From: RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 4/29-5/5 http://rvamag.com/articles/full/24595/rva-shows-you-must-see-this-week-429-55
Posted by: Necci – Apr 29, 2015
FEATURE SHOW
Saturday, May 2, 3 PM
RVA Noise Fest IV, feat. Mutwawa, Coteries, Predation, SB & C, Scant + IGM, Flesh Control, Yohimbe, Subklinik, Cristal, Daggering, Richard Ripper, Golden Retriever, Broadcastatic, Brown Piss, Crack Bytch, Floodbeast, Dyrt, Fake Object, Creeping, Yoga Demon, ENE, Ting Ting Jahe, Cecelia, Toner War, The New Loft, Negative Space, Thieves Of Shiloh, 10-56, War Anus, SARS, Lacanthrope, Blue Nine, Le Bron, France Gall Entity, Alpha Decay, BSK @ Strange Matter - Free!
It's time for your fourth annual dose of total noise overload, as this Saturday RVA Noise Fest IV takes over Strange Matter for nearly 12 hours. While previous versions of this festival have been bigger and featured more touring acts, this year's one-day edition is worthwhile in its conciseness, offering a crash course in exactly what's going on in the noise scene that has quickly grown into one of the most active and happening "music" scenes here in RVA. An unbelievable 36 acts, all of which come from this local community, will assault your senses with 15-minute bursts of feedback, ambience, and all sorts of other sonic experimentation over the course of one day--and afterwards, you'll be able to say you're just as up on the state of RVA Noise as anyone who spends most of their weekends in the mysterious basement venue known as Auxiliary.
I'm sure a lot of OG noise heads are scoffing at that last line, and fair enough--but can you really argue with this lineup? Obviously Mutwawa are the headliners; this duo consisting of longtime noise veterans Jason Hodges and Gary Stevens have forged their piles of effects pedals, keyboards, and sequencers into an experimental mutant disco orchestra of unstoppable talent. Sometimes noise is just a wall of harsh distortion, but Mutwawa uses their sonic manipulations to make you dance! Their headlining set will be the perfect way to close out an afternoon and evening of absolute chaos.
But there are 35 more acts on the bill--and I've only got one paragraph to tell you about them! Here's a quick rundown of some highlights: Coteries is an up-and-coming solo performer of terrifying soundscapes, sometimes armed with spotlights. Flesh Control is whatever Leo Heinzel feels like assaulting your ears with, but it's always riveting. Cristal is another veteran act, bringing together members of LaBradford, Breadwinner, and Askance to explore the world of ambient space. Daggering combines the talents of J. Russell (Caves Caverns/Floodbeast) and Matt Boettke (Scant), both of whom will also be performing solo at other points in the evening. In fact, this is another common theme--solo performances by musicians who also appear as part of groups elsewhere on the bill. The RVA noise scene is a wellspring of creativity these days, and you have the opportunity to engage in detailed exploration of it this Saturday. Best of all, it's free--so even poverty should not keep you away! Bring your earplugs and get ready for some serious aural damage.
