Squid released their second album `O Monolith` in June and having just returned from an extensive European tour, arrive in Birmingham towards the beginning of a dozen further shows around the UK and Ireland, their biggest to date. The album I thought was pretty experimental almost prog like, avant-garde and at times off kilter, the kind of band that really intrigues me.
There`s little fuss as this quintet walks on stage and head straight into `Swing (in a Dream)` one of the highlights from the latest album, which I have to say was a little subdued. The delightfully titled `If You Had Seen the Bull’s Swimming Attempts You Would Have Stayed Away` another from said release follows and comes to life with synth like bleeps, part spoken word and chant like segments.
There`s a delightfully jazzy vibe to `Undergrowth at times where Laurie Nankivell`s trumpet plays an integral role. The band share a couple of tracks from their debut album `Bright Green Field` with the fairly in your face `G.S.K.` and `Narrator` on which both had drummer / singer Ollie Judge nigh on screaming / shouting the lyrics.
`Peel St` becomes pretty mesmeric and towards the end encompasses a segment of Kraftwerk`s `Trans-Europe Express` which was pretty interesting. The show closed out with `Documentary Filmmaker`, Pamphlets` which really took on a life of its own before closing out this ninety-minute set with `The Blades`. The final two numbers took us on a delightfully eclectic trippy journey where Ollie came out from behind his drum kit to lie on the front of the stage while sharing some seemingly obscure thoughts / lyrics before the band finish and all head off the stage.
Squid on record and now having seen them live are a difficult band to pigeonhole, krautrock, art rock, post punk, punk funk who knows or who even cares. They are an eclectic mix of many genres all blended into their own unique mix. A band that seems to me, who create a sound they enjoy and if others also like it, fine. They appear to be a group or collective that push the boundaries and have inherited the torch from experimental / avant-garde artists such as Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart.
I read a quote associated with Captain Beefheart where somebody said `I have never experienced such a strong desire to keep listening and stop listening at the same time` and for me that could also be applied to Squid.
In conclusion, for me Squid are an experience to be enjoyed and not a question to be solved.
Squid @ Town Hall, Birmingham, Monday 16th October 2023
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