TEST DEPARTMENT with BRITH GOF - Gododdin

LP / CD Ministry of Power 1989



"Like that other notable contemporary band of philosophical noisemakers, Einstürzende Neubauten, Test Dept. originally eschewed all musical tradition to play stunning ultra-percussion with an industrial bent. Like their Teutonic soul brothers, this enigmatic British organization uses large metallic objects and power tools to add stark modern realism to the drum overload, but also brings more structure and rhythm to the assault".
(Ira Robbins & David Sheridan, Trouser Press)

"Gododdin, a collaboration with kindred spirits in the form of Welsh avant-garde theatre company Brith Gof. Performed in Wales, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Scotland, this was a dramatisation of the annihilation of a small Celtic army by the invading Angle's at Catraeth in 600 A.D. A critically acclaimed spectacler using a huge performance space, a large cast, and specially designed set from Cliff McLucas (now sadly deceased). It premiered at the abandoned Rover car factory in Cardiff, transformed using 600 tons of sand, 50 trees, 30 wrecked cars and a set that flooded as the performance progressed. Brith Gof provided music and voice, accompanying their movement, while TD provided a blend of percussion and bagpipes enhanced with physical performance".
(testdept.org.uk)

"This is a spectacle of freedom; free, in particular, from pseudo-sophistication, self-conscious theory, and preciousness. Elemental, wild and exhilarating, it is what it is claimed to be: a celebration not of defeat but of 'the energy, optimism and dynamism of the last great flowering of Celtic society'. The fundamental question remains, though. The physical commitment, muscular and material, is rewarded: the energy and dynamism are electrifying. But in the end, this is the story of a band of warriors who chose drunken fury over discipline and tactical skill. Once that fury has been acted out, little is left. For this reason, perhaps, the coda was less moving than it should have been. It did not weave bonds with the present. Nevertheless, Gododdin is an exceptional achievement. For Test Department, it marks their transition from youthful essays into maturity. They now face the challenge of extending their sonic range beyond the bagpipes and precussion that are entirely apt for this production. These are probably the final days of Gododdin. For obvious reasons, it will not be performed in England, although the battle is believed to have been fought at Catterick. That is the loss of the English, but then there's always the Charge of the Light Brigade..."
(The Independent review)

ENJOY


Yn Nydd Cadiawr (Battle)