Concert Review: Gull, August 25, Burdock Music Hall

 

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Gull is a one man band of sorts that has shared the stage in the past with the likes of White Rabbits, Silver Apples, Melt Banana and Deerhoof and has travelled around the world, busking and playing shows. He’s also, weirdly, had an article written about him by the dude from Entourage. (Oh Yeeeah!) Onstage, Gull (aka Nathaniel Rappole) builds his sound using guitar and drums (often played simultaneously), his voice, a sampler, and some effects to top it all off. And watching him put this all together is indeed something to behold.

As i said, he often plays guitar with one hand while drumming, and the drums were played pretty much exclusively with his bare hands, which must hurt a bit after awhile. When his hands weren’t otherwise occupied with his instruments, Rappole would work in some rather emphatic hand movements/dance moves that were amusing to watch. And yes, he wears a mask, one which not only serves the purpose of keeping his mic in place while he plays, but which aesthetically comes across as a mix of Mexican Day of the Dead iconography and the cover to Quiet Riot’s Metal Health LP.

Gull put on an entertaining show to a small but appreciative crowd at Burdock, the highlight of which was a cover of Beyonce’s “Halo” which I didn’t even realize was “Halo” until I recognized the chorus underneath the layers of noise. While Gull doesn’t entirely cover new ground with his project (I’ve seen similar things done before – Brian Chippendale’s Black Pus project comes to mind as something covering similar territory), he does what he does effectively and entertainingly.

Posted on by Paul in Concerts