Pretty//Ugly presents: Truus de Groot (Plus Instruments) is returning again to OCCII, this time joined by the no wave funk freaks of Geo and the high energy gabber punx of Brorlab. FFO: Blank City, John Waters, synthesizers, telephones and computers Plus Instruments (solo) (picture by Diana Putavet) Born in Eindhoven but based in the States, Truus de Groot, has been an unsung hero of experimental and underground music culture for decades. Since 1978, she has been involved in the curation of the Plus Instruments project: a project which has inspired innovation across the world of Electronic music alongside a range of collaborators. At the time, the sheer free will for a group such as Plus Instruments was almost unheard of: their performances were largely improvised and their sound captivating. Her profile is low key and Plus Instruments is ever changing. She explains the rotation and progressive nature of the group. “It always comes from my own initiative; I decide who to play with. I believe that gives it new life each time. I was always more into improvisation with a minimal approach, less structured, more groove.” After a successful few years as a band member of cult classic Nasmak and as reigning Queen of the “Ultra” movement, Truus left The Netherlands in 1981 at the young age of 21. She travelled to New York and began to immerse herself in the nightlife and clubs of the city that never sleeps. Within weeks she established a new Plus Instruments line up with David Linton (Rhys Chatham) and Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth), this yielded the timeless classic Plus Instruments “Februari-April ’81” which has been reissued numerous times over the years. Through the years Plus Instruments released a number of albums with a host of different collaborators from around the globe. Plus Instruments has been active on the stage and studio throughout these last (almost) 5 decades with no sign of stopping! For this show Truus will perform solo. No worries, she has the energy of a whole band in her. https://plusinstruments.bandcamp.com/album/dance-with-me https://www.truusdegroot.com/   Brorlab (picture by Alfredo Monteleone) In 2023 BRORLAB popped up with their second release "Working Out In Heaven", a totally out of control 12” of modern fuckwave. The A side is seven new songs of their trademark dadaist electronic punk, full of fuzz guitars and sharp nasty beats, with a female vocalist that fits perfectly the Honey Bane – Chitose vocal range and smart attitude. The B side brings bang back to life the 8 tracks from their criminally obscure debut EP, which will make any lover of ear-damaging noise smile with pleasure. All in all an aberrant slice of psychedelic gabber infused punk for the end of time. https://lavidaesunmus.bandcamp.com/album/working-out-in-heaven https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lduUfm2VoM   Geo Post-punk/no wave oddity Geo are like a sentient slot machine: whatever seems happenstance is actually by design, and the more mismatched the moving parts appear, the more their music starts to make sense. Since the Groningen quartet’s inception in 2019, they have built a framework of skeletal agit-funk, cartoonish chromatics and neoteric art punk vignettes – sketching negative spaces where chaos and cacophony can sound perplexingly catchy. After releasing their esteemed EP in 2021, the band has entered its next creative chapter. Out of Body – Geo’s long-awaited debut album – is an oblong snow globe utopia where dancing with two left feet is an actual custom. https://geoband.bandcamp.com/album/out-of-body DJ Just Regards