Mermaid Chunky

Embracing the weird, the wacky, the wonky, and the downright wonderful, this fun-strapped, helter-skelter of a debut takes musical ley lines (trad music played on recorders) and warps it into fresh, cutting-edge shapes befitting the carnivalesque dancefloor of New Weird Britain.

And ‘slif slaf slof’ is party music. Not the party of yesteryear, however. Not even a party that takes place on dry land. It’s an outrageous, squelchy, underwater disco, spiralling out of control like a catherine wheel strapped to someone chasing a tumbling cheese down a steep incline. It’s a hallucinogenic carousel of off-kilter, avant-synth-pop, complete with woodwind, saxophones, and plenty of sprechgesang thrust into the world by the manic charms of determined duo Freya Tate and Moina Moin.

Their visual arts background colours the DIY fringe theatre-esque world they’ve crafted which leaps from early folk to filthy electro via coffee shop skronk. And live this translates as flamboyant costumes, dazzling visuals, and choreographed line dancing for an overwhelming sensory experience.

The pair met in our city and blew up after their song ‘Friends’ flooded into DFA head honcho James Murphy’s ears whilst he waited for a coffee. A quick Shazaaming of the track from Zakia’s Questing NTS show and well, the rest is history still being scrawled.