On Friday night, Swedish duo Wildbirds & Peacedrums took part in A Ritual For Elephant & Castle, an event held at the Coronet Theatre, in the heart of Elephant & Castle, which also featured sets by Septic Heart and Chrome Hoof. For the occasion, Mariam Wallentin and Andreas Werliin invited amateur percussionists and drummers to join them for a one-off performance.

In just two albums, the brilliant debut Heatcore and its follow up, The Snake, published in as many years, vocalist Mariam Wallentin and drummer and percussionist Andreas Werliin, who are also a couple, have established their particular blend of primeval avant-pop based on Wallentin’s wonderfully warm and colourful vocal tones and Werliin’s omnipresent drumming, occasionally reminiscent of The Creatures. Their live sets have long gathered praises all over Europe, not only on the traditional rock circuit, but also in jazz circles.

For this performance at the Coronet Theatre, the pair set themselves a challenge with a somewhat unpredictable outcome. Surrounded by amateur and would-be musicians of all walks of life, for which they had advertised through their website, the pair chose to perform in the middle of the crowd rather than on stage. The set kicked off without preliminary announcement, and with only sparse drum patterns, progressively gaining momentum as the formation settled into the groove, and with Wallentin, wearing a black dress and black make up, giving her a slight air of a young Siouxsie Sioux, finally joining in, her voice, in turn gentle, harsh or primal, the usual Wildbirds & Peacedrums tribal sound took a much meatier turn. During the most energetic parts of the set, the band’s dynamic undeniably gained considerable strength with the addition of multiple layers of percussions, but, while there was, at times, an almost trance-like feel to the performance, both Wallentin and Werliin appeared to remain perfectly in control of it all.

In between the three main pieces, the ensemble also performed a couple of much more subtle songs, which unfortunately got rather lost in crowd noises, the size of the venue working against the band during these particular moments. These were however largely compensated by the totally hypnotic and energising rest of the set, which despite lasting just over forty minutes or so, received a heart-warming ovation from the crowd.

There is nothing quite like Wildbirds & Peacedrums, and the pair’s music seem to come to life when performed live. Wallentin and Werliin share a strong bond which materialise through moments of surprising gentleness and sheer energy. With this particular performance though, the pair have stumbled upon something quite extraordinary. By reinforcing their usual drums and percussions arsenal, the music became more primal and visceral than ever, and it is only to be wished that this will, with time, infuse their records too.

Wildbirds & Peacedrums (MySpace) | The Leaf Label