FourPlay String Quartet Tour
In late 2006, the four members of FourPlay String Quartet gathered in Hobart, where viola player Tim was living at the time. Set up in the living room of a rented house with looping pedals, effects pedals and recording equipment, they jammed for days on end, and after two weeks devoted to creating new repertoire, the results of their creative efforts were even better than they had hoped: a wide-ranging selection of covers and a number of innovative group compositions – the embryo of a new album.
The original pieces came together in many different ways: an arrangement very naturally developed around an original and sassy cabaret piece of Lara’s; Peter strummed a crazy hoedown on the cello, over which Tim and Lara created melodies while Shenzo pioneered the “banjola” solo; Tim created a bizarre and crunchy viola loop which inspired riffs that borrowed from M.I.A. and weird effects patches; Shenzo idly plucked a dream-like chord sequence over a funky viola-percussion loop; and when a dub jam transformed into drum’n'bass somewhere around the middle, the as-of-yet unrecognised desire by the world for d’n'b string quartet music was realised.
As for the tasty selection of covers, manager Jordan Verzar wisely suggested that Rage Against The Machine be considered, and what better than their most famous track “Killing In The Name”? While the politically-charged lyrics are gone from this instrumental version, none of the energy and power are lost in translation.
Tim sang lead vocals for the first time on one of his favourite songs, Leonard Cohen’s “Famous Blue Raincoat”, given a strikingly faithful rendition despite the instrumentation. Another favourite, The Cocteau Twins, brought blissful shoe gaze to the table, while the complex arrangements of indie superstar Sufjan Stevens soared when rendered through loops and agility.
Fast-forward a year and a half, and band-members’ commitments meant that the Fourthcoming album was yet to be forthcoming. For as long as FourPlay has existed, the band had also felt that the live impact of their performance had been elusive in previous recordings, and so a solution was concocted: record the new songs live, over three performances, and select the best versions to release as the new album. Canberra’s intimate Street Theatre, a venue always supportive of innovative and daring projects, was chosen for the location.
A stellar sound was achieved with help from engineer Justin Tresidder, each player amped up for full effect. And so it was that FourPlay’s music was captured with all the mayhem, quirks and integrity intact – finally, Fourthcoming had arrived.
Fourthcoming out July 3
Thursday 16th July
The Heritage Hotel
www.heritagehotel.com.au
240 Princes Hwy, Bulli NSW
Ph: 02 4284 5884
Friday 17th & Saturday 18th July
The Street Theatre
www.thestreet.org.au
Childers St, Canberra ACT
Ph: 02 6247 1223
Thursday 23rd July
The Governor Hindmarsh
www.thegov.com.au
59 Port Rd, Hindmarsh SA
Ph: 08 8340 0744
Friday 24th July
Fly By Night
www.flybynight.org
Parry St, Fremantle WA
Ph: 08 9403 5976
Saturday 25th July
The Tivoli
www.qmf.org.au
52 Costin St, Fortitude Valley QLD
Ph: 07 3852 1711
Thursday 30th July
The Clarendon Guesthouse
www.clarendonguesthouse.com.au
68 Lurline St, Katoomba NSW
Ph: 02 4782 1322
Friday 31st July & Saturday 1st August
The Basement
www.thebasement.com.au
29 Reiby Pl, Circular Quay NSW
Ph: 02 9251 2797
Sunday 2nd August
Kings Theatre
www.kings-theatre.com.au
31 Morehead St, Lambton NSW
Ph: 02 4956 2066
Friday 7th August
The Republic Bar
www.republicbar.com
299 Elizabeth St, Hobart TAS
Ph: 03 6234 6954
Saturday 8th August
East Brunswick Club
www.eastbrunswickclub.com
280 Lygon St, East Brunswick VIC
Ph: 03 9388 9794
Web Link
http://www.fourplay.com.au
