Farming Incident
Live at The Royal Oak (Halifax) on Friday, 29th July 2005
The monthly "Sneeze" night of live music, free noodles and general debauched shenanigans at Halifax's Royal Oak continues with aplomb, with Wrath records The Farming Incident leading the bill tonight. Pig-inspired power punk with a dark brooding post-rock undercurrent might not sound like the most obvious route to follow for a successful long-term career within the local music scene, but 2005 has seen The Farming Incident's fifth release in six years. Unfortunately Derek the Pig isn't present tonight but expectations are high nonetheless.
A relatively late start to proceedings allows for a higher audience turnout, the majority of whom have reached a successful level of inebriation by the time Proctor and co. reach the stage, and without further ado the quartet launch into a rather high octane opening number with some top-notch guitar wizardry from the Welsh chap on the left. Song titles? Well it would be good if I could remember them, but I can't so I shan't. Last single "Flute of Death" did feature though, and was a rather marvellous highlight. What you do need to know however is that t'Incident play some fantastically demented post-punk songs: skewered rhythms intersperse themselves amongst relentless yet melodic lead guitar passages and pounding bass that calls to mind bits of The Fall, Pavement, Fugazi, Television... oooh and maybe just a bit of Joy Division.
Admittedly the sound isn't corking tonight- a rather nasty trebly high-end squall seems to rear its head occasionally tonight like an angry banshee. This seems to irk some members of the crowd, who don't manage to last the full duration of the set. Their loss really. "We heard that Halifax crowds are the best crowds in Britain!" proclaims frontman Dave early on; hmmm, someone might have been telling you porkies there mate but not to worry; tonight The Farming Incident well and truly impress. Recommended.
