After forty shows in thirteen days this reviewer needed something explosive to refuel his interest and thankfully it came in the form of Noise Ensemble; a frenetic bout of percussive delight.
Based around a ten-piece percussion group, Noise Ensemble is a wickedly loud and energetic display of at drumming at its best. Okay, it’s not as impressive as Tao but it’s still bloody good.
Far from just being an hour of tribal rhythms, this high-energy show is a series of set pieces in very different styles. Utilising everything from standard snare drums through bongos and glockenspiels, this amazingly skilled cast manage to whip up the frenzy of Beltane drummers in one scene, only to gain the poise of philharmonic performers in the next. Some set ups are naturally better than others, with the drumming duel being a spectacular high point, and the general level of Noise Ensemble is encroaching on magnificent.
Whilst their use of lighting is pretty impressive throughout, there are a few acts that would undoubtedly benefit from the inclusion of a few extras; pyrotechnics and fire poi for instance. Other than that, and the slightly slack video interludes that cover instrument changes, Noise Ensemble is pitch perfect.
In fact, Noise Ensemble is a complete misnomer, as it suggests the pretentiousness of Stomp! These guys show none of that self-importance and are quite simply percussive geniuses.
4/5
Richard Biggs
