Not The Futurists: A Rocking Riot

Wowzerz. Not The Futurists is a wild ride; as wild a ride as modern life. The bombardment of noise/sound/activity/music/intensity at 100k/h still has me shaky as I type here. And of course the irony doesn’t escape me that without a break I rush home to write about it. Because I like to get a review out before the next show – at 9pm tonight by the way – it’s the way of arts industry business.

Irony, because that’s their message, isn’t it? The rat race has got us all. Hard. As hard as listening to incessant drilling and grinding machinery and shouting and discordant and dissonant noise choirs.

But the message is clear. It’s told to us. At least it’s told in a stylistically interesting way. Albeit a bit of the same for too long. We’re drowning in noise. Those of you who live in the city, literally. Those of us who don’t city-dwell, live vicariously through social media, drowning in that noise instead.

I found Not The Futurists overstated towards the end – a cynical nihilist sort of ‘gets it’ in the first 20 minutes. Machines and technological reliance are sucking out whatever soul people might have left. At the very least, causing the last bit of disconnect between ‘normal’ people living in a fractured society. It does presume we have a standard of ‘humanity’ to start off with…

Especially important was the image created of lined up zombified people, dull-eyed, mouths agape, espousing their opinions – truly theirs, or those learnt and recited? They are grotesquely smiling machines, making a lot of noise. Politicians spring to mind – gas bags with charming laughs. But in a darker way, Facebook springs to mind: the alternative life that everyone lives online, different to their real one, similar to the Bruce Willis movie Surrogates; plug in guys, be whoever you want to be. Be someone else again when we meet in person.

And even more telling than all the text is when a cellphone is brought out and a news feed is scrolled though, whilst others deliver their speeches. The disgustingly iconic symbol of 21st century modern life, the accepted use of and staring at a cellphone whilst conversing with another human being. But more so, the dulling of emotions under the feign of care, thanks to mass media. Shocking headlines are read out in monotonous disinterest. The state of the world is matter of fact. If we were truly emotionally disrupted by every tragic news story, we’d never purposefully contribute to economies, as declared in the show.

We are the machines. “It is in us already.” The repetitive noise of life going on and shrugging away the way of the world is how we’re taught to cope in our western, capitalist society.

Yeah, overall I thought Not The Futurists endless and tricksy – too many ‘novelty’ ideas used to wow the audience – but I like what they were saying ‘cos I think it too. We’re all fucked. The world is fucked.

– Sarah Roberson

Not The Futurists is on at the Kingswood Music School for 2 more show. For bookings & info click here.

Production Credits:
Director: Laura Jakschas
Writer: Jerzy Bielski
Music Composition: Jerzy Bielski
Featured Artists: Akim Moiseenkov (NL), Felix Bousies (UK/BE), Panos Iliopoulos (GR), Tristan Renfrow (USA), Laura Jakschas (DE), Marko Ivic (HR/YV), Kirstine Lindemann (DK) & Jerzy Bielski (PL).