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 Live Reviews

 

 

Immaculata, Mortifera (Empress Hotel, Fitzroy, February 6, 1999)

A strange thing happened on Saturday night.

We strolled up the street for a quiet night at the Empress, pleased that there would be some interesting bands to sit and watch at our quiet little local.

As we walked past the window of the back room, we glanced in and saw a sea of black, pvc and big teased hair. Inside we found the pub packed with wall to wall goths. Not only was it the biggest crowd i've seen in ages for a Saturday night Empress gig, but probably the biggest turnout to a local goth gig i've ever seen in the last ten years. i forgot to ask them how many they got there, but i'd guess a couple of hundred. However they promoted it, it worked (i saw nothing in the street press, maybe relentless flyering paid off).

We arrived too late to catch Glass, and only saw the last bit of them. What we saw was fairly quiet and mellow, but we didn't really catch enough to comment.

Mortifera was the first act we saw properly. i'd only seen them once before as Rosicrucia. i can't remember them too clearly from that time (despite that being a sober weekend), but they seemed tighter and faster than before. The one impression i can remember from last time remained, in that they reminded me of early Christian Death, but this time more towards the faster, guitarier stuff without the slower, spoken pieces. They reminded me at times of various other styles, upbeat and energetic in that Rosetta Stone/Children On Stun sense, but thankfully without a Wayne Hussey riff in sight, and vocals vaguely reminiscent of Corpus Delecti or maybe Neuropaque. (That should be enough spurious comparisons to get me into trouble). The sound was fairly orthodox goth sound but fresh at the same time, and the introductions of "this song is about.." were a nice change, reminding you that gothic music doesn't have to crap on about ghosts or suicide. One track called (i think) 'Last' was the one that impressed me most, but it all was good.

i hadn't heard of Immaculata before. Someone mentioned that they were from Ballarat, a concept i found hard to grasp. It cast my mind back to 12 or so years ago when i was living there, and there was maybe one guy in the whole town you could accurately describe as a goth (once dubbed Garth the Gothic when that term became commonly known). i found it slightly ironic when i saw that very fellow in the crowd for the first time in nearly a decade. i was less surprised to see him stride up onto the stage and take over the microphone. Immaculata were a three piece, two vocalists and one guitarist, with the bulk of the music programmed. It was more of a performance thing than a band as such, but performance was the key for the night. The first song (after the intro number) was a dance flavoured number with pompous semi-spoken vocals (if you think Baroness & Love Lies Bleeding and toss in a handful of Dead Or Alive, you're on the right track). That set the tone for most of the show, aside from a few forays into more mediaeval styled numbers. At one point, a song was intro'd with "i think most of you will know this next song.." and i just KNEW they were going to do Divine's 'You Think You're A Man', which might give you an idea of the sound. Visually, the three members project very strong images, which contrast nicely and make for an interesting spectacle - Garth the ubercamp, victorian frilled frontgoth; El-Phin the manic, evilly grinning techno-crusty; and Andrew the tattooed, nipple-pierced guitarist who reminded me either of Rocky (as in Horror) or the winged Angel from Barbarella. It was quite an entertaining performance, and they had quite a few gothic heads bopping and backsides wiggling (how the crowd stayed statues through Mortifera i don't understand). As of this morning, i've finally gotten 'You Think You're A Man' out of my head.

All up, i was greatly impressed with both the acts and with the size of the crowd. Maybe this will go to show that a goth night can pull crowds when not shoved on a crappy Wednesday or Thursday night, and hopefully will encourage more of this in the future..

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Death in June (Hellfire Club special, Chasers Prahran, July 9, 1999)


i decided to go along to the Death in June show on Friday, $15 being a reasonable gamble on an overseas act i didn't know much about.

The one thing i'd heard most about them was their fascination for Nazi Germany, and this was fairly evident in the stage area, draped with black banners emblazoned with SS totenkopf insignia (and another symbol i couldn't recognise).

After a while, the club music changed from cheesy techno to something more moody and it became apparent that the band were going to appear soon. First the drummer (John Murphy from Max Q, Box the Jesuit etc) strode onto stage and began beating out a military rhythm. Soon after, another member (Albin Julius?) entered, dressed in black fatigues and cap, holding a flaming torch high. He strode up to the microphone and delivered an oratory in German, doing an excellent job of looking like a stormtrooper at a Nuremburg rally. Most of the set followed the same way, with the vocalist standing stiffly at ease shouting in English and German, and also drumming for some songs. My main impression was that it reminded me of early Laibach, around 1983ish. While not much happened onstage visually, this was balanced by the stoned crusty girl in the audience who rushed to the floor and started kowtowing when they came on, then danced, fell and crawled about through their set.

Whatever the reason for their Nazi fetish, i have to admit that the imagery is very powerful. Beyond the calculated brutality, the Nazis knew the art of potent symbolism and strong imagery. It was still stightly distracting to know i could be tapping my foot along to a recitation of Mein Kampf and not know the difference.

After what seemed like only 20 minutes or so, the vocalist read from a scroll in German, thrust his fist in the air and strode off. i hoped that wasn't it, and the presence of several unplayed instruments on the stage suggested another set to follow.

[NB - since writing this, i have learned that this first set was in fact a side project called Der Blutharsh]

Sure enough, they came on again, this time three of them, in masks and camouflage raincoats. The set again started with the drumming and shouting, which sounded somehow different to the first set, before moving into some more Swans-like numbers with acoustic guitar against the industrial rhythms and slightly less harsh vocals from the other vocalist (Douglas P?). This seemed less powerful than the more percussive numbers, though if i could make out the lyrics this may not have been so. All up it was a very different and impressive performance that i was glad i had decided to see.

As expected, the DJs played loads of godawful techno sh-, erm, music that i didn't like, and the Hellfire Club was as pointless as ever. But Death in June was definitely worth going for.

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Kismet, Chiron, Resurrection Eve (Punters Club, Fitzroy, July 15, 1999)


i decided to forgo a good Thursday night's sleep and head out to catch the bands at the Punters Club. Gothgigs are too rare to pass up one this close to home. (Though we seem to be getting more than our fair share at the moment).

There was quite a reasonable size crowd there for a Thursday, particularly at the time of Chiron's set, containing a surprisingly small percentage of gothish people. i got the impression there were a lot of friends and family of people in the bands, and every other person seemed to be brandishing a camera.

Resurrection Eve is a new band fronted by Jordan from Darkan and The Redresser. This is a much less guitar-heavy act than these bands, featuring echoey minor key guitars, eerie synths, programmed drums and basslines, and tortured melodramatic vocals (think of the Cure's "A Thousand Hours" with a drum machine). The music is in that cascading goth style in the vein of the slower songs of bands like Ikon or maybe Two Witches. The vocals reminded me of something else, something i couldn't quite put a finger on. Especially in the slower numbers, a certain song from the 80's kept lurking around at the back of my mind, but i couldn't pin down what it was. It will probably drive me crazy until i figure out what it was. (Crust suggested "What About Me?" by Moving Pictures, but that wasn't it). I ended up deciding it was "Save a Prayer" by Duran Duran, but i'm not so sure now. The Duran-esque melodies were there, but LeBon never sounded that tortured. They're playing on the 31st with Love Lies Bleeding, so maybe i'll figure it out then. One thought that occurred to me during the set was that they should play some underage shows. Jordan's sex-symbol antics would make more sense if he had some screaming fangirls/boys. Or maybe i'm missing the joke.

The only material from Chiron i was familiar with was "Hate" from the second Dark Eyed and Starry compilation. i had been told that the current material was nothing like this, and this was very true. Far from the harsh, industrial sounds of "Hate", this was a much more rock oriented set. i tried reaching into my usual grab-bag of comparisons, but couldn't come up with anything terribly similar. It was simply goth-tinged rock, occasionally verging on the trad.metal sound of bands like Dreadnaught, especially when they decided to rock out (which they did quite well). At first i wasn't sure the singer's voice suited the music (the former singer of Ikon - i can't remember his name just now), but after a few songs it seemed to click. The only song that was even vaguely similar to "Hate" was the last song, which i was sure i'd heard before but couldn't place where. Only when the vocals started did i realise that it actually was "Hate", barely recognisable in a trippy, almost funky rock style. It sounded much stronger in that form, and overall i enjoyed the set quite well. It wasn't what i'd expected, but not an unpleasant surprise either. i'll definitely aim to see them again.

Every time i see Kismet they are different. i used to only catch them once every couple of years, and each time they had evolved into something different. The first time i saw them , they were a gypsyish, folksy band in the style of early Eden (the sound captured on 'Dormant Dire'). The next time they had become a folk-inspired Joy Division (somewhat grungier than their 'Damjan's War' material). By the third time they sounded like the Young Gods, c. 'TV Sky'. This was the first time i had seen them twice in the same year, within a few weeks in fact, and they still sounded different each time. Last month they seemed to include all of their previous styles, returning to the slower folk sounding numbers as well as the more industrial. Last night they were fully into electro-crunch mode, with harsh industrial sounds, pumping beats, heavy bass and guitar, and not a bazouki in sight. i didn't recognise any of the songs they did, though "Wake Up Gods" is the only recent track i am familiar with. Gorazd's voice sounded best when doing those eastern style chants, or spoken pieces in his native tongue (Macedonian i think). The only drawback was the volume. What is it with sound people that the main act always has to be turned up to beyond the pain threshold? Even with earplugs in (and the attendant loss of sound quality) it still physically hurt my ears, and they're still ringing now. The first two acts were at reasonable volume, but Kismet was ridiculously loud. Someone should make the mixer write 'louder is NOT better' 1000 times on a blackboard, before bending over for six of the best.

But apart from that it was a good night out, and finished just in time to catch the last tram home for a quick five hour's sleep and non-hungover start to friday.

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The Cure (Melbourne Park, October 18, 2000)

i had originally not been that interested in going to the Cure, but i was outvoted and by the time last night rolled around, i was looking forward to seeing them (although my enthusiasm was dampened by the headcold and attendant bad mood i've had all week, and the fact that we had shitty seats and would be lucky to see anything).

They had already started when we wandered in, having been deceived by the punctual start and the number of people standing around casually in the foyer. The band were meandering through a set of slow songs that i mostly didn't know and generally didn't care about. They were fine songs, the ones i didn't know presumably from Bloodflowers, but they just didn't move me. They were lush, richly textured, beautifully arranged and note perfect, and that was exactly the problem. In an intimate, small scale venue with maybe 100 people it would have been brilliant, but in those massive surrounds it became just musak. A tennis stadium is not the place for mellow, atmospheric pieces - there's just too much space to fill to be able to build that sort of atmosphere. Perhaps from down the front it would have seemed more intimate, but from where we sat (back row, far left) it was totally underwhelming. The one thing i had not expected to experience that night was boredom, but for the first part i was bored shitless.

After the slower material, the first thing to get my attention was when they played 'Shake Dog Shake'. Unfortunately, even then i was unable to shake myself properly out of the apathy i had settled into. The sound was great, but something just wasn't doing it for me. It may just have been my state of mind, but the band didn't seem to be putting anything into it. They seemed like they'd rather be somewhere else and i felt the same way. My turn with the binoculars was mostly spent watching the people at the back of the stadium dancing on the seats. At least they were *doing* something. (In retrospect, the band were most likely just conserving their energy for the rest of the 3 hour marathon ahead of them, but i didn't know this at the time). As they worked through material more to my liking, i tried as hard as i could to get into the spirit of the night. This was made harder by the loudly drunken bogans in the corporate box thingy behind us who yelled incessantly and increased in volume proportionally as the music got interesting (why the fuck would anyone pay that much money to see a band and then not even listen?) It was all i could do not to stand up and tell them to SHUT THE FUCK UP! but i knew damn well that the chain of events would then involve a drink being poured on us, followed by me climbing into their box to vent my bad mood in uncharacteristic acts of violence that would end in us being thrown out and seeing nothing more of the show. So i sat, focussed and tried to lose myself in the music that i had come there to hear. Gradually i started to get into it, though when they played 'In Between Days' i found it quite disturbing to be listening to one of The Songs That Changed My Life (TM) and having to *try* to get into it. 'Sinking' brought an ironic twist, mixing both a disturbing lack of enthusiasm for what once meant so much to me mixed with an appreciation that that was exactly the sort of feeling the song was about. Can you have pathos and apathy at the same time? Must be the ultimate oxymoron. Even more strangely, this paradox helped to break me further out of the ennui and dissolve itself in the same process. But it wasn't until a few songs later when they kicked into '100 Years' that i was truly shaken out of it. Now i remember why i love that song so much. Where the lush, meandering cascades of the recent songs had failed so completely to fill the gaping arena, the comparatively sparse sound of this old doomcookie verily threatened to bring the walls crashing down. And the band seemed to come alive then too. For the first time in the night they seemed to me like they really wanted to be there, as they writhed under their guitars and Mad Bob spat out the lines with all the angst they demanded. From there the night was perfect. They ploughed through song after song with energy and fire, while i rocked and reeled and my bladder begged for just one dull song so it could be excused to go get some relief.

Through the night one thing became apparent to me, which seems so obvious that i'm surprised it never occurred to me before. Of all the Cure songs that really rock my world, that i would include in the canon of all my favourite things, i could count on the fingers of one hand the number that were recorded in the 90's. i mean, it was always a case of 'i like your old stuff better than your new stuff', but i never really appreciated how neatly the turn of the decade marked the time after which the gems amongst the rough didn't shine quite so brightly. That's not to say that that they didn't produce briliiant pieces of music in the 90's, just that for me the quality that marked a new 'classic' was sadly missing in all but a handful of tracks. That said, once they had hit their stride (or perhaps once i had fallen into step) both old songs and new kicked major arse. Even songs that i had never taken much notice of shone in a new light. That fire song from Bloodflowers ('37'?) burned brilliantly, riding on the crest of the old songs instead of being dragged down by the new. How the potential of some of the 90's songs was diluted by the overproduced arrangements was made clear by an odd, rough as guts version of a song from Wish that i can't remember the name of (the "please stop loving me" one) that sounded more like 'The Top' than the album version (if it had been recorded like that i might even remember its name), while 'A Strange Day' lost a little from being given the big cascading treatment. But overall, the 90's songs were good songs among the great, which nevertheless added up to one hell of a show.

After about two hours of non-stop performance, they took a well earned breather before returning for three sets of encores, which from memory consisted entirely of 80's material, including a hefty smattering of Pornography songs. By the time they reached the end of the third encore, the songs they had missed didn't seem to matter. There's any number of songs i would have liked to have heard, from 'Primary' to 'Push' to 'Burn', but with a back catalogue as extensive and brilliant as theirs, it would have taken all night to fit in everything worth hearing, and the three hours they'd already put in was an effort that would impress from performers half their age. As the final basslines of 'A Forest' were echoed by a chorus of hand claps from every corner of the stadium (normally i hate that sort of thing, but this time it just seemed somehow *right*) the slow start, the dodgy seats, the ridiculous door price all faded into insignificance.

It was fucking magic.

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"Death Valley" concert (Queen of the Damned movie shoot, December 1, 2000)

Against my better judgement, i got roped into going to the Death Valley concert, and was not looking forward to it one bit. Try as i might, i couldn't imagine how this night could not turn out to suck sphincter in a major way. But i'd promised i would go, so i might as well make the most of it.

On my way home, i noticed an increasingly large number of goths as i got closer to the city (including one clever girl getting some last minute sleepy time on the train). At least the Fashions on the Field watching should be fun, even if i didn't have my trusty video camera to capture the occasion. On a tram on Brunswick Street, i spied a nice looking group of goths coming aboard, and was somewhat disconcerted to hear them discussing that if they didn't get in they should go down the pub and let their friends see them all dressed up as goths. Is the goth look so modular that anyone can put it on at a whim and look so convincing? i guess i already knew it was, but it was a shock to be so sharply reminded.

After meeting Elaine at Spencer Street and grabbing a taxi to the docklands, there was some excitement building in me, matched with a growing apprehension about what we were getting ourselves into. The row of tour coaches waiting to take us to 'Death Valley' stirred a little more excitement, which was offset by the demeaning feeling of queuing up to be bussed off with all the other hopefuls on the fleeting promise of getting our faces on film. Signing away all our rights at the departure point, my feeling of being played for a sucker was diminishing not one bit.

The drive there was characterised by these same competing feelings of excitement and apprehension, joined later by the insistent enquiry of my bladder as to the toilet facilites that awaited (as the bottle of beer i'd gulped down earlier to improve my mood had begun to ask for permission to leave). As the bus finally turned into the quarry road and i caught my first glimpse of the set, i suddenly knew why this was going to be a brilliant night.

In the middle of the flat, dusty Werribee landscape sat a bizarre collection of crane-hoisted floodlights, coloured lights on a futuristic stage, a circling helicopter, fireballs erupting from metallic towers and a big circus-like tent, all sitting like some surreal carnival in the middle of nowhere as the afternoon sky began to fade to dusk. That was what the night was going to be - a carnival - and i no longer cared whether we were the freakshow. i was just there to watch all the flashing lights and shiny things with all the other black-clad kiddies.

i no longer even cared about whether we were being exploited by doing a night's extra work for no pay, which was just as well. After a toilet stop that nobody was going to keep me from, we were straight away herded down toward the set where filming was already starting. The first familiar faces we saw were among the paid extras, as Baralier reminded me that i was a sell-out and we heard the tales of woe and suffering endured by the chosen in earning their fifteen minutes of celluloid infamy. But there wasn't too much time for pleasantries, as the hired help were rounded up to begin their next bit of work and we plebs were directed into the crowd to fill gaps in the sea of adoring Lestat fans.

My biggest fear for the night had been that, once there, we would spend the whole night being ordered around by some arsehole barking commands into a microphone. What we got was the soothing tones of Richard Watts as he asked if we would mind terribly crowding over in that direction and filling this space over here, thank you ever so much. The choice of Richard as MC was one of the best moves they could have made, as anybody else would have had rocks thrown at him by the end of the night.

As for the 'free concert', with some audience participation required 'between acts', well it was never going to be that. It was from the start an all-night film shoot, with live acts slipped in where convenient or while they were off filming something elsewhere. It was choreographed crowd scenes over and over again, in which my suspicions of it being a whole night of unpaid work were confirmed. What i hadn't expected was that this work would be so much fun. Jumping up and down, waving arms in the air, cheering and singing along to the same two minutes of the Orgy-lite piece of crap song they've chosen as Lestat's smash hit, it was really easy to get caught up in the excitement. And as well as the flashing lights, cameras, fireballs and other shiny things, the whole quarry area, rock strewn and floodlit to the point of daylight under a black sky, resembled nothing so much as a lunar landscape, with an army of goths and goths-for-the-night wandering about in the dust.

One of my fears that didn't come to pass was not being able to come and go from the concert area as we pleased. While they tried to herd people back to the scene at certain times, you were pretty much able to wander up to the marquee and food area as you pleased, and the only thing making you stay at the scene was not wanting to miss seeing something interesting. That was one advantage of *not* being paid for the night - the feeling that if you didn't want to participate there wasn't a damn thing they could do to make you. Without debating questions of exploitation, i think it would have been a very different experience if they had paid everyone. Those that had been on the job for four days certainly did not appear to be having much fun.

Another fear that remained unfounded was about the food. Originally i had imagined the 'free food and beverage' would amount to cling-wrapped sandwiches and cans of soft drink in buckets of ice. After hearing accounts of starving extras getting only finger food and having to steal food from the director's tent, i was worried if we'd get even that. As it was, they had a whole sideshow alley of hot food stalls, from hot chips to felafel to pancakes to baked potatoes. And, of course, all the coffee you could pour down your gullet (can't have the crowd looking all droopy and tired, can you?). Unfortunately i proved what a sell-out i was by drinking Nestle coffee from a styrofoam cup, but i needed caffein damnit! The best thing about the food alley was that it added to the carnival atmosphere that was the spice of the night.

The crowd was pretty much as i expected, lots of goths and authentic looking imitators, spooky kids of varying degrees of extremism, a few black metallers with scowling whiteface warpaint, and lots of people in heavy black cloaks with hoods (we dubbed them 'the Smart Party' when the icy winds began to blow across the plains). What i hadn't expected were the large number of obvious Modern R'n'B fans (don't ask me how they were obvious, they just had TLC Fan written across them as clearly as the Dark Throne worship of the black metallers), dressed in black vinyl and looking bored with the music. i wondered why they were there in such numbers, crowding toward the stage during Immaculata's set. Did they just want to be in a movie, regardless of what it was about? Only when the cheer went up at the announcement that Aaliya would appear shortly did i twig. The adoration on their faces when the Queen of the Damned herself appeared was quite touching. As she slipped out of her blankets for the takes, all around were the murmers of "she's so beautiful" and "what a body". Actually, she just looked like a skinny chick to me, with the body of an underfed 14 year old boy. But she did look suitably snakelike for the serpentine writhing movements of her 10 seconds of footage that night. But, fans or not, everyone gave her a huge round of applause each time her bikini-clad figure retreated from the icy wind to huddle in the blankets until the next take. Poor thing, not even an ounce of fat to keep her warm. Somebody should have fed her.

For all the talk of the weedy actor playing Lestat, he certainly did the pratty rock star bit perfectly. His feline movements were pure Michael Hutchence with a just a dash of Trent Reznor, with evil grins taken straight from Brandon Lee's Eric Draven. It was hard to tell what arrogance was his and what was him being in character, but he was obviously having a fucking ball up there. While he's hardly the six foot tall blonde Lestat from Anne Rice's books, to me that was less of a credibility problem that the vocals he was lip-synching to. For a story based on this guy managing to become a rock star by virtue of his supernaturally powerful singing voice, the dying frog croak of that Korn singer is the worst bit of casting i could imagine them coming up with. But, i guess that's what the kids like, and they gotta sell them soundtrack cds.

As for the live acts, well as i said, they weren't the focus of the night and were just slotted in between concert takes wherever convenient. Immaculata only got to play two short, four song sets, one of which was crowded on stage amongst a whole lot of gear while they filmed some closeups of Lestat. They sounded as good as ever, but without disrespect to them or Love Lies Bleeding, it's a little hard to review an act where 90% of the music is pre-programmed or electronically generated. Unfortunately the short time they got to grace the stage would have given them little chance of wooing new fans. The Baroness and Love Lies Bleeding fared a little better with their first set, even getting lights and smoke, which worked well with their performance dancers and melodrama. Their second set didn't start until well after 5am, with the harsh light of dawn creeping over the scene. While dusk has a magical quality to it, as the lights begin to stand out against the darkening sky and everything is buzzing with the promise of the night's excitement, dawn is a much more sobering time, as all the magic of the night is burned away by the cold, pitiless light of day. Needless to say, the approaching daylight did nothing to add to the B&LLB set, nor did the crew members scuttling about dismantling bits of equipment on the edges and underneath the stage. It's a pity, as the set would have been briliant, with sword fights, fire twirling and a final duel of flaming weapons that was almost lost in the full force of the pre-dawn daylight. Full marks for showmanship go to them, especially the Baroness, who continued on acapella for a song and a half when someone kicked Ben's leads out ("At least you know *I'M* not lip synching!" she roared). Sound restored, they finished their set and built to the ear splitting howls of Dark Beauty (now *there's* a supernaturally powerful voice!) as the dancer with a flaming sword vanquished his opponent, to the tired but enthusiatic cheers of the 50 or so people that bothered to stick around after the end of filming.

After that, it was time to trudge on weary feet back up the decidedly no longer lunar landscape to queue up for our showbags and the bus back to town. Unfortunately we managed to get stuck near a bunch of loud mouthed teenagers who just would not shut the fuck up. i don't know who it was who started the yelling of "TIMMIE!!!!" at the first appearance of someone in a Kenny style parka (hopefully someone killed him shortly after) but these twats had taken it up with a vengeance, and kept it up for the whole 45 minutes (or so it seemed) that it took to reach the front of the queue. If there had been any magic left from the night, it was killed by their objectionable company. Even worse was listening to these teenage prats in their black Country Road gear, sneakers, with a dog collar and bad eyeliner scrawled on under their yuppie haircuts going on and on about the troubles of being goth in their hometown and accusing each other of "only becoming goth again because you didn't get laid when you went skater punk". What i would have given to be stuck with some genuine Spooky Kids instead of these yuppie-lite wannabes! We made very sure not to get on the same bus as them.

Back on the bus, the tiredness that hadn't yet caught up with us began to hit, and large bits of the ride back are a blur. Back at the docklands, there seemed to be nobody in charge and those of us on the last set of busses out of the site wandered around in confusion, looking for the bus connecting to Spencer Street, only seeing it in time to watch it speed out of the lot, leaving us stranded. Some of those trying in vain to get taxis on the street were literally breaking down in tears as taxi after taxi failed to pick them up. Only when a final bus from the site dropped off some stragglers at about 8am did a few really pissed off goths board the bus and refuse to get off until the driver radioed in and arranged another. Failing to get through to anybody, the driver finally agreed to drop us off at Spencer Street and a horde of goths climbed onto our hijacked bus and watched the agony and ire on the faces of those who had given up and started walking as we sped past them. With much gratitude to the stressed out driver who was now late for his next job, we disembarked at Spencer Street and decided to take the incident as a fuck up rather than a parting 'fuck you' from the production company, so as not to spoil the memory of a fun night.

All in all, it *was* a fun night, though bloody exhausting by the end of it. For all my reluctance to go and wondering how i ever let myself get talked into it, i'm really glad i did. If i hadn't gone, well i really wouldn't have known what i missed and would have probably felt happy at not being a sucker. Having gone, i've had at least one really unusual, surreal night out that we won't forget and we'll get a video souvenir of it when the film finally comes out (though i want to see it *now* so i can see how all those disjointed scenes will come together). Regardless of whether our faces flit across the screen for a second or not, the movie will be a nice reminder of where we were and what we saw.

For this time, i am more than happy to have to eat my words.

 

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"Knights of the Damned" - Immaculata, Stone Circus, Bride of the Atom, Charnel House (9th Ward, Melbourne, December 18th, 2000)


Friday became goth night at 9th Ward last week, for "a night of gothic industrial mayhem" with the Knights of the Damned band night.

Charnel House were up first. We'd seen them play once before, and i remembered them as a band with quite a good sound but zero stage presence. Tonight the sound was even better, the band playing a very tight set and sounding like a more guitar heavy version of bands like House of Usher or maybe Suspiria, but the stage presence was well into the negative. The main problem was the singer, who devoted all his energies to making it absolutely clear he didn't want to be there - from starting the set by asking "Can we go yet?" to rolling his eyes and making dismissive gestures on *every* single song as if he thought the words he was singing were a total crock of shit. He could barely even be bothered singing the first couple of songs, which was a shame as he had quite a good voice. The rest of the band actually looked more interested than the last time, except perhaps for the bass player who wandered off stage mid-song and, still playing, proceeded to chat up a couple of girls in the audience. At least that was amusing for sheer audacity. But for me, what was a really good sounding set was pretty much ruined by the attitude of the vocalist. Elaine suggested that maybe he was sick or having personal problems, which could be true, but all i could think of at the time was that if he didn't want to be in the band so much then why didn't he just quit and let them find someone who did? Hopefully they'll get over it before they play again, as i'd like to see them play sometime when they actually looked like they could be bothered.

Bride of the Atom were up next, playing for the first time without the use of backing tapes. In a time when backing tracks seem to have become the norm (often being the bulk of a 'live' performance) this was a refreshing change. Without the restraint of the tape, they seemed to also be without brakes, as they tore full-throttle into the first track ('Predator' i think it was). The energy and chaos of the version was quite impressive, though many of the song's subtler elements were lost in the mayhem, to the point where even Brett seemed to miss the vocal cues in his own song. The pattern continued for most of the set, as they barrelled through a chaotic set of tracks, mostly from the 'Web of Spider' album but sometimes barely recognisable in their thrashed out form. About two-thirds of the way through the set, they finally slowed down for the menacing 'Skin and Bone', before being joined by Penny Black for a couple of songs, providing her trademark shrieks for what was (to me anyway) a highlight of the set. Having made themselves slow down, the rest of the set seemed much tighter, suggesting perhaps they could do with a little more rehearsal time (possibly difficult given the fluid nature of the band's line-up). Nevertheless, the unrestrained chaos of tonight's set was pretty enjoyable in itself, once i got over wanting to hear the songs sound the same as on the cd.

Stone Circus took the stage next, giving a repeat performance of their reunion show of a few weeks ago. i had noticed original guitarist Peter Tyrell in the crowd this time, and half let myself hope that he would join them, but it seems he was just there to watch. It was a pity, as while new guitarist Andy is an excellent guitar player, Peter had a strangely off-kilter, almost hypnotic style to his playing that worked perfectly in the Stone Circus sound. But even without Peter the band recaptured well the power of the Stone Circus of old. They kicked off with one of their best songs, 'Poison Tree', Mia's vocal starting from low moans and soon reaching ear-splitting volume. Nine years since the demise of the original Stone Circus, they had lost nothing as they worked through a set of old favourites from 'Arnold's Day' to 'Baby Please Don't Go' and 'My Clitoris Bleeds For You' like they'd never been away, plus a heap of others that i didn't remember but were pure Stone Circus. Mia's down'n'dirty persona still fitted like a second skin too, and even in a floor length velvet dress, her stage presence was just short of pornographic. i'm still at a loss as to how they were billed as a goth act in the press release, though a couple of tracks had a vaguely Siouxsie feel at times (think 'Eve White/Eve White'). But Mia's vocal acrobatics were something our Sioux could only dream of, and the Banshees never sounded that scary.

Last up were Immaculata, "fresh from the Queen of the Damned film shoot" and no doubt itching to play a full set after the pitiful number of songs they were allowed at Death Valley. They seemed strangely subdued, possibly because their usual crowd of fans from Ballarat weren't there to swap heckles with. Garth kept up the smart-chat with the crowd nonetheless and they played their ususally entertaining set and sounded as good as ever. In fact, they sounded exactly the same as ever, which, while good to listen to, kind of detracted from the feel of seeing a live band. Probably in light of the Bride taking the plunge and ditching the backing tapes, it seemed a little disappointing at times to notice the music resulting from Garth pushing a button, standing back and letting it run. That's not to say that it was all karaoke, as the guitar and most of the keyboards were obviously played live, but it did seem that it needed just a little something extra in the mix (it's a great pity El-phin is no longer with them, as his antics really helped add a third dimension). Nevertheless, they're an entertaining band with good songs, and whatever was responsible for the more subdued mood, it seemed to add a touch of melancholy to Garth's singing on some of the slower songs. You could see the passion in the words he was singing, and you knew he gave a fuck what he they were about, which was a vast improvement over the apathy of the first act.

All in all it was a great night, though as usual for a live gig the crowd was disappointingly small. It's a pity so many missed out on a rare chance to see a lineup like this, with bands representing the scenes from the late 80's, to the mid 90's and now.

 

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TDM (Revelations, Melbourne, December 14, 2000)

TDM are always a hard band to pin down.

Every now and then they disppear for a while, then pop up some time later with a very different sound. Last time i saw them was at the Fusion One night, at which time they had abandoned their previous electro-industrial assault for a slower, guitar based, almost grunge sound.

This time they had blended both sounds and settled somewhere in the middle, mixing a reasonable dose of electronic industrial elements with a grungier, more intense sound with lots of distortion-heavy guitar work. The result had almost a glam rock feel in places. It also had the very effective combination of live drummer and drum machine, which is always a plus. Tracks from the 'Simple Life' album made a welcome return, though mostly in a heavily reworked and generally slower form. The already downbeat 'Happy' became even more stripped back, with just an acoustic guitar and Peter's plaintive vocals. The thumping 'No You' in particular became a trip into fuzz-guitar territory which, while the basic song was pretty much the same, gave it a whole new sound, like a techno remix in reverse. Bassist Audra did some backing vocals, which i don't think i'd seen her do before, and it worked really well. The mood for the set, even on the faster numbers, was intense and emotional. Peter's vocals were the focal point, and you could feel the emotion being wrung out of every word.

In my opinion it was the best i've seen them play - not too much industrial crunch to drown out the emotional intensity, but not as slow and downbeat as their Fusion One incarnation. And, for once, they didn't suffer their usual sound problems. i'd be tempted to list them as the best band around town at the moment, if it wasn't for so much other stiff competition (though Elaine has no qualms about rating them as the best).

This is shaping up to be an excellent month for live bands. If maybe the Redresser and Up Kitty would play before the month's out, it could be almost perfect.

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The Redresser, American Eagle Squadron (Psychonaut, Melbourne, June 22, 2001)


i didn't know much about American Eagle Squadron, other than it was fronted by Rick of the Voodoo Lovecats. My hopes were raised to find that two of the three members were Lovecats expats, with Emanuel (e-man) on bass. They kicked off with a song that reminded me half of KISS and half of the Buzzcocks, which they followed up with a cover of the latter band's 'Ever Fallen In Love?' Cover versions were the order of the night, comprising about half the band's set. This was a band out to have fun, taking the rest of us with them. The covers in the set were well chosen, songs that were familiar but not obvious, and i was pleasantly surprised to hear songs like Generation X's 'The Untouchables' (which i somehow recognised within seconds even though i hadn't heard it in 10 years), the Dead Kennedy's 'Lets Lynch the Landlord' and the Clash's 'Complete Control', as well as some more obvious anthems like Johnny Thunders' 'Chinese Rock'. While it was a different sound to the Voodoo Lovecats, it had the same rollicking singalong vibe that made that band so much fun. How many of the songs i didn't recognise were originals i don't know, but for all the scorn that cover bands cop, tonight it was just the trick to remind us that punk rock is also allowed to be damn good fun.

The Redresser took up the cover theme and kicked off with a rendition of 'Pipeline', which after half a minute suddenly turned into their own 'Lord Impaler'. i'd seen them play last week at Revelations and, while that had been the tightest i'd heard them play, they also had seemed somewhat restrained and hadn't cut loose the way they normally do. Tonight they nailed it. The energy was all there, the band's jumping around seeming more natural than choreographed and the playing tight but not held back. Despite me being hopelessly drunk by then, i'm still sure it was the best i'd seen them play. i also realised how best to describe them to someone who hadn't heard them, when at the start of the night the dj played a song that i thought was the Redresser but turned out to be Bowie's 'Suffragette City'. While spurious comparisons to Bauhaus and Lords Of The New Church are still as accurate as they are misleading, the Spiders From Mars finally dawned on me as the missing piece of the equation i've been trying to put my finger on to describe their sound (i can be a bit thick sometimes, considering the number of times i've heard them start a song with "wham bam thankyou ma'am" without getting the hint, but i'll plead drunkenness, your honour). They ripped through a set of material that is slowly becoming more familiar to me, that i might even be able to put names to if they ever get around to putting their album out. In the meantime it was a rollicking set of tracks i know only as 'oh, this song', as well as their usual cover of 'Do It Clean'. By the time they finished i was a well pissed and happy little stranger.

i ended up hanging out at the Velvet Lounge longer than i'd planned, just soaking in the vibe (and talking drunkenly in people's ears until my voice was squeaky and hoarse) (downing two extra strong coffees before hitting the beer is probably not a good idea for me - forget speed, i'm bad enough on caffeine). Sometime after four i staggered off home to prepare for my morning hangover and a hunt for that Generation X record i haven't played in so long.

My head hurts this morning, but i'm still smiling.

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Armageddon 2002 (Corner Hotel, Richmond, March 10, 2002)


Melbourne's own 'Wave/Gothic/Industrial' festival finally came around last night. It had seemed like it was taking forever to arrive, then suddenly it was upon us.

We arrived too late to catch Azrael, coming in on the tail end of their last song. There was already a reasonable crowd gathering even at this ungothly hour.

American Eagle Squadron were the first act we caught properly. i was in just the right mood to start off with some punk rock fun (having been listening to the Misfits for most of the weekend) and they hit the spot nicely. Making best use of the time alotted to them, they ripped quickly through songs one after the other, not even pausing until several songs into the set. It was all about fun, mixing up some original songs with a swag full of covers, my favourites being Generation X's "The Untouchables" and the Clash's "Complete Control". It was tight, thrashy and a good way to kick off the night.

Immaculata were up next, this time just Garth and El-phin as a two piece, the third vocalist having commitements elsewhere. After seeing them minus guitars for the first time earlier in the week and having gotten used to the idea of them as a 'vocal' act, i was able to stop comparing them to how they had been and appreciate them as they were. There always was a certain cabaret feel to it, which has come to the fore more now, and the band is probably best appreciated that way. The lack of the extra singer tonight was actually a bonus, to allow Garth and El-phin's voices to stand on their own and remind me just how good they sound together. The songs were a little more up-tempo than the other night, concentrating more on the dancier tracks than the slower ballads. The small stage didn't give El-phin much room to prance about and generally be a dickhead, but he did his best and the pair were certainly entertaining. Quite a few of the songs seemed to be new, including a conspicuously Apoptygmish number that closed the set. It went over quite well and i suspect it will be a dancefloor hit quite soon.

Resurrection Eve followed and, as with Immaculata, played mostly a set of more up-tempo songs in preference to their slower more melodramatic ones. Time constraints may have had a bit to do with this, keeping everything moving along at a speedy pace to fit all eight bands in. Jordan's voice was very strong and his trademark dance moves entertaining. He certainly knows the meaning of showmanship, putting as much feeling into the performance as he can, while Mark and Tyson played a tight set with a very clean sound. It's hard to say much about Resurrection Eve without repeating what i've said before, as their sound and image is well established and consistent. Tonight was a particularly energetic set of songs, with their usual combination of classic goth / new romantic with modern synthpop, and built to a climax with a punchy not-quite-industrial song (which apparently doesn't have a name yet) followed by a VNVesque number to close the set. (As with Immaculata, they seem to have decided that 'writing for the dance floor' is the best way to get some recognition, which is probably true, though it shouldn't have to be so).

The Redresser are another band that understand the importance of showmanship, always making an effort to put on a show, in everything from their on-stage antics to extra effort dressing up - tonight's ensemble featured Anthony's bigger than life hair and unfeasibly tight pvc pants, James covered in glitter and sporting a huge Charlie Sexton quoiff, and David on guitars clad in a peeling layer of liquid latex for a shirt. The sound was tight and punchy, ripping into a set of trashy glam rock, bouncing all over the stage but not missing a chord. David and James continued to amaze with how they could play while smooching and falling all over each other, while Anthony pogoed and bounced about the stage like he was the only one there. (David on drums seems to miss out on the limelight in the shadow of the others' antics, but hopefully he likes it that way). They put in 110% and went down well with the crowd, which had grown quite large by this stage.

Bride of the Atom were next to grace the big stage, with yet another lineup change and too many new members to even keep up with. They kicked off with "Predator" which sounded monstrous and threatening, but also lost a little in the tightness department. "Crash and Burn" followed and suffered similarly from a lack of focus (possibly a pitfall of the constantly changing lineup). Another problem was the mix, which seemed to err toward the 'louder is better' school, to the point where it was hurting my ears even through earplugs. Joy's backing vocals were somewhat lost in the mix as well, which was a pity as i was curious how she would sound. That aside, it was an enjoyable set and full of power and chaos, with Brett preaching and ranting over the chaotic barrage of sound. Chaos itself is not a bad thing, but i did wonder whether the new audience could hear the quality of the songs that lay underneath the wall of noise. The set closed with 'Rocketship to Ruin', David again chasing his trashcan around the dance floor (though we weren't treated to the kill this time) and cheekily ran overtime. But i wasn't complaining.

Tankt followed on the smaller stage, with quite an enthusiastic crowd gathering around. The 'louder is better' bug seemed to have stuck for the night, and i hoped people had brought protection with them. The first song kicked off with Jarod and David (so many Davids playing tonight) blasting out a barrage of electronic noise. Normally i'm not that fond of instrumental tracks, especially of the electronic kind, but the energy with which the lads attacked their equipment seemed to fuel the power of the music (it certainy weren't no acid trance track). Robbie joined them and i started to recognise some of the songs, though his vocals seemed to be a bit dull in the mix (others said differently, so i guess it depends where you stood). His presence was pure Henry Rollins, though you couldn't see him for much of the time as he spent what seemed like half the set singing from the middle of the crowd. i'd noticed a guitarist tuning up as Tankt were getting ready, and was quite keen to see how that would work. Unfortunately, when he did join them, there was no sound from his guitar. Apparently those at the front could hear the sound from his own amp, but it seems it wasn't fed into the main PA and was inaudible from where we were. He remained for a second song, and i was pleased to hear some power chords and thought they'd fixed the problem, but on closer inspection the guitar sounds weren't what he was playing and must have been samples, while his own playing was silent again. That's a pity, as i was looking forward to seeing how it would fit with Tankt's sound. They were enjoyable, 'Elite' and 'Flip 'Em Out' setting the crowd pogoing madly, but by the end the amount of beer i had drunk wasn't mixing too well with the heavy doofs, and i had to make a retreat to a quieter corner of the pub for a bit.

It had been 12 years since i'd last seen Snog play, having lost interest when they 'went techno' all those years ago. But in recent years i'd found myself warming to those same songs that had originally put me off, 'Corporate Slave' and 'Born to be Mild' in particular, and was curious to hear how they sounded live these days. It came as a bit of a headspin when they began with the opening strains of 'Spermy Man', the same song they used to open with back in the Richmond Club days, and sounding exactly the same as way back then. They no longer used a bass guitar, but the sound was very organic and the vocals the main focal point. In fact it was David's vocals (gahh, another David) that really made the sound, though the electronics had quite a bit of substance and carried a decent tune without resorting to 4/4 doof beats. i did find myself in typical fashion thinking it would be better with a guitar and drums added, but even that made me realise that the reason the songs had such a well rounded, organic feel was that they were, in essence, rock songs played with electronics, not techno songs with vocals stuck on top. While some of the tracks did venture a little far into dancey territory for my rock-luddite tastes, most kept my interest and the best (the aforementioned 'Corporate Slave' and 'Born to be Mild' especially) sounded brilliant. i'd certainly see them again, and wish i hadn't avoided them quite so carefully for the last decade.

The night seemed to be a great success. All the bands got to play, there seemed to be no major fuckups and, most importantly, there seemed to be a whole crowd of people who i'd never seen venturing out to live gigs before. Hopefully it will help spark a bit of interest in what really is a exciting and vibrant local scene we have here. Organiser Cahl was exultant at the end of the night, telling the crowd we were all part of history now. Hopefully people will be keen to be part of a similar future as well.


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