Planningtorock at Rough Trade East

Considering the effects of the fascist anti-gay propaganda law in Russia, and considering the formal situation for gay people in countries like India or Indonesia, it is necessary that a record like All Love’s Legal, by the British electronic musician Planningtorock, exists. Currently based in Berlin, Planningtorock’s Jam Rostron has just released her third record, and is now promoting it across Europe.

Predominantly the record is a collection of liberal statements, with strong political sentiments full of ethical content: Let’s Talk About Gender Baby, Let’s Talk About You and Me; Misogyny Drop Dead; Beyond Binary Binds; Human Drama (with its assertive chorus: “gender’s just a lie”). The record is soaked in post-modern feminism – heard in songs such as Patriarchy (Over & Out) and Steps – which gives to the album further potential for interpretation.

At Rough Trade East in Brick Lane, Planningtorock sang all the songs from her new record with an instrumentalist onstage, operating laptops, synths and drum machines. Because of her depth and her intensity, the audience was really focused on the arty performance; nobody spoke (though Rough Trade is still a shop at the end of the day). Behind the duo, projected on the wall, were artistic fluorescent visuals of women, men, flowers and amorphous objects. The music of Planningtorock is linked to artists like The Knife (with whom Rostron wrote the opera Tomorrow, In a Year), The Soft Pink Truth,and Matmos as she shares the same use of synths and beats: a sharp electronic.

Thanks to the allure of this feminist happening of the 60s, and this intrinsic punk message, Planningtorock definitely offers must-see live set, perhaps though more suited to a museum than a rock club, as it bears a strong conceptual background, questioning common sense. Respect Planningtorock.

Lorenzo Cibrario
Photo: Lorenzo Cibrario

For further information and future events visit Planningtorock’s website here.

Watch the video for Let’s Talk About Gender, Let’s Talk About You and Me here: