘No Behaviour’ opens with some dense vocal sampling that evokes the sounds of early James Blake before Holly and Alex pull the song through its opening verse on their respective drums and bass. One of the highlights of the set, this song carried a strong cinematic feel with Matt’s synth passages steadily holding weight in its chorus. The next track, ‘The Moon’ was one of the band’s unreleased gems, packed with an array of strong musical components, from the intro’s old-timey piano progression to the shuffling snare rhythms in the chorus, as well as some fantastic groove switch-ups towards the last leg of the song. Instrumentally, the penultimate ‘Low Sun’ was, by far, the strongest song of the set, with incorporations of sample pads and chirping synths colouring the arrangement thoroughly, while the closing ‘Portal In A Cloud’ makes use of glistening arpeggiated synths over a 6/8 groove, with an oddly euphoric tone to the songwriting that reminds one of Brian Eno’s earlier glam pop songs that you’d find on ‘Another Green World’.
Own World:
Joe Sigee – lead vocals, guitar
Alex Bailey – bass
Matt Lawrenson – keys, samplers
Holly Hardy – drums
Own World setlist:
‘Artificial Head’
‘Simulate’
‘In Style’
‘No Behaviour’
‘The Moon’
‘Low Sun’
‘Portal In A Cloud’
Well, Own World certainly generated a warm atmosphere to kick the night off; hazes of synth-layered indie pop had permeated the now-attentive Brighton crowd. However, from here, the mood of the night was set to change as art pop underdog Nina Kohout began to assemble her place on The Hope & Ruin stage. Originally from Slovakia, Nina has been slowly creating waves for herself with the release of her 2022 EP ‘Pandemonium’, as well as two singles, ‘Little Butterfly’ and ‘Song Of An Unborn Mother’ across last year. I went into Nina’s set completely blind, not knowing exactly what I would be facing for the next thirty minutes… what followed was a mesmerising experience. In total darkness, Nina overwhelms the room on the opening ‘EMA’, with a vocoded choir, operatic in scale, standing behind only a keyboard and a laptop. From the word go, she proudly displays her unique voice, paired with a striking Laurie Anderson influence with brief moments of spoken word and artistic movements of the body. She seamlessly transitions in the next track, her debut single ‘Moonlight’, which features funereal waltzing production that feels like something from IAMX’s early material. Nina continues to command the room with every word of the scant lyrical passages that make up the bookending legs of the song, before the waltz speeds up into a drop of soft vocal humming to close out.
‘Blue Sunray’ sees Nina move to her electric guitar, where she introduces the song as coming from a time that saw her sister expecting (followed by a reassurance that she was happy about it!). This song comes complete with subtle, yet luscious chord changes within Nina’s interlocked plucking pattern that evokes the thought of a dancing ballerina in a pop-up musical box. The next song, ‘Pandemonium’, returns to Nina’s elaborate art pop production with the inclusion of industrial clicks and brushed drum arrangements. Some slightly ominous guitar scales paint themselves around Nina’s voice before some sub bass and synth strings draw the song to its closing moments. ‘Love Above’ explores some multi-rhythmic vocal arrangements as well as a truly remarkable song progression, something that rings for virtually every song on the setlist (seriously, the way Nina’s songs progress is staggering!). Nina takes a moment before playing ‘Little Butterfly’ detailing it as a song about people who don’t understand what the word “no” means. She proceeds to vent her rage into disorienting vocal arrangements and thumping rhythmic textures before the repeated bridge lyric of “time will heal us” lets the crowd conform to this near-religious experience. The Slovak-sung ‘Prebudzanka’ was possibly my favourite song of the set, with its dense vocal and synth arrangements (in a very ‘O Superman’ fashion), and its outro displaying soft hums against twisted birdsong. The glitchy and disjointed closing track ‘Song Of An Unborn Mother’, her latest, makes use of disjointed music box and skipping piano lines, resulting in soundplay that reminds one of a cross between Bjork’s ‘Human Behaviour’ and Dean Martin’s ‘Sway’. Adorned with applause and cheer from the crowd, Nina thanks us for our attention and hopes to see us again soon…!
Nina Kohout:
Nina Kohout – lead vocals, keyboards, electric guitar
Nina Kohout setlist:
‘EMA’
‘Moonlight’
‘Blue Sunray’
‘Pandemonium’
‘Love Above’
‘Little Butterfly’
‘Prebudzanka’
‘Song Of An Unborn Mother’
The penultimate act of the night was Polite Bureaux, one of my current favourite artists in the Brighton live music circuit. Manned by Bradford-born Joe Smith, the Polite Bureaux project stretches across the sounds of post-punk, industrial music, spoken word and electronic music that fans of New Order, The Prodigy and Benefits would take to heart. Joe has enjoyed relative success in supporting the aforementioned Benefits in April last year, as well as playing in ‘The Great Escape’ and selling out numerous shows at the Green Door Store and here at The Hope & Ruin. This show marked my tenth time catching Polite Bureaux live, this time seeing Joe backed by regular synth player, backing vocalist (as well as sister) Maya Lili, bassist Raver Viv Maher and the mononymous drummer and synth player Russo. The set the band would go on to play would also act as the final official performance of its material before Joe embarks on tour, supporting the Dublin-based avant-punk project Meryl Streek for several shows in February, promoting material from what will be Polite Bureaux’s debut DIY album, ‘C*NT MONDAYS’. Opening with ‘squatADVISOR’, with its Sleaford Mods-inspired rhythmic pattern, Joe takes hold of the microphone for his spoken word verses before riffing out on his bass providing a classic post-punk sound à la Peter Hook.
‘a fairytale’ (or sometimes referred to as ‘WHAT THE DORMOUSE SAID’ plays around with a linear electronic progression, awash with shimmering synth textures and melodic choruses. Here, Joe begins to let his inhibitions go, strutting across the stage and knocking his microphone over in the process while sister Maya brings forward some airy, yet gorgeous backing vocals. Those inhibitions are filtered through more so on the following ‘TAYLOR MIFT’, a track that sees drummer Russo keep hold of a jerky rhythm as Joe repeats phrases starting with the word “Universal”, delineating the perils of the music industry. We transition swiftly into his debut release ‘Radioisotope’, which comes complete with a thumping club groove, and lyrical references to Underworld’s ‘Born Slippy’. Let’s also not forget the belting yell that Joe rips through the audience towards the end of the track; the guy can really grab hold of the crowd by the throat. Now, the final three songs of Polite Bureaux’s performance are set to make up the sonic template for ‘C*NT MONDAYS’… let’s start with ‘Stink’, a propulsive, hyperactive breakbeat track that sees Joe flamboyantly letting loose across the stage, while Viv, Maya and Russo form soundscapes that create the feeling of falling miles down a deep, dark well. The following ‘UAMELON’, his most recent release, plays around with glitching synths, groove switch-ups galore and an intense rise in vocal dynamics that lasts from here until the end of the set. Talking of the end of the set, ‘BODYROCKER’ (incidentally, my favourite song to come out of 2023), is a truly exceptional way to round off a performance with frenzied rhythmic arrangements and captivating prose from Joe, right down to its repeated cries of “I confess, SOS!”.
Polite Bureaux:
Joe Smith – lead vocals, bass
Maya Lili – synth, backing vocals
Raver Viv Maher – bass
Russo – drums, synths
Polite Bureaux setlist:
‘squatADVISOR’
‘a fairytale’
‘TAYLOR MIFT’
‘Radioisotope’
‘Stink’
‘UAMELON’
‘BODYROCKER’
Finally, closing out a monumental night at The Hope & Ruin, courtesy of ‘Hidden Herd’, was Nukuluk. I spent a good ten minutes after Polite Bureaux’s set chatting to photographer Petra about Richard Dawson and general live music chit-chat, before turning towards the stage and spotting the wild array of samplers, drum machines and synthesizers that spontaneously arrived on the stage. The crowd gathered in closer as the London-based five-piece adjusted their places and kicked off with the rickety breakbeat vibes of ‘Feel So’, guitarist and co-vocalist Luke puts his heart on display with a passionate and lovelorn vocal delivery before frontman Monika brings a sporadic, but fun rap flow, with an inflection akin to that of Danny Brown, nasal and angular in tone.
Already as they approach the next cut ‘I Just Wanna Luv U’, Nukuluk demonstrate their eclectic array of sonic influences from Luke’s twangy guitars to Louis’ transmogrifying drum patterns. The intensity kicks up a gear on ‘Make It Out’, with jittery percussion and reverb-drenched post-rock guitar textures, not to mention the symbiotic vocal pairing between Luke and Monika. This song also ends with some flickering Korg synths towards the end which scratches my musical brain in all the right spots.
Mateo drives his bassline right into the introduction of ‘Renovate’, which holds a more neo-soul vibe in groove and tone. Monika, no longer donning his massive white puffer jacket, makes the first of several jaunts from the stage to the crowd, staring down and occasionally dancing with several audience members. As Olivia’s ring-modulated synths and Luke’s guitars drift between tune and atonalism, the groove switches into a 7/4 time signature, creating an irregular rhythm for Monika to deliver bars across, culminating in one of the strongest moments in the set thus far! ‘Disaster Pop Song’ progresses with some klaxon-emulating samples and a metallic drum pattern that’s sparse, yet intriguing. The song quickly shifts away from comfort into an intense and intimidating second half that completely pulls me further into the band’s tractor beam. A slow-burning introduction of Korg synths and drum flourishes makes the opening moments of ‘Citron’ a good tone-setter, before the band engages in a droning groove while Monika… raps in French?! This, paired with an overwhelming vocal performance from Luke, makes for an incredibly prodigious climax before Nukuluk heads into the final two songs of the night.
The first of these is ‘Covered In Gold’, which employs some electrifying, nay, terrifying, vocal clips from Olivia and Luke against Mateo’s disjointed sampler. Luke and Monika’s lyrical co-duties strike like lightning as Louis’s drums and percussion textures shift extremely swiftly from section to section. We end the night with brutal force as the five-piece take us all the way back to their debut single ‘Ooh Ah’; virtually all rhythm, Monika stumbles into the crowd one last time and gives us his best vocal performance of the night, while Mateo packs down his bass and sampler…! As the synths glitch into infinity and the song disintegrates itself to a close, so ends an astonishing night! Well, it’s fair to say that my first review night of 2024 was a success: from the jangly haze of Own World and the transcendent artistry of Nina Kohout, to the brutality of Polite Bureaux and the dizzying aura of Nukuluk, ‘Hidden Herd’ have organised a stellar night at what is still one of my favourite live music venues in Brighton today!
Nukuluk:
Monika – vocals
Olivia Morgan – synths, sampler
Louis Grace – drums, pads, backing vocals
Luke Kulukundis – guitar, sampler, backing vocals
Mateo Villanueva – bass, sampler
Nukuluk setlist:
‘Feel So’
‘I Just Wanna Luv U’
‘Make It Out’
‘Renovate’
‘Disaster Pop Song’
‘Citron’
‘Covered In Gold’
‘Ooh Ah’
