Sinistry of Mound

The Sinistry Of Mound Presents A Tribute To The Life And Music Of Benny Woo
Friday 29th July
The Joiners Arms, Southampton

Benny Woo + Jayetal + Glitchcentre feat. Craig + Al Gaudie + Kingsonix + Sinistry of Mound DJs

by Matt Golding

With five live acts and four DJs playing in two rooms, it’s clear from the start that The Sinistry of Mound want hip-hop and electronica fans to enjoy something more than the usual mundane gig experience. Their regular events have been a welcome feature of the local music scene for some time and now this Winchester based collective are looking to expand their audience beyond their devoted but niche fan base – and judging by their current form, it’s hard to see why they won’t succeed. Glitchcentre feat. Craig (the latter of popular Hip-Hop Farmers fame) may not have the big city street cred of other artists, but this recently collaborating two piece do have an intuitive grasp of what makes a good set. Despite having traded turntables for a laptop, they suffer from none of the lack of spontaneity that undermines many PC based live acts. Vocalist and DJ constantly challenge each other with freestyle and new material over beats that range from funky blip-hop to drum ‘n’ bass. Glitchcentre’s clicks and bleeps can feel over produced at times and Craig has yet to develop the uniqueness of style that will set him apart from other rappers, but both have a creativity and enthusiasm that demands attention. Main support act Jayetal set out to show that they do not intend to be playing second fiddle for long. Almost immediately they had created an audience atmosphere that would have most unsigned bands salivating with envy. Genuinely euphoric yet utterly devoid of cliché, their music is a mix of guitar and electronica, live drums and programmed beats with a unique melodic stamp. Though the drum riffs can be repetitive at times, the mix of live and computerised beats keeps the sound fresh. With a repertoire of crowd pleasers, it will take only more practice and a tighter live set for Jayetal to avoid the technical mistakes that break the flow of their music and be truly ready for the big time. Benny Woo, Sinistry favourite and headliner, is a man of constant contradictions. With a laptop, microphone, guitar, acid smiley face and computer joystick he takes his audience on a journey ranging from angelic and heartfelt love songs to nihilistic electronic sadism. Whilst the audience seize upon his furious jungle beats with justifiable glee, the slower tracks – whilst dark and beautiful – break the flow of the set somewhat. If the gig had not been a tribute to himself, Woo might have felt freer to showcase one aspect of his work rather than attempt to sum up the breadth of his talent, for a talent he most certainly is. By turn magnificently danceable and heart rendingly simple, each track is an individual achievement and it is clear that Woo, like his Sinistry of Mound colleagues, has a lot to show the world. If the rest of the industry had half as much passion and commitment then local music venues would be more interesting places.