Fans of experimental music as well as those who want to explore it can take part in Ealing Extranormal, a monthly event happening in Ealing Broadway. EALING.NEWS meets Martin Lau who runs the event at OPEN Ealing and finds out more.
When did you first start Ealing Extranormal?
The first show was in December 2021. OPEN was just reopening after lockdown and I approached them with the idea of putting on an experimental music event. They suggested that I put it on regularly, and I thought: “Why not?”.
What do you enjoy about it and how many people come along to it? And how often does it meet?
The event is monthly, usually on the third Saturday of the month. The audience numbers have varied from 12-30. We have a few regular faces who pretty much come to every show.
It might seem obvious, but the one of the main things I enjoy about the event on a personal level is getting to experience the amazing performances given by the artists. Every time I come away almost incredulous that I’ve just been exposed to that much profound and transformative work. As a curator of both visual and sound work I’ve always tried to bring interesting things over to Ealing/West London and it’s good to be able to bring these artists who usually perform some distance away to a what is for them a new audience.
Do you live in Ealing and if so, how long? What do you like about Ealing?
I’ve lived in Ealing since about the age of two, so nearly 50 years! A large part of that was in Greenford, near the A40, and the particular flavour of that area, with its dual carriageways and industrial estates, very much shaped my artistic sensibilities, which are often drawn to the municipal and the industrial.
And while other areas of London have a lot of excellent cutting-edge work going on, I feel that putting on an event like Ealing Extranormal is an opportunity to make an impact for both the artists and the audience. As mentioned above, the artists get to perform in a new area, and the locals get to see new artists, plus they don’t have to travel to the other end of town!
What do you do as your day job?
I am a visual artist, mainly working in photomontage and photography. My studio is in Ealing, naturally! As a musician I perform electronic soundscapes under the name of Flooded Access, often in collaboration with other artists, such as poets and live visual artists, or live scoring public domain material such as old public information films, silent movies and NASA footage.
What experience of music do people need to have to attend your event and what do you hope people will get out of it by attending?
Part of me wants to say that the less experience you have, the better! A better way to express it would be to advise putting aside your expectations of what music is or should be. You certainly don’t need any specialist knowledge or education to experience the shows. I would describe a lot of what you hear at Extranormal as being quite primal in nature, in that it has the capacity to get in touch with your emotions directly. That is what I hope the audience gets out of coming, to be moved, to be put in touch with something both within yet bigger than themselves. That’s what I think art is for.
The next Ealing Extranormal takes place on 15 October 2022 and costs £10 (advance) £15 on the door (£10 concessions). To book a place, click here.
To find out more about Martin and his event visit his website and social media:
Instagram/Facebook for Ealing Extranormal: @ealingextranormal
Instagram as musician: @floodedaccess
Instagram/Facebook as visual artist: @martinlauartist
Instagram as photographer: @martinlauphoto
Web site: www.martinlau.net
