bani haykal is one of the true originals of our generation, conjuring up magnetic, perplexing melodies as both a slam poet and a singer for his band B-Quartet. Now he's taken to the stage with his newly formed interdisciplinary collective, Mux, and their first public performance is as fascinatingly eccentric as ever - a trashheap as a set, mock-philosophical documentary as a prologue, colourful video from multimedia artist Jun and live sound/performance art from UAN with balloons and rucksack pipe. bani himself performs spoken word together with recorder and melodica - it seems he grew his full beard and Einstein-esque locks just for the part, as well as adopting a different, deeper register of voice for the character he played.
Still I have to complain - and somehow, this feels like a minor quibble - that the epic monologue about a mad scientist proposing an alternative theory to global warming makes very little metaphorical sense, has a tenuous relationhip with current events, and follows a sequence so unbroken, prolonged and unclear that it does make me drowsy. Please tighten, separate, clarify and vary the voice.
Why am I being so lenient on the substance of this show? Because I really love the style. Mux breathes new creative energy into the world of performance here - and we need that, badly.