The only merchandise I wanted at all at last December’s All Tomorrow’s Parties was a t-shirt that said I HAVE BATTLES IN MY LIFE. Where did the people wearing them get them – there were none at the concession stall, and believe me I checked. (Mind you, Acid Mothers Temple seemed to have colonised the table and floor space first thing every morning till last thing at night. And then at the very end when it was finally shut they just started selling from the front of the stage).
Which is by way of saying that I am currently obsessed with Battles. They remind me of why I so adored Tortoise in the beginning, before they became so stuck-up. Guitars, electronics, drums, really really short tracks, really r e a l l y l o n g tracks. I only saw about ten minutes of their set at ATP and it was enough to demonstrate how utterly compelling they are. I’m particularly loving their B EP disc, and all their early releases are about to be compiled by Warp records to whom they’ve recently signed. (For one brief album,,Tortoise were on Warp. Did they leave or were they shoved? Are the nice people at Warp currently thinking “Sod you, old farts. Now we’ve got the Arctic Monkeys of math rock.”)
So my first New Favourite Band of 2006. Live in London in February – more just after that I’m sure.