NORMIL HAWAIIANS communal take on post punk sprouted leaves from its mouth in 1982, and began carving out a new furrow. Greater emphasis was awarded to improvisation within the group and as a result their songs embarked on longer, freer journeys towards the beaten bounds. They wanted these new songs to bear the weight of their new collective spirit so comfort zones had to be left behind. Tape loops, echo boxes, extended percussive sessions and duteous faith in the tones emanating from a particular old wah-wah pedal were all employed by Normil Hawaiians to stretch their sonic fabric into wild and redolent new dimensions. Within three years the band went on to record three astonishing records, their ambitious double-LP debut ‘More Wealth Than Money’, ‘What’s Going On?’ with its radical collage of movements and ‘Return Of The Ranters’ which teamed up their free experiments in compelling arrhythmia with a more confrontational approach. Upset The Rhythm have released ‘More Wealth’ and ‘Ranters’ recently in remastered form, and this special live manifestation at Cafe OTO celebrates the reissue of 1984’s ‘What’s Going On?’ masterstroke (out June 28th). Lucid, candid, politically engaged, rarely metronomic but always humane, Normil Hawaiians conjure vast clouds of atmosphere. Their songs are bedecked with exalted synth trails, clustering guitar rapture, motorik beats, and spun-out raw polemics. Still light years ahead of us all!
