KAPREKAR’S CONSTANT
VENUE THE TAlKInG HEAdS, SOuTHAmPTOn
DATE 08/06/2018
SUPPORT THE GIfT, unREAl CITy
More than 6,000 people are otherwise engaged in Southampton tonight. Over half of them set sail on board the cruise ship Ventura and the other segment enjoy West End smash War Horse at the Mayflower Theatre. Just a quick canter away at the less crowded Talking Heads, the aggregate of musicians onstage outnumbers the audience – a statistic that’s disappointing at best, tragic at worst.
Given this startling ratio, the extant atmosphere is like a final rehearsal. And without introduction, Kaprekar’s Constant end their soundcheck and launch straight into their time-limited set. Their pastoral pleasantness instils a benign quality into their live presence, despite there being seven of them on stage. No histrionics, no gimmicks, they go about their business methodically, faithfully recreating five of the six songs from much vaunted debut album Fate Outsmarts Desire.
It’s easy to become immersed in the gentle ebb and flow of their song-stories, which sail along on laid-back grooves, though at times they do feel a little one-paced. However, the fact that singers Dorie Jackson and Bill Jefferson have to refer to lyric crib sheets throughout becomes a visual distraction.
On the plus side, the presence of Jackson’s dad jettisons this lilting loveliness into extraordinary new territory. Best known as the ‘lungs’ of Van der Graaf Generator, her old man
David Jackson uses his collection of saxophones, flute and Dixon traditional D whistle to inject his hallmark jagged, edgy textures. Even a major microphone malfunction fails to stop him in his tracks.
An edited version of the epic Bluebird still delivers numerous twists and turns, and on Houdini – King Of Cards, Dorie Jackson finally gets a chance to unleash her fine, understated voice.
However, the band are something of a curate’s egg in that the stage show needs to reveal more of their collective characters, rather than letting Jackson père constantly steal the limelight. Come Summer’s End in October, we may yet witness something special from them, but for now, their live show remains a work in progress.
By contrast, The Gift are slightly overblown and highly energetic, frontman Mike Morton’s eye-popping visuals extending to a gold and black lamé jacket. Despite the minuscule audience, they don’t hold back.
Rounding off this surreal evening, Italian proggers Unreal City are a small revelation, a dynamic five-piece with a charismatic keyboard player, Emanuele Tarasconi, who resembles a Latino Adam Warne (Kyros). Upbeat and entertaining, they’re definitely one for the Summer’s/Winter’s End organisers to investigate further.
“WE MAY YET WITNESS SOMETHING SPECIAL FROM KAPREKAR’S CONSTANT, BUT FOR NOW, THEIR
LIVE SHOW REMAINS A WORK
IN PROGRESS.”