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Theo at Swn 2011

After trying unsuccessfully to get in to see Truckers Of Husk at O'Neills and instead being confronted with a queue half way down the street, Undertone, just around the corner became home for the next hour and a set from Theo kept the crowd rapt, proving sometimes it's good to go against the flow.

Theo sets up his mini drum kit and guitar in the middle of the venue floor away from the usual stage area and using a Looper pedal and layer upon layer of intricate guitar parts he sets up his songs before swinging his guitar around to his back and jumping on the drums, which he pounds on until our ears are shattered and he looks ready to collapse; somehow this one man roller coaster keeps going though, his Mastodon t-shirt quickly soaked through and his eyes glazed, it's quite a performance.

If you were told that one man could create math-rock and that he could do it using so many layers and such intensity the chances are that you wouldn't believe it; in fact it's hard to believe it even when he's putting it all together in front of your eyes as the faces of the crowd attest - jaws have dropped, but despite this they can't help but move and soon the entire place is caught up, raptly watching and unconsciously head-banging along with his heavy duty tunes.