The Thing

"The Thing convert nouveau punk and vintage garage-rock into a roaring scream-up, but the sheer energy and love of the music keep gimmickery at bay" Uncut

"The sheer power they generate from wood, metal, breath and muscle is stunning" BBC

IMC in association with Music 21* present

The Thing

Mats Gustafsson - saxophones
Ingebrigt Håker Flaten - double bass
Paal Nilssen Love - drums

with special guests

Mike Nielsen/ Benjamin Dwyer Guitar Duo

Adm €20 (inc booking fee) Tel IMC 01 670 3885 mon-fri 9.30am - 5.30pm

The Thing was established in the spring of February 2000 when the three musicians met do play several concerts and to record the first CD on Crazy Wisdom, a sub label of Swedish Universal.

In 2001, they also recorded another CD on the same label as a quartet with Joe McPhee. The trio was a long wanted constellation where several musical styles meet in a very high energetic outlet. All members are influenced by different traditions of free music derived from Germany, England and America, and these influences are to be felt and not necessary heard.

When the trio started out, the book contained mainly of tunes by Don Cherry, hence the group's name. Since Joe McPhee`s participation, the group's repertoire has included other free jazz standards by David Murray, Frank Lowe and Norman Howard.

Also, the groups enthusiasm towards rock music, is heard when they play "To Bring You My Love" by Rocks Mistress PJ Harvey.

Today the book has expanded to include tunes by The White Stripes, The Sonics and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. This is just an example that explains how close musical styles are today, how similar the energy is and can be, and how much today`s audience is melted together, devoted to creative music.

The Thing are currently signed to the Norwegian label Smalltown Supersound.

Mats Gustafsson is today Sweden's and one of Europe's biggest names on the free music scene. Through groups like Gush, AALY trio and Peter Brötzmann`s Chicago Tentet, he has established himself as a very powerful saxophonist, and has somewhat reinvented the way of playing the saxophone.

Ingebrigt Håker Flaten and Paal Nilssen-Love has become known as Norway`s heaviest rhythm-section. Since they`re long time collaboration started in 1992, they have been working in several groups, amongst them are School Days with Ken Vandermark, Scorch trio with Raoul Björkenheim, and the Swedish/Norwegian jazz-group Atomic.

*The Thing make their Irish debut as part of Music 21, formerly Mostly Modern. Visit www.music21.ie for further information on Music 21's 2007 series.