Words can't explain much for a Faust gig. Pictures aren't a lot better, especially when they're from an instamatic held hopefully above one-hundred swaying heads. Even the sounds, beautiful though they are, don't make the event. Smells? You know, you could be onto something there.

The gig started with what seemed like an hour of pre-recorded sound-scape. I burped up beery aromas while around me I could smell a variety of cannabis preparations, someone drenched in patchouli oil, sparking zippo fuel. Alone in the crowd, I wrapped myself in a swathe of aircraft noise, mangled rock'n'roll, electronica and other aural debris, speeding up, slowing down. Impatient but chilled. For a very long time.

People crept across the stage.

Then they went back off.

They crept back on.

Fiddled with some stuff.

And disappeared again.

It was quite some wait.

Andthenitstartedandallsortsofthingsand
rhythm
rhythm
rhythm
rhythm
RHYTHM!
rhythm
rhythm
rhythm
rhythm
RHYTHM!
rhythm
rhythm
rhythm
rhythm
RHYTHM!
rhythm
rhythm
rhythm
rhythm
RHYTHM!

I love Faust for their rhythm! Always solid, always off the wall. And always loads of sheets of beaten metal clanging out the end of a bar.

It was scary - what if these people are for real - what if he's going to throw that TV into the middle of the audience. Well, just 'cause they haven't done it before, doesn't mean they might not do it now. They might all be a bunch of nutters. What do I know.

Oh, he just threw it into the "pit" between the band and the audience. Impressive explosion though.

Yeah, angle-grinding time. And on comes the pneumatic drill. NOISE!!! But noise with rhythm.

Shit! Is that a firework in his hand. Maybe that's what he was planning to throw into the audience? He's hanging onto it for a very long time. He's going to blow his arm off if he's not careful. Oh, I see, it's a flare. Still, very dodgy. And fucking bright. Shit, didn't realise quite how bright until it went out. I can't see anymore. Every time I close my eyes and open them again, all I can see is a drawing of rain done in cyan chalk - the tracks of the flare, slurped about by the stochastic jumps of my eyeballs.

What's going on down there? Somebody's in the pit. Looks like a fire going on down there. Strain... tiptoes... Yup, fire, someone banging on bits of metal, can't make it out though. How about if I hold the camera right up and point it down.... over... there and.....

SNAP!

Wish I'd stayed to the end.

Stupid not to really.

But my feet hurt

My mind's itching

And the train leaves in 5 minutes..... shit!

I've seen this band before...