Inclusion Principle @ The Bridge Hotel, Newcastle April 4

Martin Archer reeds, electronics: Hervé Perez reeds, electronics; Peter Fairclough (percussion)

(Review by Steve H/Photo courtesy of Ken Drew)

 The last time Martin Archer was in this room was almost a year and a half ago with the decatet. Engine Room Favourites who performed a wildly entertaining gig. So I was very excited about seeing his band The Inclusion Principle which incidentally is the name given to the mathematical theory that governs the interaction of groups or sets.

On entering the upstairs room I thought I’d arrived for work early as the stage was set up with 2 desks with laptops on. The only give away was that there was set of drums between them and I know my employers aren’t as enlightened as to provide such a wonderful distraction in the workplace. The night got off to a rather subdued start as the 2 programmers conjured up various electronic sounds from their hardware whilst Fairclough accompanied ever so gently. To be honest it sounded a bit like the soundtrack to a science fiction movie only without the pictures. However, this was only a precursor of what was to come as the trio took us on a memorable journey incorporating all genres of music from classical to techno. The electronics on offer allowed us to experience farmyard animals, thundery storms, birdsong, the sound of the jungle, crashing waves etc etc. Added to this were majestic ‘conventional solos’ on alto from Perez and on bass clarinet and soprano from Archer. Meanwhile, Fairclough gave us a masterclass in percussion as the tempos were continually changing. The intensity of the performance got stronger and the band became more and more animated as they appeared to be totally consumed by what they were creating. By the end of the night after what had seemed such an unpromising start I was completely bowled over by the experience and left the building both invigorated and stimulated from what I had seen and heard. All in all, another very fine day at the office.

Steve H