ANGINE DE POITRINE – LIVE AT CLUB SODA – MONTREAL
By Eric Rauert
Let’s get the obvious out of the way: this band is unbelievably weird and they somehow sound exactly how they look. But everyone from ZZ Top to DEVO wore intricate hats as part of their act and KISS’s makeup was arguably more complex: give weird a chance. And while nobody is talking about Angine de Poitrine in the same way as those classics, everyone is talking about this band as they explode in the underground music scene.
Angine de Poitrine is the anonymous alien duo of Khn de Poitrine (microtonal guitars) and Klek de Poitrine (drums). The translation is the medical term angina pectoris or the chest pain associated with a heart attack. Khn plays two instruments with his double necked microtonal bass and guitar combo, sending both instruments through loop stations to create a layered sound with both instruments playing at once. Klek bangs along expertly on the drums, keeping pace through the crazy looping and chaotic time signatures of the “math” rock. And absurd though their music may be, these aliens sure can jam.
The stage curtains at Club Soda opened as the house lights dropped; the sultry sounds of Toto’s “Africa” rang out over the PA as the crowd cheered. Two triangles shone orange from the darkness, two lighted beacons from the helmets of Khn and Klek. As “Africa” faded out, the steady marching bass line of “Angor” from new album Vol II. slowly faded in. The bass was enough to get the crowd clapping along as Khn layered loops expertly into a few frenetic sections but kept a steady pace most of the song to warm up.
“Tamebsz” was a quick choice from debut album Vol I. This song is what truly gives the band their name of “chest pain” for me, as its discordant and anxiety inducing in the best way. Khn’s tone almost sounds like a sitar here and channels the feel of the microtonal music to the max. It was on this song and “Mata Zyklek” next that the looping skill of this band really shines in the live setting.
It must be a live feature but you can hear the separation of each individual loop of the guitars. This results in an almost hypnotic experience with something different to focus on depending on where you listened. It’s a hard experience to describe but “Mata Zyklek” and each frenetic individual loop makes for an even more energetic live song. All the band’s titles are portmanteaus of Quebecois slang and “Mata Zyklek” translates to motorcycle, bobbing and weaving on an insane drive through the (one-way) streets of Montreal.
Audience members danced along to the impossible time signatures as well. Maybe it was just my first time in a foreign venue but the energy in the venue was incredible and the math rock produced oddly danceable music. “Utzp” (my standout) a few songs later spends its first half as the oddest waltz you’ve ever heard. During the break mid song, the crowd couldn’t stop cheering before the loud “UTZP” from Khn reignited the playing. The guitar riffs resumed and the whole room exploded in movement for the second half of the song.
The energy didn’t stop into the dance BPM’s of “Fabienk”. Fast breakdowns lead into funky but simple bridges with the aliens waving their arms along with crowd while the loops played themselves in the background. I can’t stress how much fun the crowd was having, with fans from the balcony waving with the aliens exactly in time.
And with that, it was time for one last closing song “Sherpa”. The song began with Khn and Klek raising their hands to their helmets in their symbolic triangle hand salute. The crowd joined in, flashing back the Québecois gang sign before Khn descending into the maddening riffs of “Sherpa”. This song is the heaviest in their offering, showcasing muddy noise loop layering before releasing into expert noting picking from Khn. Ending in a flash of lights from the custom shaped triangles, the band bowed briefly before walking off once again to Toto’s “Africa”.
If you’ve read any of my articles you know I value one thing above all: musicianship. Putting the odd costumes and time signatures aside, Angine de Poitrine impresses me with their technical skill and creativity. Khn’s looping is even more masterful live, with each layer able to shine with some separation in the music. Looped music can become a bit repetitive but the constant tempo changes and microtonal scales keep you tapping along to the songs.
And I could say more about Klek’s drumming but I’ve never seen anyone keep better time than the nose on his costume swaying in time to the music. I am one of tens of thousands of new fans that the band has gained recently and I look forward to them capitalizing on their fame to continue making out of this world music. And when these aliens land near you, give them an earnest chance for a live experience you won’t forget.
SETLIST
Angor
Yor Zarad
Tamebsz
Mata Zyklek
Ababa Hotel
Sarniezz
Utzp
Fabienk
Sherpa
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