Booking Enquiries: isntses@gmail.com
ISN'TSES - AUDIO VISUAL, HARSH FUN PERFORMERS
Isn'tses are Lisa Mckendrick and Tim Drage. The duo generates a sonic eruption forged with an amalgamation of musical genres, encompassing dance music, aggressive vocals, techno rave, psytrance, noise, metal, and industrial influences. They are attracted to the textural qualities and disruptive sonic elements of noise, as well as the emotional and rhythmic pulses of beats.
Their performances incorporate unconventional elements like lightsabers, iridescent costumes and other light toys or props. This deliberate inclusion serves as an act of rebellion against the often intimidating or austere aesthetics associated with harsh noise. Rather than diluting the intensity, their intention is to subvert expectations, inviting the audience to reconsider their preconceived notions about the relationship between aggression and amusement. By interweaving these unexpected props into their performance, they reshape the narrative, challenging preconceptions and introducing an unexpected layer of harsh fun.
Their music explores a variety of themes:
Sonic Exploration: Within the sonic realms and sound waves, a spirit of rebellion emerges as they break free from conventional musical boundaries. Their fusion of noise, music and beats serves as a testament to the boundless possibilities of sound, a declaration that artistic expression knows no limits.
Intergalactic Heroism: Their narratives of intergalactic heroism transcend the ordinary, reflecting a yearning for heroism in the face of adversity and a communication with something that often seems bigger than themselves. These stories mirror the struggles faced by individuals within our own world, connecting the galactic, the otherworldly and the personal in a space opera of resilience.
Paganism: Their compositions evoke the ancient rhythms and mystical energies associated with paganism, embracing the connection between humanity and the natural world. The duo like to delve into the metamorphic aspect of wearing costumes, this allows them to practice a dual identity on stage, delving into a realm of transformation.
Freedom of Expression: They allow the music to go where it wants to go and to let it take them with it. This ensures that no two performances the same as they utilise different equipment and experiment with devices. They explore the power of unrestricted self-expression, and elements of political anger sharpen the edges of their compositions, giving their performance a sense of urgency and defiance.
In addition to their personal DIY instruments they have designed and manufactured two psychogeographic synthesiser circuits: the Fort Processor, a touch and light controlled instrument, and the Chernobylizer, a touch and power-starve noise synth which won an Award of Merit at Maker Music Festival 2021.
Isn’tses in Action :
Isn’tses have performed recently at Circuit Control Dresden, Gate Festival UK, C.Rockefeller Centre for the Contemporary Arts, Mayhem Night, Spanners, Electropixel Festival, Baba Yaga's Hut Raw Power Festival, Renaissance Alternative Music Festival 2022, DISSOLVING BOUNDARIES, Sonic Electronics Festival 2019, Hackoustic Presents, coding in GE> 2018, Fort Process 2018, Baba Yaga's Hut New Years EEE Party, Liminality (Cacophony, Gallery 46), No Format Gallery, Festival Bergerie #3, France, Modern Panic VIII, Dronica, Woodland Gathering, Bunker Theatre, SOTU Festival Amsterdam.
They played live on Resonance FM (Bad Punk, The Wrong Show, Bermuda Triangle Test Transmission), Cashmere Radio Berlin and were played on Graham Dunning’s NTS Radio show “Fractal Meat on a Spongy Bone” Isn'tses have released recordings as hand-crafted cassette editions including “Punctum” and “Ultimate Problem of Documentation”. They were featured in catalogue and cd compilation for 3 Years of Dronica and artist compilation for Sonic Electronics Festival.
"London-based duo of Lisa McKendrick and Tim Drage, have a wicked sense of humour and a unique visual aesthetic, dressing in bespoke sequinned costumes which make them look like displaced grapplers from an obscure Japanese indy wrestling division. Mere eye candy they ain’t, mind: Punctum, their third self-released cassette, is an epic 90 minutes of obscurely crafted analogue machine gurgle – “an album of mysterious origin”, the sole description on the Bandcamp page, may not specifically refer to its methodology but certainly could." - Noel Gardner, The Quietus
“you can’t replicate that signature sound you have....so dense and full of detail and movement....a different use of space...really tight and immediate and close” - Bermuda Triangle Test Transmissions, Resonance FM
Contact: isntses@gmail.com
Instagram @lisa_mckendrick
Isn'tses are Lisa Mckendrick and Tim Drage. The duo generates a sonic eruption forged with an amalgamation of musical genres, encompassing dance music, aggressive vocals, techno rave, psytrance, noise, metal, and industrial influences. They are attracted to the textural qualities and disruptive sonic elements of noise, as well as the emotional and rhythmic pulses of beats.
Their performances incorporate unconventional elements like lightsabers, iridescent costumes and other light toys or props. This deliberate inclusion serves as an act of rebellion against the often intimidating or austere aesthetics associated with harsh noise. Rather than diluting the intensity, their intention is to subvert expectations, inviting the audience to reconsider their preconceived notions about the relationship between aggression and amusement. By interweaving these unexpected props into their performance, they reshape the narrative, challenging preconceptions and introducing an unexpected layer of harsh fun.
Their music explores a variety of themes:
Sonic Exploration: Within the sonic realms and sound waves, a spirit of rebellion emerges as they break free from conventional musical boundaries. Their fusion of noise, music and beats serves as a testament to the boundless possibilities of sound, a declaration that artistic expression knows no limits.
Intergalactic Heroism: Their narratives of intergalactic heroism transcend the ordinary, reflecting a yearning for heroism in the face of adversity and a communication with something that often seems bigger than themselves. These stories mirror the struggles faced by individuals within our own world, connecting the galactic, the otherworldly and the personal in a space opera of resilience.
Paganism: Their compositions evoke the ancient rhythms and mystical energies associated with paganism, embracing the connection between humanity and the natural world. The duo like to delve into the metamorphic aspect of wearing costumes, this allows them to practice a dual identity on stage, delving into a realm of transformation.
Freedom of Expression: They allow the music to go where it wants to go and to let it take them with it. This ensures that no two performances the same as they utilise different equipment and experiment with devices. They explore the power of unrestricted self-expression, and elements of political anger sharpen the edges of their compositions, giving their performance a sense of urgency and defiance.
In addition to their personal DIY instruments they have designed and manufactured two psychogeographic synthesiser circuits: the Fort Processor, a touch and light controlled instrument, and the Chernobylizer, a touch and power-starve noise synth which won an Award of Merit at Maker Music Festival 2021.
Isn’tses in Action :
Isn’tses have performed recently at Circuit Control Dresden, Gate Festival UK, C.Rockefeller Centre for the Contemporary Arts, Mayhem Night, Spanners, Electropixel Festival, Baba Yaga's Hut Raw Power Festival, Renaissance Alternative Music Festival 2022, DISSOLVING BOUNDARIES, Sonic Electronics Festival 2019, Hackoustic Presents, coding in GE> 2018, Fort Process 2018, Baba Yaga's Hut New Years EEE Party, Liminality (Cacophony, Gallery 46), No Format Gallery, Festival Bergerie #3, France, Modern Panic VIII, Dronica, Woodland Gathering, Bunker Theatre, SOTU Festival Amsterdam.
They played live on Resonance FM (Bad Punk, The Wrong Show, Bermuda Triangle Test Transmission), Cashmere Radio Berlin and were played on Graham Dunning’s NTS Radio show “Fractal Meat on a Spongy Bone” Isn'tses have released recordings as hand-crafted cassette editions including “Punctum” and “Ultimate Problem of Documentation”. They were featured in catalogue and cd compilation for 3 Years of Dronica and artist compilation for Sonic Electronics Festival.
"London-based duo of Lisa McKendrick and Tim Drage, have a wicked sense of humour and a unique visual aesthetic, dressing in bespoke sequinned costumes which make them look like displaced grapplers from an obscure Japanese indy wrestling division. Mere eye candy they ain’t, mind: Punctum, their third self-released cassette, is an epic 90 minutes of obscurely crafted analogue machine gurgle – “an album of mysterious origin”, the sole description on the Bandcamp page, may not specifically refer to its methodology but certainly could." - Noel Gardner, The Quietus
“you can’t replicate that signature sound you have....so dense and full of detail and movement....a different use of space...really tight and immediate and close” - Bermuda Triangle Test Transmissions, Resonance FM
Contact: isntses@gmail.com
Instagram @lisa_mckendrick
Live at IKLECTIK
