Who would have thought a table sounded so good?

26 October 2009

How can four men turn a table with a squeaky drawer handle into a rock concert, complete with Hendrix solo?

How can four men turn a table with a squeaky drawer handle into a rock concert, complete with Hendrix solo?

And, with the addition of a |violin bow, a steel blade and a bit of drumming with their fingers, how do they produce something akin to a 70s prog rock concept album?

Or offer up a beat-tastic version of Lou Reed’s Walk on the Wild Side? Or some haunting primordial vibes? Or what sounds like Sigur Ros’s big brother, being accompanied on a didgeridoo?

When the four men from Karbido take their seats at the wooden table which gives the show this title, there are few signs — on the surface at least — that it’s anything other than the common or kitchen variety. In fact, it is fairly thrumming with amplifiers capable of transforming the brush of a finger tip and the swipe of a blade into electrifying sounds. There’s a secret in every drawer, and a few more besides as the men stroke, rap, thrum, saw, spin, sing and strum their way through a musical voyage across the world.

This avant garde concert lasts just an hour — the sheer inventiveness and brio the musicians bring to the table makes every minute a revelation.

You want to hear the Stooges’ I Wanna Be Your Dog? Sorted.

And who knew it would sound so good played by a table?

^{Grania McFadden}