Group Listening

Extraordinarily talented musicians in their own right, they craft beautiful soundscapes that fill the former church in a way a building like the Arts Centre was designed for. There’s a certain meditative quality.

Celebrating the release of their most recent album,Clarinet & Piano: Selected Works, Vol.2, Group Listening are performing a string of dates in March. Tonight they played the Arts Centre. Without any support, the rather meek and slightly awkward duo present their esoteric jazz/classical/ambient works. The most recent album is part of a series where the duo creates playfully classical interpretations of famous pioneering electronic works – previously having focused on Neu! and Roedelius. Firmly within the Brian Eno and Arthur Russell school.

With a relatively sparse crowd, perhaps just reaching 40, the two enter the stage – no support to be seen. ‘We’ve got a job to do so we’ll get on and do it’ says Paul and the duo get underway. Stephen Black’s clarinet appears to be being run through a selection of pedals before an interface – allowing a beautiful range of tones. It never gets too digital the acoustics of the instrument are allowed full reign in the mix.

‘We’ve come all the way from Cardiff today. Tomorrow we’re going all the way back’ sounds like the sound of a bad band, but they are far from it. Extraordinarily talented musicians in their own right, they craft beautiful soundscapes that fill the former church in a way a building like the Arts Centre was designed for. There’s a certain meditative quality. You can tell it’s important to create a sound for the space. Their so-called ‘disco banger’ is a cover of the eponymous Laraaji whose heady low-key synthesized pop takes on a bit of a pitch journey on the clarinet, splitting from Laraaji’s woody voice and going forsomething a bit more piping. You don’t really miss the vocals on their interpretation. Added ambient elements are slipped into the mix and the lead melody takes on a few different articulations.

The two never stray away from the slightly abrasive with occasional invasions of slightly uncomfortable synthesized nature noises. Their odd samples added to Five Hundred Miles produce a playful electronic interpretation of folk music. They use samples to recreate the atmosphere.

While short and stripped back, Group Listening have a wonderful ability to create a space where you feel comfortable. They communicate their vision effectively and are remarkably unpretentious with it. They’re two artists dedicated to their craft, and it shows in the music’s beauty.