As they stood on the Green Door Store stage waiting to start, Brighton’s Merlin Tonto looked quietly confident. In the past, before they have started their dance-infused take on space prog they’ve looked slightly apprehensive or unsure of how the crowd would take them but this evening, at the launch of their new EP Baotou, they looked ready and match fit.

The night’s support came from Septillion J, Native Ray and Paul Whelan from Hypnotized DJ’ing in between. Septillion J is a one-man band, who uses his laptop and an array of pedals, switches and programmes to create a seamless flow of techno. Very similar to how DJ’s control clubs, Septillion was always one step ahead of what we wanted. The only real downside to his set was how it ended. Instead of coming up with satisfying end, the set just faded out after his time was up. It felt like a musical equivalent of Franz Kafka’s novel The Castle, which just stops mid-sentence. While the Septillion J project is still relatively new a fully formed ending would have made a fitting ending.

After a short break Native Ray were up next. At times it felt that they were trying too hard to be abrasive and ‘weird’, but it didn’t quite work. Their songs started with ambient noise, mostly birds cheeping, atonal chimes and 8-Bit melodies but just when things were slowly building to an exquisite peak, a massive beat kicked in and wiped out all of the good work. Most of their set sounded like two separate songs glued together via a beat that wiped out all the intricate stuff. Which was a shame, as there were some really good ideas being thrown about, but once that beat kicked in it was game over.

Time Pilot opened the set, as it kicks off their new EP Baotou. Vocal samples, pulsating electronic bass and a driving beat got things going in fine form. The crowd was immediately into it and once Merlin Tonto knew this they relaxed even more and acted like a fluid single being, rather than three people on a stage playing instruments. New track ‘Foundation’ was up next. Sounding like a prelude to ‘Forest Primeval’, the two segued into each other perfectly. Their mix of 303 sounding blips and beeps meant that the crowd, if they weren’t already, started to dance and sway in time with the music. After this slight techno onslaught, things got slowed down with ‘Shimmering Mist’. As on Baotou, this was the most ethereal song of the set. Minimal beats interspersed synth workouts and celestial soundscapes. It was a well-needed dip in BPM’s, as it gave members of the crowd time to catch a breath from dancing or get a drink. After ‘Shimmering Mist’ the tempo was picked up again with ‘Beat the Sun’. This is Merlin Tonto at their best. Astral sounding synths filled the Green Door Store while the driving rhythm section kept things moving forward. The main motif was an empyrean keyboard that sounded like falling stars. ‘Beat the Sun’ then merged into an outro and then it was all over. The crowd exploded in applause. The band slightly blushed, thanked us and we were out the door, into a warming evening, but with the sounds of train announcements and departures as our soundtrack.

Throughout their forty minute set Merlin Tonto showed why they are one of Brighton’s premier live bands. They were tight, but not constrictive, allowing for the songs to be elongated when needed. They were also backed by hypnotic graphics. Blocks of colours flashed and changed initially on the beat, but as the set progressed the changes were more random and idiosyncratic. The whole set brought to mind a forty-minute cover of Coldcut’s 1997 classic ‘Space Journey’. Rumour has it that there are more gigs on the horizon and a recording session for their debut album. If all goes to plan it will be a successful year for this three-piece and anyone who sees them live.
Nick Roseblade

Facebook: facebook.com/MerlinTonto

Read our New Music Q&A with Merlin Tonto HERE.