The proud tradition of bands performing in barmy masks ranges from the Residents’ giant papier-mache eyeballs to Slipknot’s scary gimp ensembles, but Quebec duo Angine de Poitrine’s polka dot outfits may just take the biscuit. Double necked guitarist/bassist Khn de Poitrine sports a giant upside down pyramid head with a Pinocchio-style long nose. Drummer Klek de Poitrine’s bonkers outsize head makes him look like Monty Python’s Black Knight, but has its own dangly proboscis which flails around as he plays, and a tiny gold pyramid on top. The stage, the drum kit, the merch stall and several of the fans are also swathed in polka dots. One particularly inspired group have even turned up sporting Klek’s gold pyramids.
If it looks like a phenomenon, that’s exactly what it is. Although the band formed in 2019 and have jammed together much longer, Angine de Poitrine went viral early this year when a US radio station published a video of the duo performing at a French festival. This first ever UK gig was completely sold out – as are several much bigger shows this autumn – and the madcap duo are greeted like conquering heroes before they play a note. Before they even come on stage, fans are taking photos of Khn’s complex pedal board setup.
Wonderfully, their music is every bit as outre as their clothing: a weirdly hypnotic, berserk hybrid of math rock, prog rock, punk, jerkily repetitive rhythms, microtonal loops and twiddly guitar bits, with song titles such as Sarniezz and Utzp. At times, they erupt into a kind of extraterrestrial hard rock. There is no singing as such, but occasionally they emit a mechanical “wooo” or “oggy oggy oggy” in alien-like gurgles.
Although one must admire the fearsome musicianship that produces a sound this intensely tight – never mind while wearing those outfits – the key to their success is that in dark times they are simply ridiculously good fun. At many points, band and audience make matching pyramid shapes with their hands in a gesture of mutual thanks; at another point everyone bounces up and down in perfect unison. After the crazed epic Sherpa has whipped everything into a brilliantly frenzied climax, everyone departs with a huge grin on their face and a tiny pyramid in their heart.
• At Electric Ballroom, London, 11 May, then touring
