Written by Sarah McRuvie
Portico Quartet
Support came from the Japanese artist, Anchorsong, who opened with an incredible blast of hardcore electronic. Grey hoody up, hopping to and fro, slamming his fingers frantically against pads on his MPC2500 sampler, Masaaki Yoshida resembled a Jedi mashing up beats. Jolting the audience awake, he looped melodies on his Korg synth above hugely energetic drum patterns. Performing in the middle of an all-female string quartet, some of the crowd were banging their heads, others stirred in a trance-like motion.
When Portico Quartet took to the stage, everyone was geared up to be fully immersed in the atmospheric sound that would emit from KOKO's gigantic sound-system. The sheer sound and deep bass rumble would soon make those brave souls without earplugs think twice. The power in those speakers was immense; forcing your insides to shake and making those pre-act ciders churn into jelly. The impact of the sound-system, combined with the longer atmospheric remixes transformed the gig into more of a post-rock experience.
With the focus on a more progressive sound, some fans might have preferred the jazzier, easy-to-digest tracks. They did include previous album tracks, with 'Ruins' being a clear favourite. Their non-instrumental track, 'Steepless', with vocalist Swedish Cornelia also seemed to have a mixed response. The quirky individual took front stage and the lads sank into the background, yet this Björk-like treatment to the sound only created more interest adding another layer of beauty.
Portico Quartet retained their non-band-like status, with more of a Four Tet/Caribou feel; boasting a jazz inflected dreamier sound, with Reich-esque rhythmical percussion, Caribbean-like steel drums and glimpses of smooth saxophone. Their previous albums have consisted of deep saxophone tones worked into varying drums and pitched percussion parts. Although their music embodies minimalism, it is heavily rooted in jazz. Their latest album, Live / Remix, re-works their material into longer sets that retain that chilled vibe. Displacing the new tracks to KOKO's live stage gave them a new platform to perform in. The set was complimented by fantastic lighting including the use of a giant disco ball so the room was showered in a dreamy haze of light.
Seeing Portico Quartet live was an intense and immersive experience, where you left feeling that your dreams would be cast in the warm glow of a sunset. Impressionable, soul-soothing; spectacular.
