Colchester Arts Centre, 27 Mar 2026
Abrasive Trees + Rothko + Strandings + Vaahl
Tickets £8 / £7 concessions
Doors open 7pm.
This gig is for a standing audience.
ABRASIVE TREES
Described as ‘utterly enticing’ by Louder Than War and ‘a transcendent experience of euphoric dissonance’ by Post-Punk.com, Abrasive Trees take their name from a Buddhist description of a hallucination-like nightmare realm.Led by Matthew Rochford (Silver Moth/Rothko), the band display a willingness to experiment alongside a sound that sits loosely within an experimental post-punk, post-rock aesthetic. Exploring themes of loss, turmoil, and spiritual realisation, they use a combination of distorted and reverb-drenched guitars, intricate melodies and driving drum beats to create a sense of atmosphere and intensity. When they use lyrics they’re often cryptic and evocative, painting vivid pictures of complex emotional landscapes. After several releases lauded by BBC Introducing, Echoes and Dust, Aural Aggravation, and The Big Takeover, the band are preparing to release their much anticipated debut studio album due for release Spring 2026 on Argonauta Records.Abrasive Trees weave fierce threads of sound into something both haunting and transcendent. On stage, they summon a raw, immersive energy—each performance a spellbinding journey into the unknown.
“Post-punk psychedelia…Abrasive Trees deal an evocative and mysteriously mystical, poetic, dark energy that is utterly enticing”Louder Than War... "Colossal...explodes into a monumental extended climax that’s absolutely killer and one hundred percent exhilarating"Aural Aggravation
https://abrasivetrees.bandcamp.com/
ROTHKO
Mark Beazley, under his Rothko banner, has crafted a distinctive niche in the music world since 1998. Known for an evocative and atmospheric sound built primarily around the bass guitar, Rothko's music defies easy categorization, weaving dark textures with intricate, chiming bass melodies. Over his expansive career, Beazley's contributions have spanned various collaborations and solo works, consistently pushing creative boundaries.https://rothko1.bandcamp.com/
STRANDINGS
Experimental solo electronics from dead rat orchestra member Robin Alderton.
https://strandings.bandcamp.com/
VAAHL
Colchester Ambient Drone Warlords - debut performance.
Never knowingly understood.
Church Street, Colchester, CO1 1NF
01206 500 900 / info@colchesterartscentre.com