Now in its fifth year, Brighton's Colour Out of Space festival continues to meld experimental music, art, and film into a beautifully structured, chaotic live event and fantastic, surreal party. Each year Dylan Nyoukis, Karen Constance, and Michael Sippings coordinate the festival, selecting artists and filmmakers from all over the world. Some of this year's include folks from the UK, Italy, Denmark, USA, Belgium, and Israel, who performed over a period of three nights, and afterward, celebrated outside pubs and in the streets into the wee hours of morning.
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(This award goes to the person who stayed the most fucked up, yet still managed to pull off one of the best sets of the fest, similar to wasted American noise artist Rodger Stella of Macronympha.)

Isreal's Wreck & Drool performed Friday, the first night, with co-coordinator Karen Constance (Smack Music 7). Their set was a perfect example of Nyoukis's musical tastes, which are, according to Rat Bastard, “mouth mumbling, classic crackling, and some drone.” This now legendary collaboration almost didn't happen when Drool (Isreal's El Bootkeh, founder of Redbootkeh record label) was arrested on the plane after landing in London late Thursday evening. El Bootkeh drank himself into a stupor, making the decision to smoke not one but multiple cigarettes in the airplane lavatory. (In case you are unaware, smoking on airplanes is ILLEGAL.) El Bootkeh was taken “downtown” where he spent the night in jail. The next morning he was DNA swabbed, fingerprinted, and was free to go on a “caution.”

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Winner: Tom DarksmithFriday night was San Francisco artist and musician Tom Darksmith's third-ever public presentation of his music. A grade school teacher by day, a moody, erratic performer by night, Darksmith's stage presence confused and taunted the audience. He was either smiling and showing confidence or he was cursing the audience, ripping his shirt, or trying to break his gear. An audience member from Belgium leaned over to his friend and said, “I'm feeling an asshole vibe, I'm going to go outside and smoke,” while others in attendance provoked and haggled him. “Take off your shirt!” someone yelled. “Fuck you!” Darksmith responded. Then the music stopped and he screamed “No, No, NO!” and started up another wall of overwhelming drones. This went on back and forth for about 15 minutes until the sound guy turned on the house lights, forcing him to stop. No one was quite sure of what was going on. “Was that serious? Is he pretending or is that for real?” I overheard from people in attendance. Most people were speechless while others ridiculed the performance.Was he serious? Who knows…On Saturday, Darksmith was overheard telling Dennis Tyfus that he takes the pills that are in the photo on the cover of his record.
“What are they?” asked Dennis.
“Anti-psychotics.”
“So you are psychotic?”
“Naw, just bipolar.”
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“I have to have this!” He exclaimed, wondering if perhaps he should get two.
He eventually decided just the one would suffice.Random:

