Leah Fay Goldstein and Peter Dreimanis, the two front people of the rock band July Talk, are surrounded by a dynamic ensemble of whiplashing guitarists Ian Docherty and Josh Warburton, and double drummers Danny Miles and Dani Nash. This DIY and self-realizing group thrives on the tension between precision and chaos, a dichotomy that is reflected in their music and stage presence.
As we gaze upon the two front people, we are drawn into a complex web of relationships - not just between them, but also between them and us, the audience, and the world around us. These bodies, which are both tender and villainous, welcome our gaze, revel in it, and then recoil, pushing back and asking us to see them for who they truly are.
If we view July Talk as a woman and a man in opposition to one another, we are, in fact, projecting our own desires and fears onto these bodies. But what's truly important is not what goes on between these two individuals, but rather what happens in the kinetic, staticky, sticky space that surrounds them.
On stage, July Talk comes alive, unfurling and exploding in a dance of sound and fury. The action is a mesmerizing blend of slo-motion commotion and fluid, liquid movements, often bordering on the grotesque, yet always enthralling. Each show is a unique experience, offering moments of grace that reveal the inner workings of this unknowable universe.
As the music fades and the lights dim, we are left holding onto those fleeting moments of connection, until the next time we are drawn into the whirlwind that is July Talk.
