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From: Ned Thisom Category: Art Date: 05 March 2007 Time: 01:49 PM Review: Last wednesday I went to Upset The Rythem at Bardens Boudoir, the night was Pick of the Week in the Guardian Guide and The Black Lips were playing. The first band on were The Pheromoans, I think that the Pheromoans are probably influenced by bands like, Can, The Fall, The Velvet Underground, Frank Zappa and David Bowie. The music sounded as though they were really interested in music, it sounded exciting but also excited. The variety and versatility of the sound, spurred on by the band members exchanging instruments between songs, the unique energy provided by the fact that the band not only seemed to be performing, but also searching or learning. In short, the band were very good. Sadly The Black Lips were not searching for anything, they seemed to think that they had all the answers already. The crowd loved them and they played loud and fast, the singer bouncing up and down (with a green beanie on) for the entire set, I felt like I was at a 'Busted' concert, it seemed to me that these kids had done this exact gig hundreds of times before, and now all energy was replaced with role play. Two days later I went to the Noon Day Demons first exhibition at Studio1.1 on my way to Tate M. to see Gilbert and George's Major Exhibition. Studio1.1 are doing a short series of 'Studio visit' shows, not saying, 'wow, look at me' but more saying, 'have a look at this'. The exhibition is one of the best I have ever seen. The Noon Day Demons are a group of five artists working on a collaborative drawing project, where one does a bit and passes it on to the next, they do a bit and pass it on until they all decide the work has reached it's conclusion. Maybe because of this system none of the work has a particular look, no obvious 'finger print' from each artist. Every piece is remarkable, nothing is overworked, and I am immediately reminded of The Pheromoans, I also think of my youthful 18 year old eyes discovering Basquiat and Haring for the first time. There is a lot of work in this show, hung salon style, your eyes are thrown all over the place, the energy, the sensitivity, the rare feeling of absolute respect for others, leave me standing there wishing I too was a Noon Day Demon. I come out of the lift on Level four of the Tate and am confronted by G&G's new Bomb pictures. The show begins with those crass and comic charcoal drawings from the 60's and photos of the local pub. In the seventies they were punk, and I really believe those 'Dirty Words Pictures' are some of the best art I have ever seen. In the eighties things got big, bold,fun, colourful and started to look a bit Haring. After this G&G seem to have decided that they are supposed to be boring, worse still, they discover photoshop and their lame use of its creative possibilities cheapens everything we have just seen. I wonder if they too realise this as I leave the galleries and encounter those bomb pictures again, all black, red and white, like the good stuff from the seventies. At this point G&G remind me of The Black Lips, I think about how recreating past glories is depressing to see or hear because it is lacking the spark that made it good in the first place. G&G leave me feeling depressed, for all their pretend anarchy and strange behaviour they are no more interesting than Anthony Gormley. I go in search of some Francis Picabia's to lift my spirits and think about how much I had felt inspired by the Noon Day Demons. Those artists are forcing themselves to adapt to the problems that face them, this allows them complete freedom beyond the usual style restrictions that artists commonly set themselves. As artists we need to be constantly looking forward, tackling the matter at hand and not looking back and reminiscing about former glories. For me that is exactly what the Demons and The Pheromoans are doing.