Has anyone seen Boards of Canada play live ?

Guido · Post by **Guido** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 12:31 am

I haven't seen them but I met the guy who made one of the very widespread bootlegs (forgot which one) through a mutual friend in person. I was stunned when he told me

.

polar sky · Post by **polar sky** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 2:19 am

I saw them 3 times! We hung out once and watched Simpsons Season 3 after the show.

BunnyRabbit · Post by **BunnyRabbit** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 9:34 am

Joebot Kill wrote:
Totopatter wrote:I AM SO JEALOUS RIGHT NOW.
I am as well, but I'm relieved that at least a couple of people on this board have actually seen them! It's surprising that it took this long to get some in depth descriptions of the shows.

I've told my story several times but perhaps not all in one go.

If it helps it was slightly disapointing. I have my ideas about perfect BOC gig and this is far from it.

I think this kind of experience is one of the reasons BOC haven't toured. They could fairly easily do these kind of live shows night after night if they wanted to but it just doesn't present their music that well IMO.

They are musicians but the end product of Boards Of Canada is so much more than just a performance. We all know how long it takes them to produce an album and a large chunk of that is just mixing and refining the sound.

If Mike and Marcus were to play live I don't see it happening as Boards Of Canada because they either have to fall back on a lot of pre-recorded stuff or water down the essense of what they're doing.

The best live acts are as good if not better live than on the studio recordings. I saw alot of the big techno acts in the nineties and they were all really exciting live because they retooled their sound and arrangements for the live environment. It wasn't just the record played live when Orbital played, they really did it differently. Rock bands tend to be a live entity first anyway so the studio is another way of doing things for them but after they've developed playing live.

Kraftwerk, even, are a live band in may ways. They say they play the studio as an instrument and so on but they always bust out of Kling Klang and take it all on the road. They always have and they make a joke of how they just stand there and do almost nothing on stage. Their sound was and always was translatable to the live arena even though it might have seemed impossible in the late seventies. They had to take the whoel studio with them in the end.

Now BOC are studio fist and foremost. How do they play live after perfecting the studio recording to such a high degree? They can't play like a rock band as such and they can't play like Orbital who used a much narrower palete of sounds. They could do a Kraftwerk and take everything with them but you can't really do a nostagia tinged degraded recording on stage just play it back.

The Beatles famously gave up playing live so they could do more with their sound in the studio. Seems to me BOC have the same idea really. Why limit yourself but playing live or always thinking 'how will this work live?'.

I hope they solve this conundrum and one day I can stand there again and see them but I don't think they see the point in just doing a live PA with the occasional line played over the top anymore.

Easy for me to say though. If you've never seen them in the flesh I can appreciate it's frustrating.

Skydiver · Post by **Skydiver** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 2:38 pm

Well, seeing as it's Warp's Anniversary this year here's hoping BoC dust down the samplers and guitars and get out and about. ( Didn't i read ages ago they were planning on touring, or at least playing TCFHP live ??)

It was Phoenix 97, I was watching Bis instead

Mexicola · Post by **Mexicola** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 6:42 pm

Skydiver wrote:It was Phoenix 97, I was watching Bis instead

Oh dear. They really were a dreadful band! Her voice used to drive me up the wall!

A_Northern_Soul · Post by **A_Northern_Soul** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 7:42 pm

Skydiver wrote:It was Phoenix 97, I was watching Bis instead

Well done for admitting that - many wouldn't

Skydiver · Post by **Skydiver** » Wed Feb 11, 2009 12:38 pm

A_Northern_Soul wrote:
Skydiver wrote:It was Phoenix 97, I was watching Bis instead
Well done for admitting that - many wouldn't

I know, I know...It's my secret shame.

Bis were shit.

23degreesdream · Post by **23degreesdream** » Wed Feb 11, 2009 9:23 pm

Mexicola wrote:
Skydiver wrote:It was Phoenix 97, I was watching Bis instead
Oh dear. They really were a dreadful band! Her voice used to drive me up the wall!

I still have a ticket stub signed by her, she drew a flower on it.

Yes, i paid a full six quid to go and see them. For some reason at 17 i failed to notice they were abysmal... This was a full year before i ever heard BoC...

Skydiver · Post by **Skydiver** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 12:42 pm

23degreesdream wrote:
Mexicola wrote:
Skydiver wrote:It was Phoenix 97, I was watching Bis instead
Oh dear. They really were a dreadful band! Her voice used to drive me up the wall!
I still have a ticket stub signed by her, she drew a flower on it.

Yes, i paid a full six quid to go and see them. For some reason at 17 i failed to notice they were abysmal... This was a full year before i ever heard BoC...

Yeah, weirdly it was about a month later and NME or Melody Maker or someone, (probably Select) did a free cd with one of their mags and Roygbiv was on it. It was easily the best tune on the whole CD so off i went to my local music emporium and immediately ordered Music Has the Right To Children. I haven't looked back since.

Happy days...

Magic Brenda · Post by **Magic Brenda** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 2:30 pm

I'd completely forgotten Bis ever existed. Then I looked for them and found that "Bler bler, candy pop" song and remembered why...

Mexicola · Post by **Mexicola** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 8:18 pm

Magic Brenda wrote:"Bler bler, candy pop" song

I remember them doing that song live on Top of the Pops - the first unsigned band to play. She got to the end of the first line and - I swear this is true - me and my flat mates all got off our arses and RAN to grab the remote and turn her off.

Beyond awful.

Magic Brenda · Post by **Magic Brenda** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 8:40 am

Hahaha! I think I remember that actually! *Song ends, stunned silence in studio, Dave Lee Travis quickly introduces Ace of Base*

BunnyRabbit · Post by **BunnyRabbit** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 3:47 pm

Magic Brenda wrote:Hahaha! I think I remember that actually! *Song ends, stunned silence in studio, Dave Lee Travis quickly introduces Ace of Base*

No, it was worse than that. I think Jo Whiley or Steve Lamacq came on afterwards, all proud of what they'd done. Then straight to Ace OF Base, natch

Magic Brenda · Post by **Magic Brenda** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 4:22 pm

Steve Lamacq scares me.

jakestott · Post by **jakestott** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 5:11 pm

Magic Brenda wrote:Steve Lamacq scares me.

I second that.

Magic Brenda · Post by **Magic Brenda** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 6:06 pm

He looks like Golem. I't not right I tell you. NOT RIGHT AT ALL.

Mexicola · Post by **Mexicola** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 6:34 pm

Lamacq is scary. Dave Lee Travis was scarier. Move the children out the room and brace yourself......

Magic Brenda · Post by **Magic Brenda** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 10:27 pm

And then there's...

Mexicola · Post by **Mexicola** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 12:30 am

Now then. Do you.......like the sound........

.....of Showaddywaddy?