Let me state, right up front, that am not really somebody who can really critique their music as I am not really all that familiar with their work nor their history. I guess that could also put me in the perfect position to view their show, coming from the outside. I first heard of them way back in 1995, the song was Juke Joint Jezebel and it was on the Mortal Kombat movie soundtrack. It was a great soundtrack that first introduced me to some excellent industrial and metal acts including KMFDM, Gravity Kills, Geezer, and Fear Factory. Shortly thereafter I picked up their current album, Nihil, thought it was a good album but never really followed them that closely. Jump ahead nine years, they are touring in the year of their twentieth anniversary and are making a stop locally. I'm always up for a good show, so off I went.
There was a good size line forming by the time I got there, which was a little past 8:00. I entered the club, found a decent spot to stand and waited for the show to begin. It was just before 9:00 when the first act went on. There was no announcement that he was coming on, just all of a sudden he was onstage performing. At no point did he announce what his name was, just keep right on going. After returning home, I looked up the clubs website (TheChanceTheater.com) and found out that the first act was called Martyr Art.
The performance was a bit strange, it only featured one solo performer, playing guitar and singing. The backup band consisted of an electronic soundtrack, each song being triggered with the flip of a switch. The crowd wasn't quite sure how to react at first, and neither was I. I really didn't know what to think of it, it was definitely a different way to approach industrial metal. As his half our set continued, I grew to really enjoy what he was doing, one member ensures complete control over his vision. His guitar playing was good, giving us heavy riffs and a few leads, incorporating standard metal with an industrial edge. His voice sounded OK, but the mix was not ideal and often it got buried. I discovered on his website that this was his first official live show. That would explain his stage presence, in short he did not have much, he did not really give any visual reason to pay attention to the stage. Outside of that, the music was unique and it will be interesting to see how he develops.
As Martyr Art was leaving the stage, the crew was working on getting the stage set up for DJ? Acucrack, an act from Chicago that KMFDM has brought out with them on this tour. I wasn't sure how a DJ would play out in what is primarily a rock club, and as it turned out, my fears were justified. Their set started shortly before 10:00 and lasted until around 10:45, and for most of the time, the crowd just sort of stood around as Acucrack's brand of techno poured out of the speakers. That is not to say the performance was bad, but it was definitely the wrong environment for it. If this was a dance club or some other night club, it would have played much better. I have never been a big fan of techno/dance music, and this is no exception. One of the big issues I have had with it, especially in a "live" performance arena, is how live is it? I mean, sure we see these guys hunched over their laptop computers and mix boards and keyboards, but I always wonder how much is actually being done, and how much is being faked. The music was lively and never got repetitious like the techno that I am used to. A big part of the act was video played on a large screen right behind them. A randomization of images, which I can only assume is related to the music being played. That provided the action on stage, whereas most of the crowd just stood there, occasionally some dancing would break out. I started getting kind of bored with it as it entered the final fifteen minutes, and was relieved when it ended. I prefer my music to have more of a live element that involves instrument performances, or at least a lively frontman.
Now the time we were all there for has arrived, at approximately 11:22 KMFDM takes to the stage. Lights flash, the samples start, guitars kick in, drums are pounding, then coming in over that is the voice of Lucia, who is soon joined on stage by Sascha. They launch into the set with reckless abandon. I do not know what songs they were playing, nor did I really care, the crowd was in a frenzy, and the music sounded great. These leaders of the industrial front prove why they are at the top. Touring in support of their twentieth anniversary, they did not let us down. The only song that I recognized from the set was Flesh, I had hoped to hear Juke Joint Jezebel, but sadly that was not to be. For 75 minutes they commanded our attention. The 2 guitar assault was tight, harmonious riffs supporting the electronics and drum backbeats giving a layered sound which was full and roaring. Their did seem to be some technical difficulties throughout the set, more towards the end. First, it appeared that Sascha had issues with his earpiece, which he ended up taking out and throwing back towards the drum kit. Then we started hearing feedback, it's source unknown. Lucia was apparently hearing it through her earpiece as well, as she looked towards the onstage sound board and pointed towards her ears with a confused look on her face. It all came to a head during the encore, feedback kicked up again and Sascha through down the mic, kicked his equipment and stormed off stage leaving Lucia to finish the song.
Despite those issues, the performance itself was great. Industrial is an area in which I am not terribly well versed in, but despite that shortcoming the show was fantastic. Loud, uncompromising, very little playing to the crowd, just a machine like presence suiting the still. Displaying an image of non-conformism mixed with musical prowess, Sascha commanded attention ripping into song after song. Lucia performed crowd control moving to the rhythms emitting from the monitors, pacing around the stage like a world leader delivering an address. The dual guitars taking their place on the left and right flanks providing air support. All while the drums laid down sonic bombs from the back.
It was an experience I was glad to have partaken in. Despite the technical issues, what came across sounded excellent. The crowd was enthusiastic and very much into the show. The lights made it a bit tough for me to get any good photos, but if you click the link below you can see some of the better shots I came away with.
The bottomline is, if you have the opportunity to see them live, do it, you will not be disappointed. I may have to go dig up some more of their albums.
Photos from the show are here.
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