:: Tomahawk / The Melvins / Fantomas live at The Palace - December 2003

By: Alison Griffiths

Fantomas wowed the crowd with their death metal vs cartoon music sound. With few lyrics and indistinguishable melodies, this is not music to sing along to. It’s more like hearing an amazing experiment bubble over and explode. Patton’s ability to utilise his voice to form all kinds of weird and wonderful noise effects was nothing short of amazing. Patton’s high-pitched screeches were unforgettably painful, whilst the adaptation of jazz techniques highlighted Patton’s astonishing musicianship.

After the brief but memorable set Patton remained on the stage while the other members of Fantomas retreated. Patton proceeded to scratch and mix his way through a rather lengthy set of experimental ambient sounds. This dj set disproved the widely accepted hypothesis that everything Mike Patton touches turns to gold.

The Melvins eventually took the stage, treating the audience to a powerful ‘The Bit’ and ‘Night Goat’ with Patton’s help. The Melvins heavy, huge sound driven by the powerful strokes of drummer Dale Crover was overwhelming. The set included material spanning their 20 year career, from ‘Oven’ off the 1989 release Ozma to ‘The Fool, The Meddling Idiot’ from the 2002 release Hostile Ambient Takeover.

Tomahawk draws from over 40 years of experience in the business from its members, Duane Denison (Jesus Lizard), Mike Patton (Mr. Bungle, Faith No More, Fantomas), Kevin Rutmanis (The Melvins), and John Stanier (Helmet). Working with 2 microphones and a hand held microphone, Patton often took on the role of two singers. One minute he’s screaming into one mic, the next minute the second mic is pulled closer for a warm, soaring phrase.

‘Birdsong’ with its introduction featuring samples of chirping birds and Patton’s own birdcalls was amazingly intricate yet powerful. Not surprisingly ‘Rape this Day’ was received with great vigour, giving the audience the only opportunity during the evening to sing along with Patton. The Palace audience was rewarded with two encores, the second featuring the Spanish serenade ‘Desastre Natural.’
Geeks or musical freaks, this strange and wonderful science project that is Tomahawk proved that they surely are in a league of their own.