Throat Tickles in Brighton 2

I saw three performances at Brighton's The Basement. These were a double bill It's about Time featuring Drew Taylor's 'Time after Time' and Los Torreznos' '35 minutes'. And later in the evening Matteo Fargion and Jonathan Burrows Cow Piece and Performance Lecture. 1 double bill, 2 double acts, 5 performers and many cows, all hanging out down some stairs.

I'm counting because I loved Los Torreznos' 35 minutes in which Jaime Vallaure and Rafael Lamata counted the 2500 seconds that make up 35 minutes, in 35 minutes. I was captivated by their faces, body, voice, clothing from the moment they amicably walked down the stairs towards us. They had a rhythm in everything they did that was neither over nor underplayed, but it sucked you in and for me anyway, it heightened my awareness of what they were doing.

Presence I think is too vague a word to use but they had something that is difficult to describe, and even more difficult to copy. Never have I been so interested in numbers: you've either got it or you havn't.

Some of the numbers resonated deep from the gut, other simmered on the teeth, the 1033 came out with a dart of spittle. They must have used every muscle and every vocal chord in order to deliver these number lines. By the end they were heavily sweating.

Of course, after ten minutes in of solid counting the audience can comprehend what is going on, we basically know the whole premise for the show. However they still gripped me, really to quite an extent. I was holding my breath at some points, on the edge of my seat at others and there were beautifully unpredictable modes of performing. Quiet periods of comfortable 170s contrasted with the sheer suspense of the early 400s and almost commedia dell'arte like comedowns every decade or so. These shifts continually altered the tone of the performance without affecting the pace - which stuck to consistent seconds one after the other for 35 minutes.

Numbers already follow a set structure which is immensely satisfying. Los Torreznos capture this perfectly (they punctuate the tens) but they also free it. The familiar patterns we recognise are reshaped by delivering them a variety of ways and with the gusto of someone delivering shakespeare lines, a passion for the game and total conviction in what they are doing. So full of expression, their faces looked mouldable like plasticine and yet, they resisted playing characters. It was simple, natural, raw, energetic, exhausting and enduring. A double act that I will certainly look out for again.