Review – Synergy Percussion meets Noreum Machi
If you are looking for a musical experience unlike any other, you’ll find it in this collaboration between Synergy Percussion and Noreum Machi.
Without a musical education it’s hard to determine what makes a good piece of percussion-based music, but this show took me on a journey that convinced me I was right to leave Angus and Julia Stone and the footy for another time.
Australia’s Synergy Percussion showed off their talents with a song reminiscent US television series muzak on a set of giant glockenspiels, before venturing into a jam on tin cans, congas, maracas, a conch shell, and a raft of instruments I’ve never seen. They up-the-anti with some more in-your-face thudding of the big drums before venturing into a more industrial piece, using rice on cymbals and other unique sound-making methods.
The gig breaks into an enticing Korean phase when Noreum Machi take the reins. They start with a dance that would excite rhythmic gymnastics enthusiasts, a visual highlight of the evening. After a serendipitous saxophone sounding piece, the drumming then takes on a rapid and cyclical pace that is mesmerising. This is followed by an educational vocal piece exploring the components of percussive sound. Armed with beautiful harmonies and unique instruments, this endearing South Korean group gets you involved and hits you with a huge sound that you’d expect from the main stage at Womadelaide.
The collaboration between experimental western and traditional Korean percussion feels a little disjointed, and at times there are sounds you won’t like to hear. But once Noreum Machi lift you over that hurdle, the performance makes more sense and leaves you drum-laden, intrigued, and very satisfied.
