The concerts at the 2003 Le Weekend divided into two categories. On each night, there was at least one set from musicians who had established their own space and worked quietly within it.And there would be another set, whose accomplishment was inversely proportionate to its volume.
Of the successful sets, I mention Akio Suzuki's browse through his collection of found and home-built instruments, and Kazuki Tomokawa's impassionate acoustic guitar songs.
Damon and Naomi's set on the Saturday was a case in point. Normally, I would cross a road to avoid their brand of energetic and healthy songs. But their sincerity and delight to be playing won through. Part of their set featured two guest musicians from Ghost. The guitarist played with such sensitivity and imagination as to dispel my doubts about Ghost's Sunday set, which I had feared would be yet another Japanese bunch of long-hair nostalgists, recreating the look/feel of a support band for Hawkwind circa 1972.
Unfortunately first impression are often best. Ghost's own set began well enough, but after 15 mins or so, it descended into an effects-pedal thrash. The shorthand comparison with Can is far from the mark. The song material lacked fluidity, the band lacked the mobility to take it anywhere. Except to turn the amp up to 11. Whatever their threads, drab.
Ghost were a poor starter for Patty Waters, veteran of the 1966 ESP-Disk college tour which gave rise to Sun Ra's “Nothing Is”. Waters was partnering another veteran of that mid-60s revolution in jazz, Burton Greene. Ears ringing from the Ghost set were restored to order by their sensitive and referential set, cutting new paths around standards from “Strange Fruit” to “Nature Boy”.