Column258 Meets This Elegant Gull
MARK WALTER
It was a chilly night in Hastings, and I had just done my now familiar walk from St Leonards along the rugged coastline of the English Channel to the Old Town. I was making my way to the Nest in George Street to see two intriguing-sounding bands. The first to take to the stage was This Elegant Gull, described as Eclectic Electro-Cinematic Pop Noir, and this accomplished 15-year-old singer-songwriter hailing from the shores of East Sussex crafts her unique brand of lush Indie Pop – a sound that has gained regular plays on BBC Radio 6 Music and Amazing Radio. For someone so young, she completely took command of the stage. With a mantra of “whatever you’re doing, do it differently”, her music sparkles with originality: it is both cinematically haunting and gorgeously beguiling and relevant to the times we live in.
After a small interlude, it’s time for Column258, with this Elegant Gull joining them for the first track. Column258 currently consists of six members – and I say ‘currently’ as the band is always evolving and has had many members in the past, front man Ross Andrews-Clifford tells me. Ross has a background in performance art and continues to work with dancers, film and occasionally live drawing. This is evident in Ross’s performance tonight: his long limbs take over the refined space as he and the crowd at times become one.
The Bass guitarist is Nick Weekes, and I am told he always has a suitcase of interesting sonic objects at hand, including modified pinecones and egg slicers, for his analogue interventions. Andrew Cooper is a community music facilitator who mixes his great – and unique – vocal style with Miles Davis-like tones from his cornet. Matt Williams along with Nick on bass provide the backbone to the Column, from which the various instrumental departures can take place. Kath Allsopp on electric violin injects soaring melody and bowed beauty into Column258, bringing a blended string sound with punk, skiffle, English folk, and classical in its DNA. Finally, Yair Katz is very much part of the column with his percussionist guitar which adds a Middle Eastern flavour.
I asked Ross how the band got into film music, he explains: We’d just completed tracks for our EP Mussolini Blues, and one of the tracks, Listel, which heavily features Andy’s muted horn, and has become a live favourite – and at the time was discarded and didn’t make it onto the album. Previous bassist and filmmaker Keith Rodway was at home with his headphones on, listening to the track and wondering why – with all its melliferous merits – it hadn’t made it onto the album, when he received a call from Rotterdam-based filmmaker Bruno, (whose partner happens to be Princess Leia in Rogue One). He mentioned to Keith he had this new slow film of a train journey in snow through the Norwegian countryside … The film was 14 minutes 21’: Keith automatically placed the Listel track that was on his earphones up against the film, and he described shivers running down his neck. The track was 14 minutes 21’ and seamlessly fitted the film as if they had been designed for each other. We now play this track in live situations with a backdrop of the film behind them. There’s just something supernatural about it.”
Column258 have a busy schedule with Glastonbury followed by European and Baltic tours, and they are about to start a new EP titled Les Raisors Electiques. And you don’t have to wait long to see them both playing together again as they are at the Hair and Hounds, 196 Queens Rd, Hastings, TN34 1RG this Saturday 3rd June from 7pm.
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