The hype swirling around Québécois math rock duo Angine de Poitrine has gotten beyond ridiculous in recent months. Ever since rehearsal footage of the polka dot pair – supposedly 333-year-old aliens – performing on a KEXP live session blew up online, everyone has been scrambling to get a piece of them. Heck, they’ve even single-handedly blown Dave Grohl’s mind.
The sense of anticipation for the penultimate show of their current UK tour at London’s Troxy tonight (October 19) is palpable as the curtain raises to reveal Khn and Klek de Poitrine in full polka dot regalia. The former sports a giant, white upside-down pyramid mask along with a protruding A Clockwork Orange-style nose, while the latter wears a comedy black knight helmet, complete with a dangly conk. Visually, Angine may look a bit daft, but musically their microtonal methods are magnificently hypnotic, with Khn’s jagged guitar riffs and Klek’s intricate drum patterns locking perfectly in sync throughout.
On record, the anonymous duo sound impressive, but seeing tracks from ‘Vol.1’ and ‘II’ play out live is something else. Khn struts back and forth with his double-neck guitar/bass while his partner in polka dots fires off thunderous drum rolls on the frenetically fabulous ‘Fabienk’. Elsewhere, the former’s ability to switch from squiggly Jonny Greenwood-style noodles to squalling Jimmy Page-like guitar riffs on the terrific ‘Ababa Hotel’ really is a sight to behold. At one point, Khn even wraps his leg over his guitar while he sucks his drink through a straw. It’s pure theatre, and we’re all here for it.
What’s almost as captivating is how the duo interact with the crowd, often facing their audience to make matching pyramid hand gestures, wave their arms in unison or squawk bizarre Dalek-esque call-and-response noises. The fans, of course, lap it all up as they whoop, cheer and mosh along to the madness.
It all begs the question: just how have Angine managed to provoke such a fervent response? Is it the mystery? Most certainly. Is it the theatrics? Undoubtedly. But more importantly, it’s the thing that keeps audiences coming back once the novelty of the alien language and silly costumes wears off – their incredible musical ability that makes it almost impossible to take your eyes off them. While previous bands like Battles and Three Trapped Tigers have managed to put a dent in the math rock world, Angine blast it into a whole new orbit. Believe the hype – these beings are from another planet.
Angine de Poitrine played:
‘Angor’
‘Yor Zarad’
‘Tamebsz’
‘Mata Zyklek’
‘Ababa Hotel’
‘Sarniezz’
‘Fabienk’
‘Sherpa’
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