On The Road, Venus Elixir

"... one night we suddenly went mad together again...." by Paul Griffiths

Venus Elixir Live at Dublin Castle, Camden, 25 February, 2007

The mad road, lonely, leading around the bend into the openings of the London horizon. Promises; visions of fame with glittering gold dust busting its gut. The double-horse carriage clatters along through the highways camouflaging the stale odour of my curry-painted cotton. Camden welcomes the return of Venus Elixir after four long years.

Camden has an authentic tribal atmosphere of disillusioned students twinkling throughout the pristine street corners. The bus pulls up to a fiery-red bar named Dublin Castle, its striking red paint indicating a land of rebels. A neighbouring record shop is absorbed in industry cool vinyl. Reggae, Soul legends and R & B live in the cracks of popular Pop classics.

Within the walls of Dublin Castle there lay students divulging in oral masturbation and music terrorism. As I push through the plush young darlings towards a pint I notice a young crow regurgitating intellectual subarial on his prey. His prey, a well-spoken oriental beauty, disappears into the religious babbles of NME weekly, absorbing the vague words and pictures like a prodigy showering in inferior promptings. A large picture of Pete Doherty passing through the door of Dublin Castle proudly sits behind the bar, a fairytale genius illuming his frail complexion.

Venus Elixir’s sound magician wrestles with political intrigue, before his assault on the dials and clicks that perfect their sound. Music can be spontaneous as Magic Slim or as controlled as Ray Charles. Venus orchestrates their sound by military equations. An explosion of differing musical styles fighting for their own space, the visual and sonic theatrics of their performances always provides relief from robotic indie clones.

The roaring sounds of Paul’s guitar erode the student glaze. Interest seems to be gathering through a small nucleus of Japanese kids. They have an eye for the surreal and music has no escape. Their guitar experiments dwarf Satriani’s into bubble gum blamounge.

Dream-based echoes touching a dark roar of chords erupt through the set. Venus Elixir delivers their performance with precision and passion. Their songs are completed with generous Cardiff Banter from front man Paul. At their best Venus Elixir have a sound that can be as powerful and complex as Loveless and melodically ferocious as Yo La Tango.

The highlight of the show comes in the form of 'Vice', Paul’s guitar a drip-drenched amalgam of echoing Dave Gilmour casualness and Dave Schramm friction. Bassist Sadie performs with a thumbing jazz beat that has the freedom of a Delta Blues performance.

It would be interesting to hear what a character like Mark E Smith would contribute to the Venus wall of sound. Vocals that can rip through the pages of a David Lynch script or rip the head off a Murakami character. Someone who could control their sonic jigsaw like a pirate fighting the ferocity of nature’s ocean. But there's a romance of individualism here that speaks its own truths.

Fractured souls feverishly survey the land, a rugged plantation of burgeoning beauty, tantalisingly on the edge of a ferocious wisdom. Venus Elixir departs.

© Paul Griffiths

© Miwsig