Having been sat waiting for a great new band/artist to come along for what seems like an aural age, suddenly three come along at once. One of these is No Ceremony. Now I know they’re from Manchester (as everyone who has ever written about them seems to say so, though where they’ve got that info from is beyond me) and apart from that I know absolutely nothing about her/him/them.
Not that this matters much; actually, it’s quite refreshing. A million miles away from the world of electronic press kits is something actually worth talking about. And it’s because people are talking about them that they seem to be spreading their delightful blend of melancholic and uniquely electro joy.
What I know of No Ceremony is via four tracks (one a remix of a Patrick Wolf’s Time Of My Life) uploaded as youtube videos, posted by CPR Agency. The fact that when you check out CPR’s site, the link to No Ceremony doesn’t actually work, only adds to the mystique surrounding their music. All four of their songs are available for free download from various places, one of which is their website.
The imagery on their website, along with that attached to some of their video uploads is scarily incongruous with the sounds they’re producing. Think rows of war graves/ hundreds of people in gas masks etc – somewhat death metal – where as No Ceremony are providing electronic dreamscape sounds that you can have on repeat for your entire summer (when it eventually arrives). I have looped it for almost a week without a thought as to looking elsewhere.
Think thin fuzzy blue lines, surreal and split up electronics, ethereal vocals and both lightly acoustic and ruffed up and distorted guitars. A comment posted on their HEARTBREAKER video on youtube sort of sums it all up” WHO ARE YOU!! and why is your music perfect!!!
I also want to know, but in the meantime will simply keep clicking repeat.
No Ceremony are set to play Manchester as part of the Future Everything Festival and I, for one, will be going!
Today I listened to: No Ceremony
Today I watched: Scott & Baily
Today I read: The Rough Guide To Berlin
I played with various crops of this image, but ultimately kept returning to the original because I just liked the variety of colours, textures and lines.
