Ingrid Laubrock (saxophones); Liam Noble (piano); Tom Rainey (drums)
(Review by Steve H/Photo courtesy of
Ken Drew)
Sage Gateshead was packed last Saturday night although to be honest I think
most of the concertgoers had come to see The Royal Northern Sinfonia play
‘Queen’ in Hall 1 rather than Sleepthief in the Northern Rock Foundation Hall.
However, those that choose the smaller venue were richly rewarded. This
international trio has been playing on and off together since 2007 and it was
evident from Saturday night how comfortable they are in one another’s company.
Laubrock, German born, now living in the US, has appeared on Tyneside
several times over the past few years but this was the first time the
Sleepthief trio had performed in the North East. What a treat it turned out to
be - improvisation of the most fascinating nature performed by 3 absolutely
wonderful musicians. The nuances and the ebb and flow of the interactions
between them was a joy to behold. At times things were relaxed and gentle then
spontaneously the band would erupt into an inferno of sound.
Noble played the Steinway both inside and out whilst Laubrock flipped
seamlessly form tenor to soprano. Not be outdone Rainey aside from his
superlative drumming incorporated everyday objects such as paper bags and a
plastic water bottle to add great percussive effect.
We may not have got Bohemian Rhapsody or for that
matter even Rhapsody in Blue but we certainly got
a kind of magic.
Steve
H.
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