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Subgiant @ Slinky Halloween Ball - The Opera House - Oct 27, 2006

Review by Malc Burgin

It was never going to be easy. Introducing the assembled horde of Slinky Kids to their unique blend of tranced-out breakbeat dub could have been considered enough of a challenge but, considering that this was the last Slinky night at the Opera House and the fact that they had to follow Slinky favourite, Graham Gold, you would be forgiven to think that Subgiant have set themselves up for a fairly hefty fall. This perception is reinforced in that, no sooner has the revered DJ left the decks, the dancefloor empties faster than a bottle of Jack Daniels at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue!

Possibly out of concern for the physical and mental health of drummer Tushar, the band decides not to try and follow where Gold has left off and instead opts to "bring the crowd down" to begin with before embarking on the inexorable slide to the kind of storming crescendo that has been blowing festival crowds into blissed-out bass oblivion all summer.

From the brooding set opener and title track from their second LP, 'Global Control', it becomes glaringly apparent that the gamble is not only going to pay off but is also going to provide some sort of dancefloor coup…

Before long the Subgiant faithful are outnumbered on the dancefloor becoming islands in a sea of day-glo outfits and various freakish Halloween disguises and despite it's reduced BPM count, the heavy dub groove of 'Method' insinuates itself into the hips of the crowd.

Of course, they're never going to please everyone and during 'Nursery Rhymes' a figure who can only be described as one of the four dustmen of the Apocalypse lurches out of the mayhem and states somewhat surprisingly that "at least the DJ's will be back on soon"…

In a beautiful display of synchronicity, the eccentrically (and disturbingly) named stormer 'Jack the Biscuit' kicks things into top gear and the smell of fresh baked humble pie drifts across the venue as the Devil's own refuse collectors get caught up in beats that are suddenly causing havoc in their cerebrum. (Un)Fortunately, much the rest of the set is lost in a whirl of writhing bodies and wild grins, twisted turntable tricknology and basslines that can only be measured on the richter scale and, as Tushar cranks up the tempo to the searing peak of 'Valley of Sith' Slinky has discovered, however fleetingly, a devastating new sound.

So, as the bass fades away to rumble around the darkest recesses like distant thunder and the new converts roar their appreciation, Olly, Tushar and Dan leave the stage and return Slinky to the skilled hands of the DJs having once again overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to deliver a blinding set of future classics in fine style!

Global Control is out now on Blissfields Records. www.subgiant.co.uk

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Related links:

1. www.subgiant.co.uk