The Necks - Sex
The Necks are an Australian improvisational jazz trio (sort of), consisting of percussionist Tony Buck, double bassist Lloyd Swanton and pianist Chris Abrahams.
They create long, hypnotic, groove-based pieces of music that aren’t easily classified, hence the ‘(sort of)’ above.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of their first album, Sex. I vividly remember hearing it on my first trip to Australia in the year of its release, and it’s never since been far from my ears.
Sex is a 56-minute, gently propulsive, subtly mutating groove, driven by Swanton’s elegant two-note bass line, over the top of which Abrahams plays liquid, ascending trills and jazzy chords, all of which is underpinned by Buck’s inventive percussion. It works alternately as the perfect soundtrack to long, languorous lovemaking and, if you’re on your own, a long, luxurious soak in the bath.
To see them live is an event - whilst they release albums, they never perform them in public, instead choosing to walk the tightrope of improvisation, usually performing two pieces of roughly 40 minutes each (these are preceded by 30 seconds to a minute of eyes-closed meditation while one of them figures out how they might begin). They usually hit, sometimes they miss, but it’s never less than utterly compelling.
They’re currently on a world tour, and are next to be seen in Sydney in June, as part of Brian Eno’s Luminous festival.
