Concert Retrospective 2009 [21 Dec 2009|05:41pm] daiwel [ mood | good ] [ music | The Berg Sans Nipple - Along The Quai ] This was a good year for concerts. Lots of commercially successful bands dropped by, but there were also plenty of newcomer acts to discover. Up to this day, I have written 64 concert reviews, with March having been my busiest month (11 nights out!), while August was with two shows only rather sparse for me. December was no better but isn’t just over yet. I decided to have a little look back on the events that had a special impact on me.   HALL OF FAME 10 – Dengue Fever at the Knuedler (4th July 2009) It would be preposterous to claim that this has been a really great show, but somehow everything worked in the band’s favour. Although they are from California, their Cambodian singer gives the music the certain exotic and erotic something. The show took place in the early evening hours, the sun was still shining, making this a perfect way to start a night out. 9 – Mono at the Rockhal (23rd April 2009) Mono don’t necessarily reinvent post rock, but that night they showed that they are one of the genre’s few bands that are still able to add energy and dynamics to the music. Their drawn out compositions always ended in drug hazed psychedelic orgies. Japanese musicians look always great on stage anyway! 8 – Anthrax at the Rockhal (17th June 2009) This was one for the nostalgic metal fans! Anthrax’s best times are long since over, but they had a great start into their set, blasting a handful of classics into the audience, and then later proved to be downright modern by covering a song by The Refused. Therefore we forgive the New Yorkers for some of their newer, less interesting material. 7 – Squarepusher at the Exit07 (8th April 2009) I had been waiting so long for the godfather of intelligent contemporary electronic music to come to Luxembourg. This could have been the best show ever, but unfortunately still only made it into the middle of my top ten. The set consisted of two parts: one was non-electronic bass and drum duo, the other one had Squarepusher play bass to his music. Good stuff, but no real live atmosphere! 6 – The Berg Sans Nipple at the d:qliq (27th May 2009) The best shows are often by those you didn’t expect much from. The Berg Sans Nipple are really cool on CD, but on stage they become something bigger. Their weird collection of instruments – electronic and percussive – had sounds coalesce into something incredibly beautiful and mesmerising. 5 – Fishbone at the Kulturfabrik (13th June 2009) Another “old” band for the “old” fans. Fishbone played already an ok show a few years ago at the Kulturfabrik, but this time they were much, much better! Starting in a free jazz fashion, they soon followed with classic upon classic. It’s surprising in what splendid shape these funk ska soul rock veterans are still after all these years. 4 – Windmill at the d:qliq (23rd September 2009) Another one of those concerts I didn’t really expect anything. And then there was this crazy pianist centring the stage, accompanied only by bass guitar and drums. No guitars! Coming across like the illegitimate son of Elton John and Ben Folds – the former being the mother – he sang quirky songs about the Epcot Center. Moving! 3 – Kevin Blechdom at the Exit07 (3rd April 2009) I have to admit I was not overly familiar with Ms. Blechdom’s previous work, but her new material headed into a more classical song direction, with a strong cabaret flair. This in itself would be nothing special, but she is such a crazy and weird looking person that you had no choice but to love or hate her performance. On a second level, one might get the impression that a vulnerable person is hiding beneath her extroverted persona. The cover versions of Rammstein and Evanescence song were unforgettable. 2 – Tortoise at the Kulturfabrik (19th November 2009) Four or five years ago, the Chicago post rock pioneers were at a creative low but still played a good show at the same location. Now they are back with a really great album, and consequently this year’s performance was not from this world. All my favourite hits were played, and Tortoise showed that it would be criminally wrong to label them as a post rock band. This was jazz! 1 – Fuck Buttons at the Exit07 (25th October 2009) Not only the best concert of the year, but possibly also the best concert I have ever seen. The Fuck Buttons are GOD!!! The British duo plays real live electronic music with samplers and casio keyboards that are processed through guitar distortion effects. Believe it or not, but their toys sounded like guitars. Add to this stellar songwriting, hypnotic and hymnic at the same time, and you can’t stop dancing anymore!   HALL OF SHAME 5 – The Mars Volta at the Atelier (6th July 2009) Their first show was cancelled, this time they were for real, and promised a three hour show. They played for only two hours, but who cares?, because after one hour most people had enough and drank their beers outside. What went wrong? First of all, their music is insufferably overindulgent when played live, and second, possibly even worse, was the incredibly bad sound. I didn’t hear neither of the two keyboard players. 4 – Explosions In The Sky at the Rockhal (8th September 2009) Where Mono prevailed, the Texans failed, miserably. Their second generation post rock couldn’t be more banal. They are not bad musicians, but cruelly boring songwriters. Every song was a ten minute drag that started out slowly to end noisily. They could have left the stage after their first piece, and no one would have cared. 3 – Soap & Skin at the Exit07 (23rd May 2009) Talk about preposterous folie de grandeur! This eighteen year old Austrian pianist and singer got some rave reviews from some of the more posh music magazines, and now she thinks she’s something special. The truth is that her songs are pathetically boring piano ballads interpreted by a young woman whose wailing voice is not unlike that of nauseous wolves. She even forbid the venue to sell drinks during her show, and didn’t realise that any sane person could stand this torture only in a highly intoxicated state. 2 – Ghinzu at the Rockhal (27th March 2009) These Belgians were once really great. Best band from their small country, I dare say. But that’s a long time ago. Now they have somehow become less exciting and more popular at the same time. The Rockhal decided to take fully advantage of the situation by overbooking their Club. There must have been 100 to 200 people more than are actually allowed inside, with the consequence that once outside, it was impossible to get back inside. Not that I would have cared anyway, considering their unmotivated performance. 1 – Sonic Youth at the Atelier (25th April 2009) This was not the worst concert of the year, but the most disappointing one. I have known this band for nearly twenty years, never seen them live and expected something really special, full of noise orgies and experimental avant-garde excursions. Instead they played regular songs. Had this been any other band, I would have been content, but I am convinced that Sonic Youth can do better, much better.   MOST VISITED LOCATIONS 5 – Atelier: 4 concerts 4 – Rockhal: 8 concerts 3 – d:qliq: 11 concerts 2 – Kulturfabrik: 15 concerts 1 – Exit07: 22 concerts   I limited myself to mentioning only a couple of shows, so that some other really great evenings (Yacht, Dub In V.O., Cephalic Carnage, The Ocean, Dillinger Escape Plan, Do Make Say Think,…) won’t be further elaborated. But they have been reviewed earlier this year, so go back and read that! 4 comments|post comment

Every Time I Die & Maylene and the Sons Of Disaster at the Kulturfabrik in Esch/Alzette (20 Dec 09) [21 Dec 2009|01:19pm] daiwel [ mood | good ] [ music | Crescent Shield - The Stars Of Never Seen ] The summer and winter school holidays both have in common that there is always a scarcity of concerts. With nothing of interest to bait me on Friday and Saturday night, I decided to give Sunday a chance since I didn’t have to get up early the following morning. A Sunday before school holidays should be an ideal day to attract an audience, especially when you have band whose music aims at a younger audience. Unfortunately the weather played crazy, surprising us with heavy snowfalls that made driving hazardous. When I arrived shortly after 8pm, the Kulturfabrik was still quite empty, and I doubt that there were even later never more than 150 to 200 people. Not really having a suitable local band to open the evening, the decision was taken to get Admiral Arms from Paris to start at half past eight. Having grown not only recently tired of metalcore, I was positively surprised that the Frenchmen played a very mature kind of post hardcore, inspired by Poison The Well and the likes. The first half of their set was really spectacular, switching between progressive riffing and melodic parts. People even preferred to watch the band to standing at the bar or smoking outside. At twenty past nine, it seemed as if we were pulled into a parallel universe inhabited by creatures taken straight from the Dukes Of Hazzard and My Name Is Earl. Although vocalist Dallas Taylor was a founding member of Christian metalcore band Underoath, his name betrays already his Southern origins. Maylene and the Sons of Disaster are from Alabama, and they do their very best to convey a textbook roughneck image. They even had three guitar players! Can you get any more macho than that? The six musicians were more or less bearded, with the burly drummer looking really terrifying, while Dallas Taylor looked like the second coming of Jesus Christ… even though he sounded more like the devil. His vocals sometimes went back to his metalcore roots, but there was enough whiskey drenched roughness that fit well with the overall sound that lately has become more and more Southern rockish. The three guitars, at their most playful, reminded me of the Allman Brothers. The performance was great entertainment, making me try to invent a new genre description: Southern rock and metalcore equals Southern core? Some of the predominantly young audience didn’t seem so enthralled and left somewhere in the middle, but the majority absorbed this great party which ended with the hit Step Up (I’m On It) which mentally challenged people might have recognised as a WWE theme song. Every Time I Die were the undisputed headliners of the evening. Their last two albums have been doing really great on the American billboard charts. I guess they draw bigger audiences at home, but then there would have been more people here, had their been better meteorological circumstances. The New Yorkers have also a reputation of letting Southern rock elements flow into their music, but let’s face it: what they did tonight was leaning much heavier on the metalcore side. They performed excellently, had great stage presence, and also had the audience of their side. I might just be a little too old to get into this kind of music. It’s of course the irony of fate that we get snow just on the day where Southern rock has been announced at the Kulturfabrik, but what can one do? The evening was still a success. All three bands did well, the opener even had decent sound and lights. And even though shows at the Kulturfabrik always end rather early, we can already look forward to lots of promising shows next year. post comment

Cyclorama at Café Diva in Esch/Alzette (12th December 2009) [13 Dec 2009|06:02pm] daiwel [ mood | good ] [ music | Guilty Guitars - In Need Of Now ] When I was much younger, in the late Eighties and early Nineties, the Café Diva had a really bad reputation about the more independent minded young people. That’s why I felt suspicious about going there, two decades later, even if it was to see an artist I usually go watch when he plays in “cool” locations. Facebook informed me that there would be plenty of my “friends”, so I knew that I wouldn’t feel out of place. When I arrived at half past ten, the first positive surprise was to see that the upper floor of the Café Diva was nicely filled, although not crowded, with nice people, actually the same kind of clientele you meet at the Exit07, plus a few diehard locals for the Minette flair. The second one was the incredibly low prices for drinks… that’s what you get for heading into the province. The third one finally was to learn that Cyclorama would play tonight his first concert with a live drummer. Although they had only rehearsed five times before this evening, their concert started promisingly at a quarter to eleven. All of a sudden, with a real flesh and blood drummer to procure a heavily organic beat carpet, Sébastien felt much freer on his guitar, playing louder than ever before. This went a little to the volume of the sequencer sounds, so that one heard people mutter: “Really great tonight! Now he needs only a bassist to flesh it all out!”. That might have been true, but some people may never be satisfied. It’s a fact that Cyclorama played his best concert of his career tonight. He finally found a way to make his guitar driven psychedelic shoegaze noise music sound more direct and aggressive, although the latter might have been due to the really loud sound inside the rather small venue. Cyclorama played for forty minutes, and managed to keep the attention of most of the more or less sixty spectators. In the past I considered his music more ideal to be listened to from the comfort of your home, but his new approach makes it more than ideal for a live setting. Tonight’s concert was part of the Save Esch Party at the Café Diva which was ended by DJs sets courtesy of Stereomission (great last half hour!) and Mike Tock. I don’t know if Esch will be culturally saved by indie concerts at Café Diva, but tonight convinced with good music, friendly atmosphere and lots of people. Although that last point may be explained that nothing else of interest was happening anywhere nearby. Let’s cross our fingers though that we will get further interesting club concerts in the Minette capital. 1 comment|post comment

Sonic Visions festival at the Rockhal in Esch/Alzette (28th November 2009) [29 Nov 2009|07:32pm] daiwel [ mood | good ] [ music | Hjallarhorn - Iron Clad Soldiers ] The first day of the Sonic Visions left me with a rather stale impression, but the second one promised to happen in a different league. The topic of this evening was a spotlight on Italian music. I admit when I first heard this, before the line-up was available, I was expecting the worst. Italy has spent decades making itself a reputation of exporting schmaltzy pop ballads, so that music lovers often forget that this Southern European countries has some of the most fecund underground scenes, when it comes to indie, punk, hardcore, metal,… Logistical constraints made me miss Natas Loves You – which I partly saw the previous night at the Exit07 – and local indie balladeer Daniel Balthasar, although the last chords of his set betrayed a certain rock feeling. I was of course absolutely looking forward to Julie’s Haircut whose latest double album “Our Secret Ceremony” is a milestone of expansive psychedelic rock. How would they be able to convey their magic in a half hour set? First there was some guy on a laptop creating a lot of noise, a few minutes later joined by his four band mates who made the impression as if they just happened to drop by. The opener “Sleepwalker” has a creepy wave touch reminding of the Cramps and Alan Vega’s suicide. This changed when the five-piece continued with their soon-to-be classic “The Devil In Kate Moss”. Which takes only five minutes on CD needed double the time, as the band seemed lost in reverie at first, improvising as if there was no tomorrow before they finally found the striking chord sequence that makes this song so great. Later in their set, they came with a light sensitive instrument that made a lot of noise and allowed its user to make for an eerie performance. While Julie’s Haircut were definitely exceptional, this would have worked better if they could have played for let’s say two hours. A band reduced to half an hour stage time should minimise the impro factor and concentrate instead on a more cohesive and concise set list. The Rockhalicious had Belgian crossover band Porn Funkerz up next. Anyone remember Porn Again? Well, this was the new band of their guitarist and their vocalist. While many claimed that she had a great voice – and I am not denying that – their music was totally outdated Nineties crossover that wasn’t even interesting when it first appeared. Off we went to the Club where we were getting ready for more Italian rock. Heike Has The Giggles is a young three-piece led by their guitarist/vocalist Emanuela Drei. She looked as if she was still in her teens, was also a rather short person, but this was countered by her enormous stage presence. The band played primitive pop punk songs that took their qualities from the self-confident Ms Drei whose bold and bratty attitude had all the charm to make their set interesting for the first quarter hour. After that, it all seemed to be sounding the same to me, but then I was not familiar with this otherwise really cool band. While the Rockhalicious had a lot of interesting artists playing the night before, today was just plain horror. Jacob Brass is a German singer/songwriter who performed with some other guy, which meant: two acoustic guitar troubadours boring the hell out of me. This was definitely not the right setting for their music. The Club followed this lullaby session with Beatrice Antolini and her band. Ms Antolini is a classical trained pianist, and that showed. Her wild stage persona matched her keyboard playing. She hammered down on her instrument, and also coerced fantastic sounds out of her vintage Moog. Armed with a husky voice, she also was best during the first half of her set. The band played incredible songs impossible to categorise. While some were drawing parallels to local avantgardists Traumkapitän, I was thinking more of Dresden Dolls. The second half of her set was filled with songs that seemed to want to show off her stylistic diversity, and while this was all nice and fun, some tracks were overflowing with ideas, making it hard to follow. Still it must be said that Beatrice Antolini is a great artist on par with the likes of Tori Amos and PJ Harvey. More German acoustic guitars were next in the Rockhalicious with The Good Morning Diary, so I generously decided to skip them. At midnight, it was time for the CD release of Cico, an Italian artist residing in Luxembourg. I was getting tired though and was not in the mood for his upbeat music. Of course there are a lot of positive vibes, but I guess this works better on sunny open-air stages. Driving home, I missed local electro duo Flashy Rock, but again: wrong setting, in my opinion. If Sonic Visions had been reduced to one day only, with tonight’s Club bands with yesterday’s Rockhalicious bands, it would have been a much better experience. The low spectator numbers show that the organisers made something wrong with the promotion. Entry was cheap, so that wasn’t the problem, and I would also not blame it on the fact that so many other events were taking place at the same time. Why was the Italian community not mobilised stronger, for instance? The Sonic Visions is still a good festival that I wouldn’t want to miss. You have to accept that every enjoyable discovery is followed by some really dreary band, but where else can you get such a panoply of artists for only seven euros? 5 comments|post comment

Sonic Visions at the Rockhal and Natas Loves You (CD Release) at the Exit07 (27th November 2009) [28 Nov 2009|04:43pm] daiwel [ mood | good ] [ music | Stigmata - The Wounds That Never Heal ] The Sonic Visions festival is a yearly event whose aim is to let people discover international bands for a really low entrance fee. Getting eighteen bands spread over two days for just 7 euros is next to nothing, so I decided to give it a go, even though most of Friday’s performers didn’t seem to promising to me. That’s why I decided to arrive only at 9pm in order to miss the first two bands. I was just in time to hear the announcer in the club call Piano Club the best Belgium has to offer in indie pop music. It must be really a bad time for our neighbours, because I have rarely seen a band acting so awkwardly on stage. What started like Thin Lizzy flirting with electronica soon became the bitter realisation that we were in the presence of an ambitious young band that wanted to combine as many different styles as possible but that had no idea how a good arrangement should sound like. I lasted for three songs before I couldn’t take it any longer. The Rockhalicious was meantime preparing the stage for Danish indie rockers I Got You On Tape who have the same vocalist as Murder. I didn’t expect too much of their depressive rock songs, and was therefore positively surprised at the geniality of their gig. The chubby, bearded vocalist, of course adorned with thick glasses, was sitting behind two vintage keyboards and was anything but handsome to look at. But he had tremendous stage presence and a soulful voice that we come across only too rarely these days. The guitarist, with spooky black fingernails, was equally immersed in his playing, while the drummer was fierce in his basic playing. The bassist completed the excellent picture. I have always been into electric piano sounds, and when the overall impression comes in the delivery of really great, moving songs, everything is perfect. This was a band so full of sincerity that it was impossible to get away from their aura. Unfortunately nothing would be able to top this fantastic performance, and when Oku and the Reggaerockers proved that reggae from Germany most often is just plain band, it was decided to head on to the Exit07 to hopefully be in time for Natas Loves You and their guest Disasteradio from New Zealand. Unfortunately the latter was just done, so that only Natas Loves You were left to entertain the many and mostly very young spectators. They had some problems finding their shape, so that the first couple of songs couldn’t keep up with their really good CD. Later on, when they strayed from the path of their recording, there were some nice improvisational bits, although you have to like retro if you want to become a fan of this young band. post comment

Alcoholic Faith Mission at the d:qliq in Luxembourg (21st November 2009) [22 Nov 2009|10:42am] daiwel [ mood | good ] No one should complain about a lack of concerts in Luxembourg, except maybe for the bands that happen to play in front of only two dozen people on a Saturday night because a) too many other things were happening at the same time and b) there is a general feeling of saturation. I can’t really say why I decided to have a go at this specific show, let’s just say I prefer the intimate setting of the d:qliq to the often overcrowded claustrophobia of the bigger venues. When I arrived shortly before 10pm, I was informed that the opening act Virgin Passages from England had cancelled. This meant having a couple of beers downstairs at the bar, waiting for Alcoholic Faith Mission from Denmark to start their set at 11pm. Once upstairs, I was one of four people to be there for the first song of the five Danes. This must be really frustrating for a band to play in front of so few people, but fortunately more decided to join, so that eventually there were between twenty and thirty people present. The band started out fine, but only after a few songs, when the second guitarist switched over to the trombone, the music became much more special, even though no one dared standing too close to the stage, for fear of getting the brass slide hit into their eyes. The vocals were shared by guitarist Thorben Seierø Jensen and peroxide blonde keyboard player Kristine Permild who harmonised perfectly, with him displaying a wide range of emotions and her luscive/naïve delivery. Therefore it didn’t matter that her keyboard went hardly unheard, and the guitar looked like manufactured from cardboard. A few ingeniously placed samples added to the atmosphere which, thanks to the trombone, had a melancholic feeling light years away from whiny indie emo pop. Alcoholic Faith Mission were in a good humour, despite the low spectator numbers, but then it’s probably nicer to play in front of a handful of interested people than for a crowd of sheep. I left after a good three quarters of an hour, positively surprised that this – to me – unknown band left a much better impression on me than the painfully disappointing concert of their compatriots The Elephants a few weeks earlier. post comment

Tortoise at the Kulturfabrik in Esch/Alzette (19th November 2009) [20 Nov 2009|05:36pm] daiwel [ mood | good ] [ music | Circle - Hollywood ] How time flies by! It’s been already more than five years when Tortoise played a first time at the Kulturfabrik, back then in support of their then current record “It’s All Around You”. Since then they did a collaborative album with Bonnie Prince Billy – the first time they worked with vocals, and let’s be sincere, it didn’t work that well – and unleashed their great retrospective compilation A Lazarus Taxon to the masses. But their next regular studio CD Beacons Of Ancestorship came only this year, although it showed Tortoise with new verve. Although Tortoise’s sound was always too complex to be categorised under one single label, they have been called a pioneer of the post rock movement. Not that they have much in common with bands like Mogwai, GYBE and the likes… It was therefore quite disappointing to see that only 200 people showed up at the Kulturfabrik to witness one of the most amazing live bands on the planet. Half of them decided to have a go at Cyclorama who started the evening shortly before 9pm. It’s a nice gesture to allow a local artist to open for an established act, but I got the impression that Cyclorama’s rather static performance was not too well chosen. I really like his music, but in a live situation, it feels too much like a guitarist playing along to his laptop. It didn’t help that he hasn’t yet released his new album so that even those familiar with his sound had problems recognising tunes. Cyclorama was on stage for a generous three quarter of an hour, and kept the attention of enough people who curiously followed his set. I am already looking forward to the future when a drummer is supposed to join him. At 10pm we finally got what we came to see. Tortoise are not the youngest anymore, with some of them losing their hair or keeping some additional pounds on their bellies, but that didn’t influence their musical capacities. Tonight they started with the single “Prepare Your Coffin” from their latest record, setting instantly the mood for an intelligent and unpredictable crossover evening. This song is in my opinion purest fusion jazz rock with a strong Seventies flair. Jeff Parker’s guitar lines were just heavenly! They followed this with a string of songs taken throughout their career, although to be sincere, I am not overly familiar with most of their album. I was always happiest to recognise the tracks from their album “TNT”, most notably the serene “I Set My Face To The Hillside” which nearly moved me to tears. Tortoise are only five people, but they kept changing their instruments after nearly every song. At times they played three keyboards, then two guitars, two bass guitars, two drum sets, even two vibraphones. Their sound was so rich that vocals would only have harmed the overall impression. The keyboards had at times this fuzzy sound that reminded me of Soft Machine anno 1969, just before they became too jazz. After one hour, I decided to head home as I had to get up at 6am the following morning, but Tortoise proved once again that they have lost nothing of their magic. On the contrary, they still amaze and surprise and understand far better than any other band how to concoct a perfect live set. It was certainly a shame that so few people showed up, but on the positive side, this allowed me to get a spot in the front row from which I could follow each and every movement. The negative thing about such a concert is of course that you know that you won’t be seeing anything nearly as good anytime soon. But I will be patient, even if it takes five years to see this great band again. post comment

Do Make Say Think at the Kulturfabrik in Esch/Alzette (7th November 2009) [08 Nov 2009|11:36am] daiwel [ mood | good ] [ music | secretSpeech - XIII ] My first Do Make Say Think concert two years ago on a Sunday night left me with an ambivalent impression. Their excellent new album “Other Truths” and the not unimportant fact that they were playing this time on a Saturday night was reason enough to give the Canadian post rock orchestra a second chance. Instead of hiring opening bands, Do Make Say Think did that part themselves by having two of their own projects start the evening. First up was Charles Spearin with his Happiness Project, less a band than a science project. The principal idea was to interview his neighbours about happiness, then analyse the rhythm and melody of their voices, and have a musical instrument mimic them. Sounds very pedagogical on paper, but with the help of his Do Make Say Think band mates, this became an extraordinarily witty experience. First up was an interview with an elderly Jamaican woman whose grandmotherly voice was dubbed by a saxophone. Then Spearin’s three year old daughter complaining about the food was accompanied by a screeching violin. Another highlight was a rather inarticulate six year old neighbour whose uttering were integrated into a swing track. This must have been one of the most original performances I have ever seen! Next on schedule was Years, the new project by Do Make Say Think guitarist Ohad Benchetrit. His set began very solemn, with guitar and trumpet, excellently played if a little on the mellow side, but soon more band members joined him on stage, making the last two songs truly epic pieces that I had nearly mistaken for the main act already. Finally it was time for Do Make Say Think who were nine people on stage, playing guitar, bass, keyboards, trumpets, saxophone, violin and two drum sets. Such things can become quite pompous, but the Canadians have lots of experience to prevent such mistakes. Their mostly long compositions typically start slowly before building into crescendos, but instead of sounding too much like a classical orchestra, they have more the rowdy charm of a beaten down Harmonie Municipale, with the horns and violins often trying their best to be as loud as possible. This distinguishes the collective from more serene post rock bands, and some really cutting guitar riffs highlighted the word “rock” in post rock. Tonight Do Make Say Think left a much better impression than two years ago. There must have been about 150 people in the audience, and sincerely I would have been surprised, had there been any more. It was just weird that the Kulturfabrik officials decided to close the ticket office before the headliner began. This was lucky chance for those who came later only to see Do Make Say Think. post comment

The Elephants at the d:qliq in Luxembourg (6th November 2009) [07 Nov 2009|05:37pm] daiwel [ mood | good ] [ music | InMe - Herald Moth ] Two years ago, Danish indie pop band The Elephants proved that Scandinavian music does not always have to drown in melancholy. Their good humoured and pleasant performance back then was reason enough for me to go see them a second time. Unfortunately the Exit07 had programmed tonight Normal Palm who attracted a similar audience. Maybe the easier parking opportunities made some opt for Hollerich instead of the Old City. I thought German underground pop journalist Martin Büsser would read from his publications before the concert, but that was only for the next day. Tonight he was only doing a really good and eclectic DJ set before the concert which started shortly before 11pm. The were about 40 people present when the quintet entered the stage. Their panoply of instruments made the situation really crowded for them but that didn’t harm their friendly mood. The band seemed to begin with a song from their new album “Take It!” which was followed by one of the debut. The keyboard player did a great solo on his theremin, the multi-layered vocals were superb, and the arrangements not from this world. I have to confess that I am really totally familiar with their self-titled first CD, but never really spent much time with their new one. Unfortunately most songs tonight seemed to come from the current record, and I got the impression that their new material is a little more melancholic that the really happy tunes from the predecessor. The Elephants still made a good impression on stage, undermining their position as one of the most outstanding bands from Northern Europe. Too bad that not more people decided to show up on this Friday night. The band acted professionally though and played as if the house was sold out. Tonight’s performance was not as groundbreaking as the one two years ago, but it was still pleasant enough! post comment

DRAGONFORCE, GRENDEL, TORIAN at Kulturfabrik (Esch/Alzette) (31st October 2009) [01 Nov 2009|12:53pm] daiwel2 [ mood | calm ] [ music | Helvetets Port: Exodus To Hell ] Tonight the Kulturfabrik was in firm metal hands as there were surely more than 500 metalheads eager to see Dragonforce, a real hype in the world of melodic power metal. But they had to be patient as the show started with the German metal act TORIAN that seemed to have a lot of fun on stage. This was a real tribute to good old fashioned heavy metal from past decades and nowadays it is real seldom to see a flying V guitar. The singer who probably still has the same haircut than when he was an eleven year old boy was joking around and successful in animating the audience. The entire set had more in common with Carnival than Halloween and after a couple of songs, there wasn’t anything more to discover for me, but most spectators were more fascinated and that was good for the band. Dragonforce were initially supposed to come as second act, but somehow French metal band GRENDEL also somehow arrived and their mixture of thrash metal, nu metal and metalcore somehow didn’t fit into the evening’s concept. I think that it would have been a fair gesture to give this slot to a band from Luxemburg as they don’t have too many occasions to play in front of several hundred spectators. Even if Torian and Grendel never passed the level of an Emergenza newcomer contest, DRAGONFORCE from the UK were playing in a totally different league. This band doesn’t only play metal, but it is leading a life full of heavy metal. The six musicians showed a tremendous stage presence and especially the leather clothed singer who looked a bit like Ronnie James Dio was a real hero in posing. The visual aspects are playing an important part for Dragonforce, but this six men team also consists of excellent musicians. The keyboarder wasn’t just hiding, but also used a keytar (like the guy from Nena in the 80ies) and was running around on stage. On some tracks, the keys could have been louder, but mostly they were quite clear to hear. Singer ZP Theart has a firm voice which is mastering higher and deeper notes as well. The two guitar players were keen on harmonies and the quite long songs seemed to be an endless suite of riffs and solos. And especially the single ‘Reasons To Live’ which was already the second song of the set got great response. Dragonforce proved tonight that it is still possible to play classic power metal which is sounding absolutely vivid. Even if the two openers couldn’t convince me totally, I don’t regret having come to the KuFa for an extraordinary metal event. post comment

Fuck Buttons at the Exit07 in Luxembourg (24th October 2009) [25 Oct 2009|04:13pm] daiwel [ mood | good ] [ music | Southern Cross - Down Below ] If the biggest dilemma you have to face in life is to whether go see Burnt By The Sun’s show of their farewell tour at the Kulturfabrik or the Fuck Buttons in Luxembourg City, you can consider yourself a rather carefree human being. As much as I like the former’s intricate math metal, I was even more intrigued by the British duo whose live shows have quite a reputation. First of all we had to make it through a forty minute set by Australian opening band HTRK, an acronym standing for hate rock. What the three-piece did was neither hate nor rock, but some kind of ultra-depressive gloom wave suffering from the intriguingly monotonous vocals. The bored looking read-haired singer probably tried to impersonate something like a younger Lydia Lunch and succeeded nicely in getting the audience to leave for the rainy outside. The music was ok: the bass had a throbbing pulse, the guitarist was in love with his effects, and even the sampled drums were functional enough, but the ensuing atmosphere was so depressive that this was certainly the wrongest possible kind of opener for what was to follow. That Bristol doesn’t necessarily have to stand for trip hop was thoroughly proved by Fuck Buttons tonight. Their debut record Street Horrrsing from last year was already a respectable entry to the music world, but this year’s follow-up Tarot Sport is taking things further by cutting things back. Although their new songs are still abrasive and noisy, the also come with a more accessible edge that helps to outline their melodies even further. I estimate there were about 150 curious people who wanted to see how this music is done. Unlike many other electro bands that rely too heavily on their laptop computers, Fuck Buttons brought a panoply of casios and toy instruments that were properly circuit-bended, connected it all to countless guitar effect pedals and thus played epic compositions that averaged ten minutes each, full of a repetitive monotony that created a hypnotic atmosphere. The opener was already excellent, with a heavy bass drum driving the song along. This was followed by a couple of less beat driven tracks, before the second half of their one hour show emphasised once more their more danceable side. Especially when the musicians played solos on their distorted casio keyboards, things became really hot, as if an electro band had discovered that one can play ripping rock music without guitars. The regular set ended on a festive note with an unforgettable melody, making me miss the encore because I knew that nothing could top that now. Right then I knew that I had seen the best concert ever. Fuck Buttons had a juvenile nonchalance on stage that was the complete opposite of HTRK’s feigned seriousness, and performed their long tracks with an innocence that belied the underlying complexity of their sounds. As someone who loves electronic music but who is often bored by static live shows, Fuck Buttons revealed that it is quite possible to add a visceral energy that elevated their music to something even bigger. Let’s hope these guys will return to Luxembourg one day soon, to convert even more people to their genial music. 4 comments|post comment

Digital Native & The Tobacco Company live at Rekult Volume 02 in Luxembourg (18th October 2009) [18 Oct 2009|10:06pm] daiwel [ mood | good ] Normally I pass when it comes to Sunday night shows, but today there were two reasons that made me do otherwise. First of all, it was all supposed to start at 6pm, and second there were two artists performing I had never or rarely seen before. Probably because Rajivan Appayan cancelled at the last minute, everything started a little later, but shortly before 7pm, it was time for The Tobacco Company to start their set. All I knew about them was that this was a project by Fracture’s Ralph helped out by friends. Tonight he was joined by Fracture co-member Sébastien on guitars and the event’s co-organiser Sven on a groovebox and iPhone. It was clear from the outset that everything was more or less improvised, but that didn’t prevent the threesome from concocting some really unusual sounds. Although two thirds of The Tobacco Company consisted of Fracture, the music couldn’t have been more different. Instead of performing groovy, guitar-led electro ambient rock pieces, they delved more into atmospheric guitar drone territory with discreet beats that were all played manually live. Although there were naturally a few inconsistencies, the main part felt like some unearthed proto kraut-rock, as if very early Seventies Tangerine Dream teamed up with King Crimson’s Robert Fripp. The more or less half hour set was mostly very intense and made me hope that we can hear further sonic elaborations from this project in the future. Although announced as Digital Native, the artist decided to perform as Liquidbass, showcasing a more or less one hour demonstration of his new Ableton controller. I normally am not into live laptop music, but this piece of hardware with its multitude of multicoloured buttons allowed the artist to give an authentic live feeling to his sample based music. The set consisted of a sequence of loop patterns that were undergoing constant effects manipulations. Starting all out at a relatively moderate dub step pace, Liquidbass took us soon into head-spinning breakbeat territories that were followed by cranky hip hop movements that lead into mellow acoustic guitar elaborations just to introduce Balkan gypsy music before it all ended on a more rhythmic electronic note. It’s hard, even impossible, to fairly summarise Liquidbass’s set into words, but his electric approach to sample driven electronic music was certainly more interesting than 99% of what you hear in late night clubs all over the country. Too bad there were only a handful of people following this truly interesting musical evening. Rekult Volume 02 is an exhibition taking place at the old Oeko-Zenter in Luxembourg’s Pfaffenthal, and although quite a few people visit this sustainable development themed exhibition during the day hours, it seemed harder to attract those interested in interesting and innovative music to follow these splendid demonstrations of local music in action. Next weekend will be the last opportunity to check out the exhibition and see further local bands showcasing their talents. Entry is free, by the way! 1 comment|post comment

D.V.D at the Exit07 in Luxembourg (2nd October 2009) [03 Oct 2009|10:28am] daiwel [ mood | excited ] [ music | Alverg - Elde ] After taking their well deserved holidays during the month of September, the Exit07 started their new concert season tonight with an experimental performance from a Japanese band. As the city of Metz was offering lots of free shows by the likes of Nouvelle Vague, Sparklehorse, Fennesz and many more, it was not surprising that the Exit07 didn’t attract that many people, although there must have been between 50 and 100 curious minds. The evening started at twenty to ten with a live set by Yoru To Kiri, a new local band consisting of the Raftside drummer and Kuston Beater on electronics. The Japanese name made me suspect that they formed this project only to be opening for a Japanese band. Combining live drums with electronics has already been done by Artaban, but Yoru To Kiri had a different take on that formula. The drummer played quite fast beats that clearly came from a garage background, while Kuston Beater added floating synth sounds that would have been more convincing if the bass lines had been more grating. You can’t deny that their music has a certain potential, but after a few tracks, it was obvious that much was still unfinished. Let’s see if these two guys will take their idea further. After a short break, D.V.D from Japan entered the stage. The band name stands for drums / visuals / drums, because that’s what the three-piece is doing on stage. The left and right side of the stage were occupied by two drummers, while in the background there was a guy behind two laptops who was in charge of the visuals. Now I have seen a lot of bands incorporating videos into their live set, but D.V.D were different insofar as the extremely tight drumming played a soundtrack for the mostly 8-bit inspired images, while pre-programmed minimal synth lines added a hint of melody that helped emphasise the rhythmic nature of their music. At times the visuals guy added live effects with a Nintendo Wii Controller, and later on he even used a new experimental electronic instrument with lots of light bulbs that was nicer to watch than to see. Too bad I have forgotten the name of this strange toy, although rumours have it that it is too bloody expensive for what it can deliver. If D.V.D’s show seemed strange at first, people gradually got the hang of it, understanding that the video projections worked as an equal rights band member, replacing acoustic elements with fascinating colours and movements. The band played for more than an hour, and especially during the second half, some of the audience seemed really entranced by what they saw. It made sense therefore that after the show, the band sold a CD/DVD, because honestly, their music must work best when you can see it. Although this was far from being a sold out show, D.V.D made sure that the Exit07 opened its new season with a quality night! 1 comment|post comment

Siva at the d:qliq in Luxembourg (30th September 2009) [01 Oct 2009|07:16pm] daiwel [ mood | good ] [ music | Sutcliffe - Sutcliffe ] Wednesday nights are popular to take a break in the middle of the week (let’s face it: it’s already close to weekend), and that’s why it should be considered a welcome idea of the d:qliq to present on these nights promising indie bands from all over the world. Too bad the idea hasn’t caught up yet with the audience, or how can you explain that the upstairs room only gradually filled towards the end of Siva’s set when there was no more entrance fee to be paid. And yet, 8 euros (or 5 euros for those in possession of a Fidel card) isn’t that much money, considering how much people are willing to spend on every new hype that rarely lives to survive into the next year. When I arrived shortly at around half past nine, Our Fans Are The Others had already started his solo performance. Normally they are a regular band, and it showed. Singer and guitarist Dean Ferrell certainly did his best, and his voice carried an authenticity that was hard to deny, but his distorted guitar chords would have been more at home in a band setting. Too bad he wasn’t joined by his band mates. Right after he was done, Berlin three-piece Siva entered the stage, probably because they didn’t want to lose any time and also intended to play for more than an hour. I have to admit that what I heard on Myspace didn’t really convince me, but their live show added a sense of dynamics that elevated their songs to a higher lever. Combining guitar driven indie rock with subtly smart electronics, they merged the Nineties school of guitar rock with contemporary sounds that was not unlike The Notwist, although old Radiohead was an even stronger anchor point. This was doubtlessly good, but hardly original. I liked them best when they bass player switched to his electric piano which added a comforting warmth to the music. When they began, there were maybe twenty people present, but they ended their concert in front of at least double that number, so that their performance could pride itself in not only attracting, but also keeping their spectators. Let’s hope the d:qliq’s recipe for Wednesday nights will catch on with indie lovers, so that the bands will have more sizeable audiences in the future. post comment

Windmill at the d:qliq in Luxembourg (23rd September 2009) [24 Sep 2009|05:49pm] daiwel [ mood | good ] [ music | Crown The Lost - Blind Faith Loyalty ] In a country swamped by big events, mostly at the Atelier and the Rockhal, people seemingly prefer to spend lots of money for bands they know than invest only fraction of that sum to discover new bands. In the end, it’s a music bar like the d:qliq which is suffering most from that situation. Fully packed on weekend nights when DJs are entertaining the masses, their weekday shows have a much harder time attracting crowds. The owners deserve respect for not yet having given up on bringing exciting indie music to Luxembourg, especially when things are so neat like on this Wednesday night. But first we had to made it through the opening set by Dutch quartet The Black Atlantic. At first everything seemed interesting. One guy was playing the ukulele, a young woman switching between flute and melodica, while a pianist was sitting in the usual drummer position, so that a stand-up drummer was doing his act upfront. This all sounded very acoustic, the band shared vocals, and it all had a peaceful folk quality with a definite lo-fi touch. The musicians changed instruments after nearly every song, although their sound didn’t alter much. It was mostly the guitarist who set the tone with his skilful playing, while the other three members seemed to be underlings who did what they were told. After three songs, I got the impression that these were solo pieces performed by a singer/songwriter and his not too exciting session band. The songs had a melancholic quality to them, something totally opposed to what was to follow and what I came here in the first place. I decided to follow their remaining performance from downstairs. At twenty past time, it was finally time for Windmill to start their show. I admit that I had only listened to them shortly during the afternoon, but their Myspace material was incentive enough for me to go out on a weekday night. Fronted by pianist and singer Matthew Thomas Dillon, and joined by a rabid drummer and a bassist that seemed to be eye-candy for the female part of the more or less forty spectators, Windmill began their concert with a synth sample driven tune that gave Dillon ample opportunity to play the crazy showman. He was wearing oversized glasses that made him look like a parody of Elton John, and his demeanour was infecting the audience with good humour. After that, he sat down on the piano where he continued his quirky musical tales, lately mostly about the Epcot Center, that can be heard on the band’s new album Epcot Starfields. As weird as the concept are the songs that are full of uplifting emotions, carried by vivid piano playing and squeaky vocals that reminded strongly of Danielson Famile’s Daniel Smith. The lack of guitars helped to turn their music into something quite rock untypical, keeping me wonder if this was Tori Amos without red hair, or Dresden Dolls under the influence of helium balloons. A few may have been deterred by so much cheerfulness, but the majority prevailed, enjoying the insane tales about women’s toilets, horrible deaths and other topics that somehow contrasted with the happy music. When Windmill were done, the audience rushed to the merchandise table and soon had bought all the CDs the band had brought, a proof that even though there were only a few spectators, they were nearly all left with an incredibly great impression. There should be more bands like Windmill who put the fun back into indie music, and even make the effort to present their music live in Luxembourg. post comment

Pompeii at the Kulturfabrik in Esch/Alzette (18th September 2009) [19 Sep 2009|12:02pm] daiwel [ mood | tired ] [ music | Her Name Is Calla - The Heritage ] Initially planned as an evening where the audience could discover two lesser known international indie bands, Attack! Attack! from England cancelled their tour, which left only Texan based Pompeii. Although two local openers had been hired, and the entrance fee lowered to 8€, this was probably not incentive enough for the crowds to show up (or was everyone at the Tori Amos show at the Atelier?). At no time, there were more than 50 people inside the small Kulturfabrik venue, and this must have been especially painful for Metro who had to start their set shortly before half past eight, not only in my opinion much too early for a Friday night. A few weeks ago, Metro rocked the Jahbar in front of a similarly numbered audience, but the two dozen people watching tonight seemed to feel lost somehow. The sub-optimal sound didn’t help either to improve things. Metro have of course a bunch of great songs to allow them to entertain even on one of their lesser days, but eventually, although they were far from being bad, I had the impression that they can do much better under more favourable conditions. The same goes for La Fa Connected who convinced me with a stellar performance at the Mutiny On The Bounty CD release party. Tonight, they quickly became victims of muddy sound conditions that made their intricate music sound rawer as it actually is. Vocalist Sim decided to sing amidst the audience, and why not?, because at this stage of the evening, the concert started to get a family reunion atmosphere. When it was finally the turn for the evening’s headliner, it became obvious that even Pompeii have not enough weight yet to attract the masses. Ok, so they are still rather unknown, but you would think that there were more people interested in discovering new bands that play for low entrance fees. I didn’t really know what to expect. What I heard of Pompeii sounded melancholic, and their songs are generally long. In a live setting, the quartet did its best to clarify the issue. Most songs started out quietly, with the guitarist/vocalist adding his high, clear voice that reminded me of Geddy Lee and Feargal Sharkey, quite untypical for the indie noise rock that backed him. The other guitarist at times switched over to the keyboard, and also helped playing the drums during one song. Although the structures of their songs were not highly original (starting out slow to end with screaming guitars), the exquisite and unusual vocals managed to set Pompeii apart from most other indie rock bands. I got the feeling that not everybody was as impressed as I was, but when the band stopped sometime around eleven, I once again confirmed my belief that small rock shows are often more rewarding than big sell-out events. Although a few more heads could have shown up tonight… post comment

Fleet Foxes and Blitzen Trapper at the Atelier in Luxembourg (15th September 2009) [18 Sep 2009|04:05pm] daiwel [ mood | good ] [ music | Maim - From The Womb To The Tomb... ] Who says that music critics rarely hit the nerve of the buying customer? Let’s concede: most of the time, the broad consensus about what is successful and what is not rarely has anything to do with music journalists’ tastes. But then, sometimes, it happens that a widely praised band still manages to please large audiences. Fleet Foxes from the North-Eastern state Washington are one of those bands that about a year ago turned up seemingly out of nowhere and instantly became unlikely rock stars. Tonight they were scheduled to play at the Atelier, to prove their worthiness. And although I had a more than twelve-hour working day waiting the following day, I still decided that it would be a mortal sin not to witness their first ever show in Luxembourg. But first we had the opportunity to watch an opening set by Blitzen Trapper from Oregon. They are another hot band at the moment, especially since their latest longplayer “Furr” started with one of the coolest indie folk rock songs ever: “Sleepytime In The Western World”. They entered the stage shortly before half past eight and initially enchanted the still sparse but steadily growing audiences with melancholic pop songs, centred around their frontman Eric Earley. Halfway into their set, first wear marks started to show. The sound was not optimal, but this time I had the impression that this was wanted by the band. The keyboarder on the right side of the right side of the stage for instance played some really crazy sounds, but could hardly be discerned. Eric’s vocals came through very clearly, and his guitar had also enough volume. Even when he switched to electric piano, he made a good show. This gave possibly not only me the impression that this was something like a solo gig with an accompanying band. Whenever they played more together, on their more upbeat shows, they showed their true potential. Blitzen Trapper only recently made it out of the underground, and they should still work hard on getting a more cohesive band sound. Not a bad opener though, with a totally fitting sound for what was to follow. After a generous forty minutes, there was time for a break, and when Fleet Foxes finally began to play at about 10pm, I was surprised at how full the Atelier had all of a sudden become. About 900 people must have found their way to Hollerich to become a part of one of the most distinct concert experiences in a long time. There are many bands who play subdued folk music, but Fleet Foxes set themselves apart from everybody else with incredible vocal harmonies that I have to admit I have never heard in such perfection. Their sun-drenched hippie tunes took us back to the early Seventies, when Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young did something similar, although back then that was probably not such an unusual thing to do. Best of all, the Atelier for once had a really great sound, giving the intricate vocal work all the transparency it deserved, and I was not surprised to learn later on that the Atelier had installed a new sound system. At times, Fleet Foxes may be a little too sweet for their own good, or maybe a weeknight is not the best time to let yourself immerse in their dreamlike compositions. After about an hour, I left, and although I was unable to let myself go as completely as I would have done on a weekend night, I still knew that I had become witness of something really big. Fleet Foxes have shown that mass compatible music can definitely have ambition, and it can only be hoped that these hairy Seattlers will stay around for a long, long time! post comment

LATE NIGHT VENTURE, BART DAVENPORT at d:qliq (Luxemburg) (16th September 2009) [17 Sep 2009|07:57pm] daiwel2 [ mood | busy ] [ music | Destruction: Curse Of The Antichrist ] Tonight is the second time that Late Night Venture from the Danish capital Copenhagen venture to play at the d:qliq in Luxemburg city. The band told me before in an interview that they had positive memories of their gig in May 2008 and were looking for a second show. There was a lot of traffic in our capital and it cost me some time to find a parking place. But most people had other plans than me because Late Night Venture were starting only in front of 15 people and the number was never surpassing 20 during the 50 minutes lasting gig. Late Night Venture are a band that likes distortions, even a lot of distortions. The band seems to be influenced by many different artists, but it think to have heard out some elements by Radiohead, Flaming Lips and Sonic Youth, but in a much more deformed way. The frequent change of moods is playing an important part for LNV and the set contained some real melancholic passages, little spherical voyages, but also some real noise orgies. I’m not too fond with all the songs, but in the mid of the set, there was one track with nasty metal hooks. The five musicians were playing two guitars, one bass guitar, a drum and keyboards that were creating sometimes strange electronical tones. Even if the audience wasn’t too impressive, it was at least impressed and showed a lot of respect to one of Denmark’s most dynamic live acts. At 22:30, it was time for Bart Davenport and his solo gig. It’s not a secret that I’m not too fond of singer/songwriter performances and without judging the competences of Mr Davenport, I preferred to go home as work was starting early the morning after. But I’m glad to have witnessed the LNV performance as I had missed the first gig due to an important meeting. post comment

Explosions In The Sky in the Rockhal in Esch/Alzette (8th September 2009) [09 Sep 2009|05:24pm] daiwel [ mood | good ] [ music | Sons Of Alphacentauri / Treasure Cat – Last Day Of Summer ] I remember when post rock started in the mid-Nineties, it was THE thing to be listening to. Never before, instrumental rock songs had such elegance and serenity and played as charmingly with the quiet-loud dynamics. A second generation of bands didn’t wait long to appear, and it can very well be said that Explosions In The Sky from Texas were among the first to jump on the bandwagon. Since the year 2000, they have released five albums and a soundtrack, which helped them to establish a fan base over the years, or how can you explain otherwise why 300 to 400 people showed up tonight at the Rockhal to witness their performance. There was no opening band, only a DJ entertained the people with an eclectic mix of independent music (The Notwist, Sigur Ros and many more) until Explosions In The Sky entered the stage at ten past nine. The quartet was veiled by an overactive fog machine when they began their set, starting quietly with intricate guitar melodies that after some time erupted in a noisy crescendo, maybe not really startling anybody because we all have to come the genre’s modus operandi over the years. The second song continued in that vein, and that’s when people first began to notice that the lead guitar like that of U2’s The Edge, maybe too much so. Somehow the less initiated (those who are not overly familiar with the band’s body of music) got the impression that the compositions all sounded the same. The melodies may have been different, but in the end, the overall impression the pieces gave was one of uniformity. Let’s face it: if you play post rock with three guitars (one of the guitarists sometimes switched over to the bass guitar) and a drum kit, there is a very real risk that you end up in a limited sonic realm. Where post rock pioneers like Godspeed You Black Emperor use a very symphonic approach, and Mogwai play with extended noise orgies, or even later bands that Mono from Japan add a psychedelic component to their music, Explosions In The Sky offer the most stripped down kind of post rock there is. Some may love it for its purity, or its closeness to movie soundtracks, but for me, that was just not enough to entertain me in a live setting. After an hour, I decided that I had heard enough for a weeknight, and made my way home. If I wanted to be really mean, I’d call their style post rock by numbers. Granted, Explosions In The Sky play really nice music to listen to at home while you’re doing something besides listening to them, but once you have to face a stage where only they are happening and nothing else, it gets tiresome really fast. Post rock very likely needs to add something more these days if it wants to survive as a genre. post comment

DAT Politics at the Exit07 in Luxembourg (28th August 2009) [29 Aug 2009|10:21am] daiwel [ mood | good ] [ music | Pajo - Scream With Me ] To end their series of August concerts that were advertised as “Congés annulés”, the Exit07 had a very special treat on this chilly August evening. DAT Politics are one of the more essential French electro bands whose ten year long history should be proof of their stamina. I could still kick myself for having missed their show at the Kulturfabrik five and a half years ago, but back then I was only beginning to discover the worlds of wonder of electronica. But first we had the opportunity to watch Publicist who entered the stage at only half past eleven, a rather late time for an opener. Publicist is the project of British musician Sebastian Thomson who is probably better known as the drummer of US synth rock band Trans Am, and that’s why it makes sense that tonight he was also playing the drums, all by himself, but accompanied by pre-programmed electro sequences. I must admit he made a weird impression, sitting behind his drum kit in front of the stage, shirtless, wearing an ostentatious golden necklace like some hip hop pimp, processing his vocals constantly through a vocoder effect, but it definitely had its charm. Especially the live drumming added an organic feeling that contrasted well with the digital sounding music. A few complained that Publicist relied too much on the same patterns, but others just liked this consistency of proceeding. After a good half hour, his set was over, and it was probably just as well that he didn’t overstay his welcome. At half past midnight, it was the turn of the French electro pioneers DAT Politics. I didn’t know what to expect, because I doubted that they would just reproduce their lately sometimes very accessible songs in a live setting. And I wasn’t mistaken. The three musicians played laptop, keyboard, samples and effects, generating a noise that was at times hardly believable. The beats and basses had a techno heaviness with a basic simplicity that made dancing a hypnotic experience. The keyboarder had his instrument at times on a belt and played it like a guitar. The (female) vocalist added her piercing vocals that were anything but melodic, but had enough presence to excite or scare away, depending on your mood. Their regular set wasn’t even forty minutes long, but was so full of energy that the first few rows of the audience were left sweat drenched. The band came back for two encores, but frankly, they lacked the primitive punch of their other material, was therefore less danceable, and maybe I was starting to get tired. DAT Politics can still claim to have done an impressive concert, and whenever they were at their most primitive, I couldn’t help myself thinking that they were an 8-bit version of Atari Teenage Riot. There were about 100 people present tonight, a somewhat disappointing number, considering how big DAT Politics have made it internationally, even in the USA. But it’s August, quite a few people travel, despite the economical crisis. September will be a quieter month for concerts, as the good people of the Exit07 will finally get their own vacation, but don’t worry, they will reopen in October, and until then, there’s still the d:qliq, Kulturfabrik, Rockhal, Atelier,… post comment

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