In Review: Index For Working Musik

Photos: Anna Dallas

Index For Working Musik took to the stage at the Bristol venue, The Lanes, on a moody Monday night as part of their tour celebrating the release of their new album: ‘Which Direction Goes The Beam’. A shadow-toned four piece based in London, Index For Working Musik cultivate a brooding, dusky sound that mirrors the streets on which their music was made. Founded by Max Oscarnold of The Proper Ornaments and Nathalie Bruno, who has previously made music under the alias Drift, the band now features drummer Bobby Voltaire and multi-instrumentalist Edgar Smith, who joined them on stage in Bristol. 

Index For Working Musik delivered an atmospheric set that felt right performed under the venues flickering red lights and sparse smoke machine. They have mastered a style that is best described as slightly out of tune, fraying around the edges, that looks best in black eye liner and an untucked shirt. The band kicked off the set with ‘Sister’, a track featuring on the new album. Dreamy, reverb-laden guitar patterns introduce this song while hissing symbols count in a haunted duet sung by Max and Nathalie, all combining to create a sorrow-soaked lament. 

All members of this outfit came across as cool, exuding an aloof air in their sound and demeanour. That is, apart from Edgar Smith’s contributions, which provided a slightly unhinged aspect to an otherwise relatively detached performance. Throughout the set, Smith performed on the melodica, a small handheld keyboard that is powered by the instrumentalist’s breath, he scratched and plucked the cello offering both deranged and melodic compositions to multiple tracks, and finally played the trombone, which in between ear scratches and eye rubs, he blasted into, before resuming his unperturbed pose, perched on a bar stool. Overall, these contributions gave the performance an undeniably fascinating and cacophonous element. 

A highlight of the set was ‘X Says’ , also on the new album. The drumbeat is a defining element that drives this track’s intensity, a relentless pummelling that gives a rhythm to an ascending guitar riff that crashes in and out of the song, all the while the bassline grumbles conversation to a disgruntled cello. The overall sound of this track is absolutely summative of Index For Working Musik’s general style: an enduring vampire-esque aesthetic, enriched by decadent themes that are reminiscent of movements from the beat generation, to the avant-garde proto-punk of The Velvet Underground, through to the seedy post-rock scene in London, carved out by bands like Fat White Family. 

As the final notes faded and the flickering red lights turned yellow, Index For Working Musik grabbed their pints and left the stage, returning to their moody Monday night. The audience was left standing, watching the smoke hang in the air, a quiet end to a memorable gig. Index For Working Musik are an entertaining band who performed an exciting set, offering a performance that balances the familiar with the unexpected.