by Gleen Screeton
THE Manchester cosmic voyagers Henge arrived at Warrington’s Parr Hall as part of the Warrington Arts Festival with their self-titled “Cosmic Dross” universe, delivering an ecstatic collision of prog, rave, theatricality and a very interesting narrative.
Performing adjacent to Mars – the enormous, suspended globe installation that transformed the historic venue into something closer to an interplanetary rave base, there are few bands better equipped to play beneath the giant inflatable planet than these guys and well done to the organisers for making the perfect match! Henge have long built their world around the “Cosmic Dross” mythology: a surreal cast of extraterrestrial characters, psychedelic sci-fi lore and humorous messaging that makes humanity’s usual concerns feel pleasantly small – at least for 90 minutes!
When the band emerged on stage, they brought their full visual arsenal. Two members — drummer and bassist — performed in elaborate costumes and masks, while the lead singer and synth player were cast as the humanoids (I believe), setting the scene for a trip across the galaxy and beyond! The frontman steered the story with much theatrical flair and was very entertaining indeed, but the real surprise for anyone dismissing Henge as a costume-first novelty act was the sheer level of musicianship underneath it all.
This is a band who can play!
Their sound is difficult to pin down: synth-pop filtered through rave culture, progressive rock and cosmic electronica. Their rhythms hit with club-ready momentum, while computer-altered vocals brought flashes of Peter Frampton’s talk-box weirdness. Admittedly, I believed the band were Scandinavian such was the Euro pop – rock type theme and in classic electronica mode the bassist, armed with a synthesizer and [from my view]a hand mixing board, warped his instrument into weird and wonderful new shapes. The group’s extended songs could have become indulgent, but they remained focused and playful, and the audience was just as eclectic as the music. Dedicated Henge followers mingled with fans carrying the spirit of Hawkwind, Faust and Kraftwerk and a little bit of cosmic nonsense. The result was joyous: a rave-like atmosphere where the weirdness was not merely tolerated but enthusiastically embraced.
Following a fantastic single set that passed with lightning speed, Henge’s commitment to cosmic travel extends beyond the stage, too. Their merch stand offered colourful T-shirts, vinyl and CDs, as well as brilliantly illustrated comics expanding the Cosmic Dross story. In another venue, on another night, Henge would still have been an entertaining and inventive proposition but beneath *Mars*, at the heart of Warrington Arts Festival, they became something more: the ideal soundtrack to a temporary escape from a fractured world.
A last-minute booking meant there was no chance to speak to the band on the night, however a proper future conversation with the Cosmic Dross crew is now high on my own agenda as I thoroughly enjoyed them.
