There’s no question of Dublin producer Ken McHugh’s commitment to, and mastery of, his craft. Autamata’s first release, My Sanctuary, was an accomplished collection of electronica that, for better or for worse, yielded comparisons to Moby when it was released in 2002. What has followed is an EP of remixes and more recently, a full-blown re-release and re-mix of …Sanctuary.
As well, McHugh has recruited animation maestros D.A.D.D.Y (for the excellent ‘Jelly Man’ and ‘Jive County’ videos), he’s bagged a handful of no doubt lucrative film and ad campaign soundtracking deals, and topped it off with an impressive online presence. Here’s an artist that has carefully cultivated, in every sense of the word, a brainchild. But as they say, all work and no play makes Autamata a dull boy and methinks this brainchild needs time to frolic, particularly after more than two years in the studio.
Carved and polished down to every bleep, the live set was eclectic, flawless but thoroughly underwhelming. Even with the full live band – bass, drums, guitar, keys, synths – and two very talented female vocalists Sarah Verdon (covering for absentee Cathy Davey) and Carol Keogh (of Tycho Brahe fame), the gig was decidedly lacking in the entertainment stakes. The visual backdrop was a nice accompaniment, synchonised perfectly and with each track title introduced on screen – but ultimately it made a poor substitute for stage presence. Graham Hopkins’ dynamic drumming was as good as it got in that department, and even the playfulness of tunes like ‘Jelly Man’ did little to animate band members or inspire connection with the crowd.
There were some moments of greatness – particularly with McHugh rocking out on guitar – but ultimately the tunes sounded overworked and even dated. The final track, ‘Decibel’, was the only new one, but we can only hope that some of that ad money goes into creating some more.