Review: Lonnie Holley & Moor Mother at The Rechabite

Lonnie Holley & Moor Mother with Irreversible Entanglements at The Rechabite
Thursday, February 22, 2024

With a line-up of such interesting musical minds, it was no surprise to see an interesting array of electronic and percussive instruments taking up a large portion of The Rechabite’s stage. Irreversible Entanglements quietly entered and stood in a moment of silent anticipation before a rumble emanated from Luke Stewart’s double bass, matched by the malleted drums of Tcheser Holmes. Camae Ayewa, a.k.a. Moor Mother, stood hunched over a lectern with a selection of handheld sticks and shakers, each one held up to a heavily effected microphone as the sound came to life, while the trumpet and soprano saxophone added alert beeps and toots.

The spaciousness, starting with the double bass, quickly evolved into an energetic musical jungle, with a rolling groove that forced movement of the body. Moor Mother ventured away from her lectern, hand raised above, shouting slogans with distortion and delay, somewhat reflective of a world where important messages get lost in noise.

Boxed in by keyboards, mic stands, and bass drums, the horn section of trumpeter Aquiles Navarro and saxophonist Keir Neuringer proved themselves to be multi-skilled. Often straying from their reeds, they explored the musical buffet in their zone. Navarro even multitasked, with his left hand lowered on the keys while the right hand held the trumpet to his lips. Thin organ tones entwined with bright trumpet wails—almost a subtle reference to Miles Davis’s Agartha—how could a trumpeter resist?

Ayewa was now armed with an unaffected wireless microphone, which helped her convey her message loud and clear. After cries of “liberation!” a series of questions were put forth from Moor Mother as the music died down. “Are you guys allowed to sing in Perth, Australia? Is singing banned? Is dancing banned? Are you allowed to organise? Are you allowed to fucking move?!”

What followed was the most fiery and funky finale to the show's first portion. A crowd-assisted chant of “We cannot be free!” prompted Moor Mother to bounce incessantly as the band lifted with the mantra’s growing intensity. Eventually, the bebopping chaos settled into the irresistible toe tapping of Free Love from 2023’s Protect Your Light.

After an intermission, the daunting task of introducing the second performer for the evening fell upon a roadie. In great detail, the ever-loyal and appreciative roadie recounted the trials and tribulations over a lifetime that had led Lonnie Holley to The Rechabite. This began with his discovery of artistic calling through painful tragedy and the time he devoted to object sculpture before applying the principle to music. It was an honour to hear that, due to the improvised nature of the music, tonight's set would be a truly unique performance. Context provided, the man in question appeared on stage, accompanied by Irreversible Entanglements and guitarist Lee Bains III, taking his place centre stage, seated at a table shrouded in a patterned sheet.

His first words moaned with an emotive warble as the band responded with eerie ambiance, along with Lonnie Holley’s own equally eerie sounds coming mysteriously from his shrouded table. Lee Bains augmented the raw poetry with soulful, tenor backing vocals, as if repeating an important instruction he had been given. In response to the multi-media artist’s growing emotiveness, visualised by constant rocking in his chair, Irreversible Entanglements grew and morphed their sound into a driving boogie. Holley fittingly growled Howlin’ Wolf style to welcome the gritty shuffle as he rose from his seat. Pacing frantically back and forth, he stared deeply into the eyes of individual attendees, making his presence ever more meaningful.

After more wild musical ups and downs, Holley sat back down to recount being incarcerated at the Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children (a place just as cruel as its name) in his distinct speech style before launching into Mount Meigs off 2023’s Oh Me Oh My. His theatrical storytelling appeared all too real as the music built into its free jazz interpretation of the institution’s brutality. Lonnie Holley might be stunned and shaken by his experiences, and they may have left his voice raspy and haggard, but he has survived to turn his raw memories into highly emotive sound and visuals. Within all the frantic musical experimentation, Holley stands tall as an arthouse bluesman.

Innovative and insightful, this show was perfectly fitting for Perth Festival. The stage was crammed with musical talent and creativity, forming a vortex of tight but chaotic music topped with a powerful message. A reflection of African American history and experience through music and poetry, it made for a high-energy evening of dance and thought.

AJ MAHAR

Photos by Mark Francesca