Thomas Truax, Fulford Arms, 18 May 2016

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The night magic came to York…

The night started in Fulford Arms, York (one of the city’s best venues for live music) and ended in Wowtown, courtesy of Thomas Truax. I admit prior to the evening I knew little of his work, save for his reputation of inventing his own instruments. Starting with ‘Inside the Internet’, complete with dial up tones, it felt like the beginning of, what was, a very special evening.

Words can’t really describe the gig in justice, but here’s a selection. There’s an incredible inventiveness about Thomas Truax that’s completely mesmerising. Sounding at times like a complete orchestra, it’s an one-man show like no other. It sounds impressive, ‘invents his own instruments’, but it’s more than just putting an extra string on a guitar (which may also be great). We’re talking hornicators, gramophones, beaters, mouthpieces from saxophones, fishing reels, a spinning jenny, just to list a few. I’m not one for superlatives, but to me, it’s complete genius.

The songs themselves are just as fantastic as the band; the lens of Thomas Truax is staggeringly brilliant, as it is beautiful. ‘The Butterfly and the Entomologist’ is so rich in imagery, it’s like being in a cinema screening whilst ‘Why Dogs Howl at the Moon’ has a such fantastic charm about it, it feels as if we’re all residents in Wowtown.

There’s also the performance too, as if the individual elements combined weren’t enough. I’ve never seen an artist make such creative use of a space, the lighting, the positioning, the floor, and in a gig-first for us, the car park. Being led acoustically to the night sky during ‘Full Moon over Wowtown’ was simply magic. ‘Beehive Heart’ complete with neon eyeware was captivating whilst the Bowie/Eno cover ‘I’m Deranged’ hauntingly poetic.


There was humour throughout, but to write off Thomas Truax as a novelty act would be a gross dishonour, he’s a musical genius that both defies belief and deserves witnessing. It's genuinely one of the best gigs I've ever had the fortune to see. Live dates here: http://www.thomastruax.com/shows/

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