Squarepusher dazzles at Roundhouse with Acid House-heavy tour-de-force

The words “Hello World!” momentarily flash up on the giant video screen during this audio-visual tour-de-force as Squarepusher finally concluded his UK tour after its pandemic-induced postponement. It was a sort of seismic post-lockdown party, banishing the blues of isolation with a binary blitzkrieg of beats, bass and visuals at jet-engine volume levels. The man usually behind the Squarepusher mask, Tom Jenkinson, was in fact unmasked and hopped around like a maths teacher gone rogue, his red six string bass slung across his chest, fist pumping the air between wailing distorted dive-bombs.

The genesis of the set was Jenkinson’s 2020 album Be Up A Hello – a nostalgic celebration of his early Acid house days, and a tribute to a friend who died unexpectedly. But rather some turgid pastiche, its live incarnation doffed its brightly-coloured cap to those hedonistic 1990s raves with four-to-the-floor kick drums and insistent acid basslines whipping up the crowd. Previous ‘Pusher albums, Ufabulum and Damogen Furies, seemed deliberately obtuse, angular and feedback fuelled, pushing the tolerances of both audience and artist – with Jenkinson often standing for the most part at his table of tech during live shows churning out his tracks, his bass untouched until a final encore.

Tonight, it’s the complete opposite where everything is allowed. The bass is Jenkinson’s primary vehicle of expression and virtuosity (even though he’s also a classically trained guitarist and fine drummer) – and lockdown has evidently been a time to hit the proverbial woodshed – as he blasts out twisted jazzy guitar lines, slabs of heavily filtered sinewaves and guitar hero-style solos. Thus, the first 45 minutes are a relatively funky boogie of new tracks packed with pumping beats and Jenkinson having a whale of a time.

Bass playing well and truly sated, it was time to let the drums speak, and, setting his six string down and donning a pair of headphones, Tom got to work for an air shifting break-beat-heavy segment. It was notable just how powerful the mix was in the sometimes unruly acoustics of the Roundhouse, snares firing around the ears, bass drums thumping in your chest – sonically it was awe-inspiring.

If the evening’s celebratory hands-in-the-air vibe felt more like a grin-inducing DJ set, then the lack of tunes didn’t seem to bother anyone, least of all Jenkinson. That said, his ability to write catchy anthems counterpoints the more indulgent moments of his scientific obsessiveness. Thus, Be Up A Hello’s ‘Oberlove’ provided the evening’s strange, lighters aloft balladic moment, as Tom, bass back in place, played the melody, Eddie Van Halen style before its funky B-line and beat dropped. Yet, it was also a knowing moment of catharsis, gratefully embraced by all present, providing a hopeful glimpse of unity and optimism in our depressingly cynical times.

Never one to be misty-eyed for long, the following blast of ‘Nervelevers’ provided a closing circuit-snapping finale, descending into squalls of feedback and a visceral final shuddering bass note. The last 18-months have been challenging for sure but as we surface and face the wider world again, being greeted by a smiling, ebullient Squarepusher is cause for optimism indeed.