Showing @ Summerhall, Edinburgh until Mon 18 Aug @ 22.35
Pinkie Maclure is dressed completely in black. She has a piercing stare and a sultry voice and is clearly more than comfortable behind a microphone. Song Noir is a performance that blends dark and moody video with music that sets a similar murky tone.
Maclure is joined onstage by multi-instrumentalist John Wills. He spends the performance juggling a variety of instruments and equipment as he layers sounds and creates tranquil and at times bleak soundscapes. The music goes from electronic beats to blues and rock, and is augmented by projected films from Wills himself.
The pair perform as the band Pumajaw and are more than just a soundtrack to the projections. They are an entertaining duo with strong and powerful songs that measure the noir essence perfectly. The videos themselves focus on location and imagery and the result is a dark, moody and mysterious tone. Although noir-like in subject matter, the films are far more abstract than a Howard Hawks film noir thriller and more akin to a David Lynch influenced mystery or a Kenneth Anger dramatic short. Song Noir – The Directors Cut is a finely tuned performance that could appeal to film and music fans who are drawn to the darker things in life. Pumajaw give us brilliant songs and Wills gives us equally as brilliant videos.