Suoni Per Il Popolo: Keiji Haino + Preterite + Esprits Frappeurs @ La Sala Rosa

Last Friday was the loudest of my life. As part of Suoni Per Il Popolo, noise artists Esprits Frappeurs and Keiji Haino took the stage at La Sala Rossa, with medieval psychedelic Preterite sandwiched in between for good measure. The show began with Esprits Frappeurs, which is a collaboration between Philippe Lambert (of Monstre fame) and Alexandre St-Onge (Shalabi Effect’s bassist). The two donned white face paint, white robes, and large white sun hats strewn with leafy arrangements; they looked like characters from a Ken Russell film, wraithlike and amazingly fearful. They were painted by the disturbingly beautiful projections of Karl Lemieux while they twiddled and screamed. The set was a long improvisation, lasting about forty minutes. For those who know of Monstre, think Monstre. Otherwise, the project could be compared to noise projects coming out of Japan. There was dynamic and splendour in the madness. You could almost make out the lyrics obscured by layers of distortion and effects. A melee of noise art produced by two separate sound boards wired to various electronics supported the contorted voices. It would have been a nice segue into Keiji Haino, except that’s not exactly how the evening ensued.

Following Esprits Frappeurs was Preterite. This duo composed of Genevieve Beaulieu (Menace Ruine) and James Hamilton play ethereal drone tunes hearkening back to medieval times. Their set was longer - about an hour - and felt a little misplaced within the noisy atmosphere. At one point an audience member shouted for Haino; the audience was perceivably restless. Still, they were well received. Maybe a little calm before the storm was what was called for.

Keiji Haino is a legendary Japanese noise artist who has collaborated with Coil, John Zorn, Mayo Thompson, Peter Brotzmann, Thurston Moore, Faust, Fred Frith, and many others. During the sound check, even, the audience was going bananas. Apparently, he hasn’t been here for thirteen years, and the fans were thirsty for some Haino insanity. This guy is sixty years old and looks about twenty, save for the long white hair. His set started with a noise explosion and the cacophony never let up. When I thought it would get quieter, it just got louder. If anyone was cheering, it wasn’t audible. With noise like that, feeling is racking the bones, it is hard to not become completely entranced. Haino was alone on stage, just him and his guitar, but it could have been ten jet planes in a bathroom. There were stacks and stacks of amplifiers behind him, making the soundman nearly obsolete. Haino would turn around and slowly inch up the volume of each of his amps at intervals. For anyone who wants to blow out their brains with sound, this is your man. That’s definitely not a criticism.

All in all, I left Sala with ears bleeding and heart thumping out of my chest. Noise shows are not normally so popular, but the audience here were fanatics, and the atmosphere made it bearable.

-Danielle J hosts Runny Noise on Thursday from 10pm-12am