Manic Organic, The Dome, Brighton, May 15

2:15pm Friday 16th May 2008

Billed as a "21st century organ extravaganza", Manic Organic saw The Dome's 72-year-old pipe organ being used as the centerpiece for an exploration of modern music.

First up was Robert Lippok, a seminal figure on Berlin's electronica scene, who flirted with the mighty instrument and teased us with deep sighs and seductive gasps.

Accompanied by Beatrice Martini on the harp - plucking and scraping the strings with what looked suspiciously like a scrubbing brush! - their set hovered in the realm of ambient minimalism but never fully took off.

As the vents flapped playfully, Lippok hinted at what the organ was capable of but never fully delivered.

Part two saw organist Paul Ayres playing a selection of Happy Hardcore classics including Shooting Stars by Bang and Perfect Day by Visions Of Shiva. Sadly, it sounded like demented fairground music and only scored one half-hearted whoop from an optimistic rave fan.

It just didn't sound as though the full power of the organ was being unleashed. With some 3,000 pipes, you'd think someone would have fired it up and given it some welly.

Next up was William Whitehead who performed uninspiring organ versions of Cassette Single by Fugiya And Miyagi and Fake ID by The Go! Team.

A dramatic rendition of British Sea Power's The Great Skua finally conjured a bit of atmosphere but by that time many people had walked out.

It was The Necks who finally unlocked the hidden secrets of the 1936 hand-built organ. Chris Abrahams coaxed hypnotic sounds from the awesome instrument in a way I suspect it, nor audiences, had ever experienced before.

A truly hypnotic performance which was worth the earlier suffering of organ rave and the scratching of harp strings.

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