London's Mothlite are a strange choice of band to raise the curtain for the noise-party of Magik Markers and the classic-rock-party of Howlin' Rain at Corsica Studios tonight. A stately seven-piece based around the piano and vocal of Daniel O'Sullivan, Mothlite set a decidedly sombre mood for the evening. The songs are literate, restrained and elegant: synth, guitar and vocal harmonies weave darkly intricate, hypnotic melodies, while the drums and bassoon provide occasional jazzy flourishes. Mothlite are a post-gothic dandy cabaret, all suggestion and nuance; they hint at heaviness and flirt with beauty.
I last saw Magik Markers at ATP a few years ago, and in the intervening period they've lost a third of the band and apparently calmed down a hell of a lot. Tonight they kick off with a long free improv piece, which unfortunately just doesn't work. The guitar meanders, never really going anywhere, and the tedium is only livened up by two boozy blokes somewhere in the audience loudly discussing whether or not they fancy Elisa (for the record: one did, on the grounds that "she looks like that Hillary Swank"; while the other didn't, on the same grounds). Eventually things start to look up, as the noodly stuff gives way to Axis Mundi, the first track from 2007's Boss. This song is all detached downtown cool, a nihilistic slow groove topped with vocal delivery that calls to mind Jennifer from Royal Trux (minus all the heroin). "I left my stink like a mink's dead gland" Elisa deadpans, "all over your mouth, all over your hand." Oh yes. Things shift up a gear with the decidedly thrashy Bodyrot and the band seem to have finally found their pace, but five minutes later it's "Ok, this is our last number." What the fuck? They're kidding, right? Unfortunately not. Said last number was a waiflike, naive take on Last of the Lemach Line. Spare and unsettling, with cracked girlish vocals reminiscent of Space Dust, Lemach takes us deep into Patti Smith territory. All of a sudden the choice of Mothlite as an opening band starts to make sense. This set really had the makings of a decent outing by Magik Markers, it's just a pity it was so damn short.
