Review: Housewives, Trinity Centre

Trinity Centre played host for Parquet Courts as they kicked off their first UK tour after the release of their new album Human Performance. And they were great; a really solid performance. However I’m going to write about their support act instead.

I hadn’t heard of Housewives before, and I wouldn’t be surprised if most of my fellow gig-goers hadn’t either as there’s not much information about them online (including their names). This being said, I anticipate them getting much more attention soon, as this was possible the most intense performance I’ve ever seen live.

At 8:30pm, the four piece band walked out onto a pitch black stage, illuminated only by last daylight streaming through the stained glass windows of the former church, to a packed room of friendly looking young people, unaware of what they were about to witness. The light bounced pleasantly off everyone’s stylish haircuts in contrast to the bands shaved heads.

The first song started with a miniature digeridoo being played in a drone like wave over the top of two drums being beaten in a way that makes you very aware of your breathing pattern. For the next 40 minutes we were blasted by deafening, minimalist, industrial punk noise. Guitars were played with broken violin bows as incomprehensible lyrics were screamed into a microphone and sent echoing around the crowd.

Three sets of strobe lights pulsed consistently throughout the entire set, giving the band members a jarring, almost animalist style of movement. The drummer looked particularly crazy as his eyes veered widely around the stage, from musician to musician. He would also stand up in the lulls between songs to hit a homemade addition to the drum kit consisting of four springs hanging from a wooden cross, making him look like a deranged puppeteer.

Not that there were many lulls. Each song bled strait into the next. The band seemed determined not to allow the audience to take any rest from the relentless sound. At one point I turned around to see how people were reacting and was greeted by a sea of bewildered faces. Mouths hung open as everyone stood transfixed by the madness on stage.

It felt almost as if we’d been hypnotised and were being sucked into a void created by the looping guitar riffs and discordant singing. At one point I saw a young guy hold up a very timid ‘devil horns’ hand gesture to his girlfriend who shyly returned it. I think everyone felt that way. This wasn’t what we had bargained for, but we were going to enjoy it anyway.

Their final song (it’s hard to work out where one ended and the next began) included a two note saxophone riff that sounded both melancholic and extremely aggressive. They left the stage as quickly as they had walked on. Leaving their instruments seemingly possessed by the last notes they played via an array of effects pedals long after they had exited.

Whilst this was quite a surprising support act for the indie-Americana headliners, Housewives put on a great show, and even made the noisy punk edged Parquet Courts look a bit tame by comparison. If you get the chance, go and check them out for yourself. But perhaps take a set of earplugs.