| The Mars Volta at the Atelier in Luxembourg (6th July 2009) |
[07 Jul 2009|04:55pm] |
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A year ago, The Mars Volta cancelled their scheduled show at the Atelier the very same day they were supposed to play. The disappointment of their countless fans was of course very high, but not so dramatic as to prevent the Atelier to be (nearly) sold out this time, to see this freakish band from Texas. Before the show, someone told me outside the venue that The Mars Volta are most overrated band in the world… but this didn’t prevent him from being there tonight to witness their concert. This may very well explain many people’s reaction towards this band that was founded by guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala after their previous band At The Drive-In split up. The remaining members of them founded the more conventional and in my personal opinion very bland Sparta, while The Mars Volta chose a more progressive direction that became weirder and weirder by the album, although their latest output “Octahedron” showed them again from a slightly more disciplined side.  Five minutes after nine, the six-piece entered the stage, welcomed by frenetic applause of their predominantly male and nerdy fan-base. I have a hard time recalling song titles, but it was one of their classics that started the set, and it was only a quarter hour later that it was time for the second song. The sound was loud and dirty… maybe even a little too loud, and not transparent enough, leaving little room for the two keyboarders. This bereft their music of some subtleties, but especially the first hour worked well as a prime example of jam based progressive rock with strong roots in the Seventies.
When I was a teenager, before seeing my first concert, this was always how I imagined a live show to be, probably due to Led Zeppelin, whose double live LP “The Song Remains The Same” was filled with longer versions of their studio songs, full of improvisations, culminating in the nearly half hour of “Dazed and Confused”. The Mars Volta have a similar approach. They are stellar musicians, always meeting back at the exactly right moment to leave an improvisation part and return into the actual song. If this is done correctly, it’s wonderful. And the first hour of their concert was amazing. Rodríguez-López is a gifted master on his guitar, luring the craziest notes from his instrument, and Bixler-Zavala’s high vocals work live as good as on CD. The second hour started to wear my attention thin, though. Maybe the band just lost their magical  spirit from the beginning, or I was just not ready for so much jamming on a Monday night. I was not the only one, because more and more people went outside for some fresh air, escaping the sauna atmosphere from the venue. This was actually quite nice, allowing everyone to get into the front rows without problems. The Atelier’s home page announced a three hour show, but after ninety minutes, I had my fill and decided to head home, mostly because I had to get up early the following day. Apparently the show ended after “only” two hours, but I guess this was enough to satisfy even their most die-hard fans’ appetite. The Atelier can boast of having had a successful night. Their nearly 1.000 people in Hollerich were only a small number compared to the 5.000 who went to see Katy Perry which they had organised the same day at the Rockhal. If only they could work a little on the sound issues…
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| Dengue Fever at the Knuedler in Luxembourg (4th July 2009) |
[06 Jul 2009|06:09pm] |
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USSSY - USSSY |
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Although many good bands stop to play in Luxembourg, we rarely get those special artists that do their very own thing. Imagine my incredulity when I read on Luxemburger Wort’s homepage that Dengue Fever would be playing this year’s MeYouZik festival on the Knuedler. Normally I am not the kind of person attending ethic concerts, and never considered Dengue Fever anything but a rock band with Cambodian styled vocals. So it happened to I made my way to Luxembourg city in the early hours of the evening, with the sun still shining hotly overhead, and even managed to get a nearby parking spot, allowing me to be a few minutes early on the Knuedler. Which was a good thing, as Dengue Fever started their set five minutes early.  In the beginning, there were not that many people watching, which is understandable as most came for the general feel of the festival and probably not for this specific band. The sound should have been much louder, but standing in the front row was as good a spot as I could ever wish to attain, to watch the splendid interaction between the band members. Vocalist Chhom Nimol was of course the focal point of attention. She may not be the tallest woman, but her stage presence made her seem much grander, matching her incredibly good looks with an angelic voice and an overwhelming charisma. Brothers Zac and Ethan Holtzman, who founded the band back in 2001, also made sure to be noticed. The long-bearded Zac lured psychedelic note sequences from his guitar, while his less-haired brother played organ sounds clearly inspired from the Sixties. Occasional surf parts made for the coastal feeling you would expect from an American West Coast band.
With three longplayers released since their inception, they may not have the big hits out, but insiders were still happy to recognise “Tiger Phone Card” and “Seeing Hands”, with the latter having a much watched video clip on YouTube. Unlike many popular bands who often play less than an hour, Dengue Fever occupied the stage for a little more than sixty minutes, with the crowd getting more and more numerous, the longer they played. The setting could have been better. Had this band played at the Exit07, their concert would be talked about for ages to come. But it was still a pleasant surprise to see such an intriguing band playing a free show on a warm Saturday evening. It’s a little disconcerting that Dengue Fever are always labelled a Cambodian band (they met their singer in a club in Los Angeles, and I doubt that the stories about her being an authentic princes are really true), but under the circumstances, it was understandable that the organisers wanted them to come off as more exotic as they really are. Still: thank you, Dengue Fever, for having introduced your wonderful mix of Sixties psychedelic rock, surf sounds and Cambodian singing to Luxembourg. It was badly needed!
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| Traumkapitän at the Exit07 in Luxembourg (19th June 2009) |
[21 Jun 2009|09:41am] |
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To celebrate the release of three remixes from tracks from their album “Virtue Comical”, Traumkapitän invited to a free show at the Exit07, and everyone familiar with the band’s approach knew to expect the unexpected. Although pianist and vocalist Christian Clement seems to have found a couple of core members, tonight’s show featured a handful of new members plus a few artists guesting… the difference between who was new and who was only on stage for this concert may not always have been obvious for everyone.  The concert started at half past ten, in front of a well filled venue, confirming once again that local artists have the weight to attract their own crowds. It’s still no easy feat to describe Traumkapitän’s guitarless music, although you can get close by imagining avant-garde progressive art rock clashing with cabaret sounds. Vocal duties were shared on some tracks by Abigail Shark’s Beryl Kontz who integrated perfectly into the band’s carnivalesque atmosphere. She was also responsible for their upcoming video clip which should be out in a few months. Two tracks were sung by Mary Anne Meyers who acted like a jazz diva, had huge vocal potential but destroyed everything by being too loud and definitely not always hitting the right note at the right time, making me flee for a quieter space outside.
While the new members seemed already to have found their place in the band, the guest artists had a hard time making themselves heard. This counted especially for one half of crashzendo whose instruments are peculiar and whose hand movements are fun to watch, but somehow no sounds seemed to come out. The same counted for Fracture’s Ralph who only generated some white noise, maybe because of a badly connected cable? This all was certainly well meant, but Traumkapitän were tonight always at their best when they restricted themselves to their regular members. Sometimes less is more, and Traumkapitän might realise for themselves that their core members performing on a bizarrely designed stage will generate enough amazement to mesmerise their audience.
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| ANTHRAX, DEVILDRIVER & GOD FORBID at the Rockhal in Esch/Belval (17th June 2009) |
[18 Jun 2009|01:25pm] |
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The Morning After: You Can't Hurt Steel |
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Anthrax in Luxemburg!!! What would have been the big sensation about 20 years ago is nowadays only attracting about 750 metal fans, and most of them are older than 35 years. I suppose that the younger metal generation preferred the Trivium gig at the Atelier. You could suppose that Anthrax must have been most popular in France as French was fluently spoken among the audience.
 The evening started quite punctually with GOD FORBID, a cool thrash metal band from New Jersey. Some aggressive moments were still showing the band’s metalcore past, but the music was quite diverse and the band didn’t hesitate to use cleaner and more melodic parts to make the sound more versatile. Pantera, Sepultura and Fear Factory may be the band’s main influences, but God Forbid are more than just a simple copy and know very well to write and play sophisticated song structures. Furthermore God Forbid is an excellent live act and especially the sturdy singer Bryan Davis who’s a lookalike of ECW wrestler Mark Henry understood how to motivate the metalheads to create for instance a mosh pit.
The next band was DEVILDRIVER from California already played in front of 600 spectators when headlining the Rockhal some time ago. This band is much fiercer than God Forbid and played a solid mix of thrash and death metal. Groove is playing an important part and so the double bass plays an important part in the music. First this compact sound has been quite impressive, but after two or three songs, the set got quite repetitive. Devildriver surely knows to play great metal songs, but unfortunately not every track is a killer and this band needs more diversity.
ANTHRAX did the cool choice to start the set with four classics (Indians, Got The Time, Madhouse, Antisocial). Even if this was only the first gig of the new European tour, the band is already acting as a great team what the audience fully knew to appreciate Three founding members are left (Scott Ian, Frank Bello, Charlie Benante), but there is a new guitar player (Rob Caggiano) and a new singer. This man is called Dan Nelson and he’s an absolute rookie  in the metal business. As the last Anthrax record got released six years ago (We’ve Come For You All) and the new one (Worship Music) will only appear in October, no one knew what to expect. He did a great job and I prefer him to John Bush (who was great as Armored Saint front man) as his vocals are close to long time singer Joey Belladonna. Anthrax already played some new material which also got well accepted, but it’s obvious that people were waiting for the classics like ‘Caught In A Mosh’, ‘Only’ and ‘I Am The Law’ which ended the gig after a bit more than an hour. It wasn’t a surprise that Anthrax covered Trust and Joe Jackson, but a Refused cover version was a little surprise. I enjoyed this set from the first to the last note. Not only for nostalgic reasons, but Anthrax are still more vivid than diverse new metalcore acts. The only reproach that has to be made is the short playing time. The set could have lasted longer and including furthermore classics like ‘Gung-Ho’, ‘Skeletons In The Closet’, ‘Misery Loves Company’, ‘Armed And Dangerous’,… But Anthrax is welcome to play another time at the Rockhal.
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| Fishbone at the Kulturfabrik in Esch/Alzette (13th June 2009) |
[14 Jun 2009|05:12pm] |
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Live365.com (ProgRockRadio) |
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The late Eighties and early Nineties were a time for musical innovation, with an anything-goes mentality that made discovering new bands a much more rewarding experience than it is today. Fishbone were at the right place at the right moment, stretching the idea of crossover further than any other band, and that made them briefly even stars. A few years later, the revolution was dead, heavy metal became very conservative, and black artists somehow seemed to limit themselves to R’n’B and hip hop music. Ah, those were the times! Yet somehow, Fishbone are still around, no longer in their original line-up of course, but with vocalist/saxophonist Angelo Moore and bass player John Norwood Fisher, there are still two founding members from thirty years back present. Rocky George on guitar only joined six years ago, but this former Suicidal Tendencies member should have been another incentive to check the funk ska reggae hardcore rock veterans from Los Angeles. After German ska band Another Guardian Angel had to cancel because of an illness, local ska punk rockers The Disliked had their playing time increased to three quarters of an hour. Combine that with a good sound, and you can’t be any happier as an opening act. Early on in their set, they seemed a little rigid, and the low number of watchers (most preferring to catch the last glimpses of sun on a wonderful balmy evening) didn’t help their either. The second half of their set saw them fortunately wake up, and the high number of hits from their latest CD “My Parents Went To Eldorado And All I Got Was This Lousy Cadillac” made sure that the growing audience became more agitated. They should have done without the acoustic number that took some steam out of their performance, but otherwise they did everything right towards the end, with a dynamic stage presence that is proof of their hard working lately.  Shortly after 10pm, Fishbone entered the stage and began with a five minute long jazz improvisation which was followed by a couple of soulful tracks. Once they pumped up the volume with their upbeat cult hit “Alcoholic”, it was clear that the sextet is still crazy for mixing together every possible genre, and it’s their unpredictable behaviour that is one part of their fantastic live show. Maybe even more important is the fact that despite thirty years of band history, they are still close to their audience, jumping from stage, letting the audience sing into the microphone, giving the impression that they are on the same level as their fans, who by the way were mostly older than thirty years already. No kiddie stuff tonight!
After eighty minutes, the regular set was ended with Sunless Saturday (or was it the first encore… my memory has failed me), their über-hit from 1991, and despite its having an age that would count as grown up for people, it managed to get me to jump into an improvised moshpit, showing that nostalgia can sometimes be fun. The 200 to 300 spectators screamed for an encore, and after a little time, Fishbone decided not to limit themselves to just one encore, but continued with no intention to end. I finally left a quarter after minute when the band was already for more than two hours on stage, despite some of them being already closer to fifty than to forty years. It’s hard to say if this was the best concert of the year so far, as there have been some other ones that were equally spectacular, but combining quality AND quantity to such extremes hasn’t been done by any other band I have not only seen this year, but probably in this entire millennium. Despite their advanced ages, Fishbone rock much wilder than 99% of the bands that are only half their age.
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| Mutiny On The Bounty CD release party at the Kulturfabrik in Esch/Alzette (6th June 2009) |
[08 Jun 2009|06:27pm] |
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Kongh - Shadows Of The Shapeless |
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Their band history reads like a modern fairytale. Started five years ago, they rather quickly shared a split album with the now defunct Treasure Chest At The End Of The Rainbow. Although their instrumental math rock pleased the insider crowd, there were a lot of setbacks at first. Guitarist David left to concentrate more on the commercially more successful Eternal Tango, and they also seemed to struggle to get the vocals finally into their songs. In the meantime, they took care to be omnipresent, not only on local stages, but also playing a fair amount of shows in foreign countries. Having preceded their CD release party at the Kulturfabrik by a tour in the UK, it was clear from the outset that we would witness a changed band tonight. But it was quite unexpected to see so many people turn up for this event, and I doubt that the free entrance had anything to do with this. About 600 people are more than anyone could have wished for, considering how technical and uncommercial Mutiny On The Bounty’s music is, yet this proved how persistence can change people’s tastes. Mutiny had furthermore invited three bands that helped to underline how much local music has improved in the last couple of years. The evening was started at half past eight by La Fa Connected, a band that still had the status of an all-star band two to three years ago when they released their debut album, which was followed last year by a freely downloadable EP that consisted of older recordings. Meanwhile the band had recruited former dEFDUMp bass player Felix to play second guitar. This proved tonight to be their ascension into the premiere league of Luxembourgish indie music. In the past, I was quite fond of their music, although it always lacked a certain sense of dynamics. Having added one supplementary musicians remedied the situation, offering tonight sizzling guitars that sometimes seemed to duel each other, giving the impression of an indie rock table tennis match in purest stereo. Vocalist Sim once again proved how bigger his voice is to his size, and the wifebeater shirt underneath his Magnum P.I. shirt gave him a somewhat sleazily dangerous look. Even though the sound was not always ideal, La Fa Connected must have played their best show ever, playing only a few previously released tracks as their many new compositions work much better in the new constellation. They were followed by hardcore veterans Do Androïds Dream Of Electric Sheep?, who started in the early millennium as the Poshblokes. The older people in the audience might have remembered this, but also understood that DADOES have, apart from founding member Marius on guitar, nothing in common with that past. In a time where many young bands opt for metalcore, it’s nice to hear that there are still bands that play tried and tested hardcore, although DADOES are never afraid to add synthesizers and samples, giving them a progressive edge that reminded me at times of a harder Refused. The sound was unlistenable during the first song, but fortunately this changed quite early into the set. Some new tracks that were revealed gave a slightly more accessible impression, and why not? They still rocked like hell! It’s been nearly one year since I last saw Miaow Miaow, and that was at the open air festival Fête de la Musique in Dudelange where it rained in buckets. Since then, guitarist and singer Pierre had to leave, to be replaced by Metro bass player David who switched over to guitar. Unlike La Fa Connected, Miaow Miaow still played many songs from their debut album, also already more than two years old! I admit: it’s full of hits, but it’s also high time for the guys to come up with a new record. Apparently, this should be the case at the end of the year. Tonight, their sound was a little muddled, but the songs were still full of sunshine. Let’s hope they can keep this high level in the future. When Mutiny On The Bounty finally entered the stage, it became obvious what a crowd of 600 means in the Kulturfabrik. Many established foreign bands don’t even come close to such big crowds, and it’s a sign of the times that a local band can attract so many people. And in fact: with added vocals, Mutiny On The Bounty’s music becomes much more accessible. The intellectual and technical side is still present, but spiced with weird humour and a colourful stage outfit of surrealistic Styrofoam trees that made this one of the most special shows ever to have been devised by a band from Luxembourg. Mutiny On The Bounty were the undisputed headliner of the evening, and the mostly young audience followed their songs with awe and admiration, not in the least perplexed by the constant time signature changes. In the end, it’s only rock’n’roll after all. This evening was not only a successful release party due to the high attendance, but also because the word “party” made sense tonight. Although the majority of spectators were rather young, it also seemed that there was an incredibly high number of musicians from other local indie bands present, to check out the current state of the scene, or just to pay respect to a band that has gone a really far way in the last few years. Had someone dropped a bomb on the Kulturfabrik, Luxembourg wouldn’t have had an indie scene anymore (except for maybe Abigail Shark who played the same evening at the d:qliq). Mutiny On The Bounty and Paul from La Fa Connected even helped out on Miaow Miaow’s hit “Rio” which ended their set, and had guests from other bands (dEFDUMp,…) invited to their set, to make this a very special show. Which it was! If this is they way local music becomes in the future, we have every reason to be happy to be living here!
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| Sublime Frequencies Night at the Exit07 in Luxembourg (5th June 2009) |
[06 Jun 2009|05:57pm] |
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IQ - Frequency |
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Better known as a location for electronic music, the Exit07 has also built itself a reputation of hosting the more avant-garde side of contemporary music. Tonight the evening was under the sign of Sublime Frequencies, a record label from the United States popular for unearthing obscure music from unfamiliar territories like Southeast Asia, North Africa and the Middle East. In the past, I was enchanted by their North Korean mix CD, so I took the chance to get a glimpse one of their African and one of their Middle East artists. The evening started with a DJ set by label boss Alan Bishop, consisting for many of those present as the highlight of the evening. He was effortlessly veering from one style to another, crossing thousands of miles in minutes, sometimes opting for the more classical folk sounds, then again for the more crossover variety where ethnic sounds meet Western pop and rock music. All of this was underlined with a smart video show of weird people dancing to just as weird music. At half past ten, the first live band of the evening entered the stage. Group Doueh from the Western Sahara is centred around the incredible guitar playing of band leader Doueh, whose psychedelic licks integrated into the more traditional music that was provided by a keyboard player emulating North African string instruments. The beats that came from a computer would have had more live, had they been played by a live drummer. A male and a female singer added their vocals, giving the whole thing a very story-like feeling, making sure that their long musical journey were quite different from the typical three-minute shorts of the Western pop song variety. The psychedelic guitar reminded at times of the Beatles and the Doors, giving the whole thing an unexpected desert rock touch, although certainly not in the vein of Kyuss and the likes. After half an hour, it all sounded the same to me, probably not due to a lack of quality, but because I am just not familiar enough with that kind of music. Headliner of the night was Omar Souleyman, a Syrian folk pop star who apparently released already more than 500 CDs and tapes in his Middle Eastern home. Although he was quite short in size, he certainly didn’t lack an ego. Clad in traditional wear, with Arafat scarf, sunglasses and a huge moustache, he was quite fun to watch how he animated the audience who was just too glad to go along. His music is basically Middle Eastern folk, although everything was underlain with a simple techno beat, making the music extremely danceable. It came across somewhat like a parody to me, and again, who am I to judge, as I have no background whatsoever in Syrian popular culture. The audience liked it, and that is what counts. It’s hard to say if Sublime Frequencies give a fair look at foreign cultures, but at least they make it possible for crossover artists of faraway regions to play in front of Western audiences. This may come across as a novelty gag from time to time, but in the end, it’s the entertainment that counts.
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| The Berg Sans Nipple at the d:qliq in Luxembourg (27th May 2009) |
[28 May 2009|07:57am] |
Let’s face it: you can’t blame it solely on the Champions League finals that only a dozen people showed up tonight to witness the show by The Berg Sans Nipple. A few years back, when they played at the newly opened Rockhal, they also only attracted about forty people, and that was when they had a new album to promote. It’s been more than two years since their last longplayer, so it may very well be possible that people may have forgotten about them. Most who came therefore probably knew them from what they heard on Myspace, and were curious enough to discover what this would sound like live. Shortly after 10pm, we went upstairs to first look in amazement at a stage cluttered with myriads of instruments and other tools designed to generate sounds. The Berg Sans Nipple, a French-American duo, consist basically of a drummer who also sang, started the samples and played various instruments like melodica, kalimba, xylophone,… and a keyboarder who, when not playing his array of three keyboards, also drummed (sometimes even on some kind of oil barrel), handled an analogue tape delay machine (as was used by Pink Floyd decades ago) plus other assorted machines that were hard to understand for the uninitiated. Because of the samples and the heavy use of drumming and percussion, The Berg Sans Nipple’s music had a strong rhythmic feeling. The looped keyboard sounds were augemented by rumbling bass synths and melodic fills, generating all in all something quite experimental that mesmerised the sparse audience in front of stage, eager to follow the duo’s movements. Listening this kind of music on CD can be fulfilling, but seeing it happen live gives the whole thing a totally different feeling. The Berg Sans Nipple are much too angular to be called post rock, much too free to be called math rock. Instead they felt like an avantgarde jazz rock band from the Seventies, and especially the singing drummer drew parallels to Robert Wyatt’s very early solo stuff. The Berg Sans Nipple didn’t really seem to care that they played only in front of a handful of people not interested in football. Their fifty minute show was full of surprises, proving that music doesn’t really need to follow preset patterns.
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| Soap&Skin at the Exit07 in Luxembourg (23rd May 2009) |
[25 May 2009|07:48am] |
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Hypes are always a dangerous thing. When the artist is really as great as the critics say, everyone will be pleased but not necessarily be taken by positive surprise. But when the artist fails to meet the expectations, the disappointment is never far away. Soap&Skin is an alias for Austrian pianist and singer Anja Plaschg, and let’s be honest, nobody in his right mind would listen voluntarily to someone named like this. So far, so good! When the German magazine starts talking about a reincarnation of Nico, and going even so far as to call her a Wunderkind, the bar has been raised already quite high. Now enter the management, who forbids the club to sell drinks during the show… If you’re still curious and if there are still no doubts coming to mind, you must be a really trusting person. So anyway, I was surprised that there seemed to be about 150 people this night at the Exit07, but that’s at least the one good thing about hypes: they pay out! Many of those present ordered always two drinks at one, trying to get tipsy ahead of the game, because of the artist’s spoilsport mentality. Now I am a very tolerant person, so when Soap&Skin started her set at 10pm, I was standing like a well behaving kid towards the back of the Exit07, at first ingesting the really well played piano… for this occasion a real piano, not just a cheap electronic artefact. The first songs came with a lot of orchestral samples, giving me my first stomachaches. They were sounding alright, but just not sincere for a live concert. I don’t want half or more of the music coming from a harddisk somewhere when I am expecting a live show. But once I concentrated on Soap&Skin’s vocals, I really began to shiver. Her tender age of nineteen years can’t excuse her howling like a rapid dog. Her screaming really sounded more animal than human, and whenever her delivery was softer, she was kind of mumbling the words. Some people may find this very emotional in a disturbing kind of way, I only thought this was very annoying, especially once my beers were gone. Anyway it was a balmy evening outside, and even a later attempt at her music made me run away as soon as I saw the first few rows hogged by sitting fans, watching admiringly the young Austrian from below. I don’t know if they were really enchanted, blindly believing all the hype they read, or if they were just too tired to follow this miserable performance in a standing position. Soap&Skin is no Kate Bush, Tori Amos and definitely no Nico. She is just a misled young girl from Austria who happens to be an amazing pianist, but lacks the songwriting skills to make her a worthwhile solo artist. What she displayed tonight at the Exit07 seemed to me rather pretentious juvenile crap than true art.
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| RUDE REVELATION CD release party at Kulturfabrik (Esch/Alzette) (22nd May 2009) |
[23 May 2009|02:42pm] |
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Exit On The Left: I Hope You're Writing This Down |
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Rude Revelation are actually one of Luxemburg’s hottest metal newcomers and I was eager to see them live again on stage after a rather energetic performance at the Metal Battle two months ago. The reason for this show was to celebrate the release of the first CD called ‘Lost In Entropy’. The entry fee was quite social (5 € without a CD, 12 € with a CD), but I doubt that there were more than 200 people eager to see the show.
Due to another private engagement, I only arrived at 21:30 at the Kulturfabrik. I already missed ABSTRACT RAPTURE who did again a great show with lots of new material as I was told. The opinions about X-VISION from France were more diverse. Some people think that this sound is stale and out of time, other people adore their timeless mosh attacks. And RETRACE MY FRAGMENTS cancelled the gig as one musician has some problems with some of his tendons.
The first band I witnessed tonight was the French act DESTINITY. The show started with an industrial like intro, but it was soon obvious that this band likes to play solid thrash metal with a big death metal influence. The first songs were pretty thrilling, but the set got a bit repetitive after a couple of an hour. There was no bad song in the set list, but 40 minutes of more or less the same program was too long. At least the band had a dynamic stage performance and always looked for the contact with the audience.
 Second last band of the evening were RUDE REVELATION who are getting more and more popular and in contrast to Destinity, there were more people before the stage than outside at the smoker area. One reason for the big interest may of course be the pretty singer Noémie who also wore a hot dress tonight. But she’s not only a good-looker, she has a versatile voice and seems unable to stand still on a place for more than a second. But the rest of the band should not be unattended because all front musicians are interacting well with the singer and are great performers. Especially the harmonic guitar parts are always working well. I think that this act was even better than the one from the Metal Battle and I’m sure that there is still much left that may be reached by Rude Revelation, a fabulous heavy and thrash metal band. At the end of the gig, the video clip directed by Mike Tereba (from the Zombie movie) was projected on a wall and this is probably another argument (but not the only one) for purchasing the album.
The last act of the evening was RIKTUS from France that also released a new CD. But I felt rather exhausted after some busy school weeks and preferred leaving home at about 23:30. Even if I’ve only been staying for two hours at the Kulturfabrik, I enjoyed them a lot and am already looking forward to the next Rude Revelation gig.
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| Dub In V.O. at the d:qliq in Luxembourg (16th May 2009) |
[17 May 2009|11:23am] |
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Dream Mechanics - Screensaver |
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It can hardly have been the Eurovision Song Contest that prevented people from showing up at Dub In V.O.’s concert at the d:qliq. More disconcerting was the fact that the Autre Part in Differdange had scheduled a free show by Rue Royale, a band that had previously played at the d:qliq and drew some of their usual customers away. I felt more in the mood for rhythmic music than indie lo-fi folk whininess and therefore headed up to the city. As usual I was too early and witnessed a dozen or so superheroes enter the d:qliq, and was reassured by a couple of independent witnesses that I wasn’t hallucinating yet. They were a bizarre sight: on a pub hopping mission, disguised as their favourite superheroes, they hardly seemed apt to use their superpowers anymore. I don’t know for how long they were on their mission, but after their ten or fifteen minute stay, the d:qliq needed to be mopped up, and we can call ourselves lucky that the green-faced Hulk decided to throw up outside. Once these weirdoes were gone, it was getting closer to eleven when the quintet from Nancy started their set. Like probably everybody else, I was unfamiliar with their music, and although I sometimes like to listen to dub music, when I’m in the right mood, I never considered it a live thing, especially since I saw an aging Mad Professor spinning some old vinyl records, putting on some effects and talking gibberish into a microphone. Where’s the big deal with that? Dub In V.O. on the other hand were much different, and the small stage upstairs was hardly big enough to contain all their material. Backed by a tight rhythm section of an undulating bass guitar and a clockwork precise drummer, the remaining three musicians played keyboards, synthesizers and lots of effects. Lost in the back was their electric pianist who conjured warm sounds out of his Fender Rhodes piano, reminiscent of mid-Seventies jazz rock from the UK. Upfront was a crazy long-haired guy who alternatively played techno-driven bass notes on a synthesizer and called up samples that were excellently integrated into the band’s overall sound. He was at his best whenever he turned the knobs on his synthesizer to create truly abrasive noises. Also stuck in a corner was their laptop DJ who manipulated his gear with a Playstation controller, and even though nobody really saw what he was doing, he was definitely having fun adding his weirdness to the music. Calling their style electro dub, Dub In V.O. are anything than a traditional dub band. Even though they don’t use guitars, their songs had a strong psychedelic rock feeling reminding me of early Hawkwind and also Ozric Tentacles. Manually played drum and bass beats are rarely heard, but their drummer had no problem with the faster rhythms, making it obvious that he had a certain background in heavy metal music. In the end we were faced by a bizarre hybrid of dub, electro, jazz rock and drum and bass, that took advantage of an unprecedented transparent sound for this venue. It’s a shame that only 20 to 30 people watched the show, but at least most of them did so standing, because Dub In V.O.’s music makes it next to impossible to be listened to in a sitting position. Catch this band live if they play anywhere near your hometown!
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| Casiotone For The Painfully Alone and Thieves Like Us at the Exit07 in Luxembourg (15th May 2009) |
[16 May 2009|11:06am] |
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Sendelica - The Girl From The Future Who Lit Up The Sky With Golden Worlds |
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Even if this evening was announced as a double headliner show, it was obvious that the underground celebrated Casiotone with their ten year history would attract more people than the emerging cosmopolitan electro rockers Thieves Like Us. When opening artist Concern began his set at 10:40pm, there were about 100 curious people assembled in the venue, although most took his twenty minute performance as a welcome cigarette break outside. Apart from being the brother of Casiotone mainman Owen Ashworth, there was not much that could keep your attention on a Friday night. Concern was putting heavy objects on the neck of his guitar which was lying on a table, and mixing them with some tape loops. This is ok for experimental music, and probably an alright soundtrack to consume in the darkness of your home, but definitely the wrong way to start a concert evening.  Shortly after, Owes Ashworth aka Casiotone For The Painfully Alone entered the stage and offered some solo tracks. He’s a burly bearded man with thick glasses and a shy look, and still somehow manages to ascertain an unmistakable stage presence. His beats are simple, his keyboards sound as cheap as they probably cost him, but it’s in this simplicity that his sincerity shines through. His vocals are understated, everything seems as if he never wanted to be on stage in the first place, but the audience was mesmerised nonetheless. Later he was joined by a guitarist and a keyboarder, and that’s when his music became more alive, maybe less intimate, but certainly better for a live setting. As an artist who has released already a lot of albums full of short lo-fi hymns, he had a vast repertoire from which to choose his material, and after his one hour performance, his fans were left with the feeling that this could have gone on much longer.
Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to have this very intimate show followed by Paris based newcomers Thieves Like Us. Consisting of two Swedes and one American, they perform French styled electronic music with slight rock elements. What sounds really good on CD didn’t manage to convey its energies live, even though the threesome performed most of their sounds like on guitar, vintage synthesizer and peculiar electronic drum set. The vocals felt too unconcerned, and the beats didn’t have the necessary punch to get the audience moving, even their über-song “Drugs In My Body” lacked the verve of the studio version. Thieves Like Us will come back in December to play a show at the d:qliq. Let’s hope they’ll have a better day there. All in all, this was once again one of those crazy mix-up concert nights at the Exit07 that really demands an eclectic mindset of their audience, but we are used to the formula and have come to appreciate it. Why always watch bands you know by heart when you can just as well discover new talents?
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| Yacht at the Exit07 in Luxembourg (8th May 2009) |
[09 May 2009|08:30am] |
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Zombi - Spirit Animal |
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I will probably never be able to understand how thousands of Luxembourgers can spend exaggerated sums on has-been Eighties pop stars but then somehow fail to show up when really outstanding bands show up. It can’t have been because of too much competition that the Exit07 was still quite empty when I showed up around 10pm. No other interesting concerts were planned anywhere in the country, and so Norwegian opener Casiokids waited until twenty past eleven before they started their set in front of an audience that contained barely one hundred people. The quintet played melodic indie pop with soulful vocals and lots of synthesizers, which was all quite nice for the first couple of minutes, but then dissolved in its own harmlessness. They claim to be inspired by a myriad of artists from the most different genres, but never really achieved the eclectic variety that I would have hoped for. According to ear witnesses, their countrymen from The Low Frequency In Stereo did a better job the day before… but you can’t be everywhere. A quarter after midnight, Yacht entered the stage, and let’s be honest: nobody knew what they were into. They were advertised as being on DFA Records, which in itself is already one reason to check them out. What I heard of them before was quite nice, but I didn’t get  the hype. Only when they were standing on stage (or in front of it, as happened quite a lot), it became obvious why they are special. Yacht are actually the electronic of multimedia artist Jona Bechtold from Portland, Oregon, who composes his own music, and then sings to it with elaborate video projections beamed behind him. The music was quite hard to describe: electro pop, if you want to reduce it to its simplest components. But there were new wave elements, technoid rhythms and an overall weird atmosphere that rendered the one hour performance quite hypnotic. Joined on stage by a female singer, black haired Jona was clad all in white while his blonde counterpart came all in black. They sang and dance, created a real playback show that would have been ridiculous, hadn’t it been so conceptual and genial. Powerpoint slideshows between songs made for a feeling of typical American brainwashing techniques, as if you were caught in the jaws of the craziest motivational speaker. Like 1984 joined by a televangical sideshow, he was preaching to the masses between his quirky pop songs, spicing it up with erotic dance movements, never shying away from the audience, and visibly having fun with what was going on, despite the low attendance numbers, but those who were there were caught in his beamlights. Looking a little like McLovin from the Superbad added to the nerdy impression all of this was giving away. Yacht on CD are quite nice, but they need a stage and a video screen to unfold their true qualities. Some may have been disappointed that there was no actual band present, but in times where we are saturated by endless masses of often same sounding rock bands, their multimedia performance made for a welcome variety. There was a lot of work in their show, and the people thanked them by calling them back for a couple of encores, followed by some chilling in the chilly outside until the venue closed at 3am.
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| Versus You (CD Release Party) at the Exit07 in Luxembourg (2nd May 2009) |
[04 May 2009|10:11am] |
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For a venue which is best known for introducing sometimes far fetched electronic and indie music to mostly mature audiences, it was quite a surprise to have local punk rock heroes present their new album at the Exit07. For those who where expecting a combination of the usual plus-thirty crowd with the younger punk rockers, it was a sobering if not uninteresting discovery to see their home turf crowded by mostly the performing bands’ fans, with the usual suspects probably fleeing to the d:qliq where bands from Sub Pop and Morr Music were scheduled, or down to the Kulturfabrik where the Out Of The Crowd exhibition was closed by a Fracture show. When I arrived at a quarter to nine, Dropjaw were already in the middle of their set. Although this was one of their first concerts, it would be wrong to call them newcomers, as some of their members are familiar faces. Drummer Dirk used to be in Couchgrass, bass player Thierry helped shape hardcore in Luxembourg by playing in bands like Subway Arts, D’Rotzbouwen, etc. (who were around when many of today’s fans were still pooping their pants), and vocalist Jean-Luc used to be in Broken Stars. This assembly of celebrities is of course a guarantee for high quality punk rock, but eventually one would have wished for a more original sound. Too often they sounded like Versus You, never trying hard enough to detach themselves from that sound. The show was solid enough, and we can only hope that the future will see them with a more original sound. While the opening act gathered a sizable crown inside the venue, the following Lincoln Hawk didn’t have such an easy game with their less fashionable sound. Stoner rock has long passed its zenith, but that’s exactly why this three-piece comes across so refreshingly. Hailing from completely different musical backgrounds (death metal, funk rock, indie singer/songwriter), the band has found themselves in the middle, playing stoner rock that works best when they aim for accessibility, as on the opener “Baby Don’t You Hurt Me” and the closing “Satelite”. Their middle part consisted of more jam-like material, often starting slowly to explode with vicious guitar riffs, carried by an unconventionally lyrical rhythm section. The mellower parts could have done with a second guitar to close acoustic gaps that appeared from time to time. But apart from that little flaw and the audience’s lack of interest, Lincoln Hawk did a perfect job and proved that stoner rock isn’t dead yet. The warm evening was the ideal setting for happier music, giving The Disliked ample opportunity and space to bring their ska punk to the growing audience. After a somewhat lacklustre start with sub-par sound and a reluctance to offer their best material first, the septet gradually got into better form, with the help of the sound engineer who finally approached a perfect sound. Especially the second half of their set was full of hits, mostly from their last album, and proving once again that The Disliked are live much, much better than on CD where they can’t achieve that same dynamic power as on stage. The audience of a little more than 200 people was finally awake and ready for their heroes Versus You who have evolved from a local punk curiosity to maybe the best live band in the country. “The Mad Ones”, their third album already, was presented far and deep tonight, but the quartet didn’t neglect their earlier material, making for a varied show that satisfied mostly those who were hungry for new material. Eric, although definitely not the tallest rock performer in Luxembourg, magically grows whenever he’s on stage with his guitar. Delivering his songs with an unmatched fervour, he’s backed by a tight band that makes sure that Versus You’s punk rock comes across as powerful, melodic and smart at the same time. Although the Exit07 provided perfect sound and lighting for today’s bands, it was still a little disorienting to meet such young and smooth faces at a place normally occupied by greying crowds beyond their twenties. Some liked it, some are more reluctant to change, but there is no denying that Versus You’s CD release was a success!
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| Minipli and Cascadeur at the d:qliq in Luxembourg (30th April 2009) |
[04 May 2009|10:10am] |
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While Thursdays are normally not the best time to organise concerts, it proved a successful idea nonetheless, as this night was at the beginning of a long weekend, and music lovers were more than eager to start it off with a concert. I arrived only slightly later than the official kick off time, but French pianist Cascadeur was already in the early moments of his set. A few months back, he delivered a truly stellar performance at the Exit07 where he entertained a mesmerised audience for something more than an hour. Tonight everything started quite unluckily, with a selfish sitting audience that arrogantly sat in the latter half of the concert room, making me feel reluctant to position myself in front of them, and as I also didn’t feel like sitting down, I had to stand in a crowded last row between the floor sitters and the sofa sitters. Cascadeur didn’t help the atmosphere by being in a sarcastic mood that came close to being a real pain in the ass on stage. His piano playing was impeccable as always, and his vocals, despite the French accent, have this melancholic quality that set you off deep into dreamland. The multiple samples, performed on CD by guest artists, robbed his songs of a live feeling that would have increased the dramatic momentum of his act. In the end, I decided that the songs couldn’t make up for his bitching with the audience and the camera man (other artists would be happy to get some media attention) and headed downstairs. Maybe he was just upset that he had to open for a local band, but then Luxembourg has proved in the last few years that investing into your music scene really helps making it a lot better. Minipli are a perfect example of how something initially quite basic can become intriguingly genial. If you look back into the far past of Luxembourgish rock music, you will encounter a promising if now defunct riot rock band called Couchgrass that had this unbridled garage rockers John McAsskill following them around. After multiple fallouts with drummers, two of them gathered up with a third member to start Minipli, a charming minimalist indie pop / no wave band that enchanted more with its directness of approach than with sophisticated compositions. A few years later, even the big national media write about Minipli representing Luxembourg at the prestigious Printemps de Bourges festival, and a new remix mini album shows once and for all that these guys have gradually but undeniably transformed their primitive early sound into something quite unique and even intelligent that attracted a huge crowd eager to dance and move to their still quite minimalist but thoroughly thought through songs. Changing instruments between songs, the three-piece concocted three minute miniatures that combined humour with retro disco sounds into something peculiar that was only emphasised by their crazy stage costumes. After a good half hour, their set was over, but they came back for one encore, an older track not revamped into their new glitzier sound. This was the weakest part of the evening but was a good way to highlight how far they have travelled since their inception. The d:qliq must have seen that local produce can sometimes make for better concerts that exotic artists from faraway places. This would have been a perfect evening if the opener had stuck to its qualities displayed at the Exit07. Minipli must be definitely counted among the best and most original bands ever to have come from Luxembourg.
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| Sonic Youth at the Atelier in Luxembourg (25th April 2009) |
[26 Apr 2009|10:32am] |
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crashzendo - live at exit07 |
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It is a common mistake to arrive at a concert with exaggeratedly high expectations, you might find yourself disappointed. When a living legend like Sonic Youth comes to town, there is of course no way of not being there. When at least fifty of your Facebook friends announce to come, it would be bad style to miss out. Shortly before 8pm, there was already a queue stretching from the Atelier to the sidewalk, which was a good excuse to start with an aperitif at the Bronx next door. I was not the only one doing so. Two beers later, the masses in front of the venue had shrunk to acceptable proportions, and we got in quite fast. Inside, French duo PartWildHorsesManeOnBothSides had already started their gig which could not have happened at a more inappropriate setting. Percussion and flute make for shamanic atmospheres, but seriously, this is stuff you want to see in a more intimate setting and not with one thousand people standing in front of you. Shortly after half past nine, Sonic Youth entered the stage, heralded by an unprecedented applause from their devoted fans. A sold out Atelier is still a more comfortable place than the Rockhal that closes its doors to those not having the guts to dive into the masses, but the sound was still rather low for those standing in the last rows. I have never been a diehard fan of the New Yorkers, probably heard all of their albums, but could only recall half a dozen tracks from memory. It seemed to me that they played songs culled from their last twenty years, but that’s already all it was: songs! For a band that took the creative liberty to produce experimental music on their own label Sonic Youth Recordings, I might have dreamt of a situation where the combine their more accessible alt rock classics with the drone noises of their freeform material. No such luck! The band acted professionally on stage, never seemed their age, reproduced faithfully their material, but I didn’t discover any room for improvisation. Had I been more courageous and dared to find a spot closer to the stage, I might have caught more of the magic, but let’s face it: when a show is sold out, half the people have to remain in the back half. After one hour, the regular set was over, and I left, not wanting to make it through the encores. I was not disappointed, because deep inside, this was exactly what I was expecting from Sonic Youth. I’m not sorry I was there, like I was with Ghinzu in the Rockhal, because the atmosphere inside the Atelier was really very uplifting. But I remain with my opinion that best concert experiences are often those that are not completely sold out. Later on, about a hundred spectators headed over to the nearby Exit07 where Tez had been playing earlier on and could be moved to make an additional twenty minute set shortly after midnight, delighting the not yet worn out concert goers. It’s the third time I saw this human beatbox from France (one time as the “drummer” for CocoRosie), and he never fails to amaze me, producing seemingly two to three voices at the same time. Maybe this is blasphemy, but I liked his performance much better than Sonic Youth.
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| Situation Leclerq at the d:qliq in Luxembourg (24th April 2009) |
[25 Apr 2009|03:30pm] |
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Fracture - We Dare You, Wonder |
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I was intrigued when I read that Situation Leclerq from Northern Germany would play a concert labelled as “We Love Electro”. Five years ago, when they were freshly founded, their first demo CD made it to our mailbox, and they turned out to be an indie post rock band with electronic influences, but still basically a rock band. Nothing else to do on this Friday night, and sandwiched between the two more earnest concerts by Mono on Thursday and Sonic Youth on Saturday, this was the perfect opportunity to get some lighter entertainment in between. The general entrance fee of 5 euros may not be to everyone’s liking, but at least it guarantees to people at least take a look upstairs instead of staying down at the bar and drinking cocktails that are more expensive than the concert ticket. Situation Leclerq started their set shortly after 11pm, in front of a crowd that half-filled the venue. Using typical rock instruments like guitars, bass, keyboard and drums, the band spiced up their songs with laptop guided samples that made for a very danceable atmosphere. Combining the electro rock sounds of LCD Soundsystem and Hot Chip with the camp outfit of Scissor Sisters, the quartet demonstrated that their solemn early days have long since been over. The audience liked it, and even if 50 spectators may not be a new record, it’s still a respectable number, considering that they were the only band playing, and that probably no one (but me) had ever heard of them. Were they any good? Actually they were, even if it took them a few songs to get their viewers into their thing. They even had to come back for two encores, and because the laptop ran out of new tunes, they repeated their hit single “Shiny Boots” to end their three quarter hour set that left most people with a silly smile on their faces.
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| Mono at the Rockhal in Esch/Alzette (23rd April 2009) |
[24 Apr 2009|05:26pm] |
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Deluge Grander - The Form Of The Good |
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After missing Mono a couple of years ago due to a bad case of pneumonia, I was more than determined to catch the Japanese post rock heroes live this time. Witnesses are still talking respectfully of a grand show that was followed by 350 people. This time there seemed to be less interest, with only about 200 fans showing up. Considering how this week was filled with interesting concerts (Motorpsycho on Tuesday, Sonic Youth on Saturday) and the looming economic crisis, it’s understandable that fans are not able to pay increasing fees for international bands. Inborn were supposed to open the evening, but had to cancel because their guitarist broke his arm. Instead we got Kitshickers, even though the Rockhal homepage failed to inform about this change, but thanks to Facebook, many people were informed. Starting early at 8.20pm, the local foursome had worked out an abbreviated forty minute version of their latest album "The Orion Constellation". What works good on CD doesn’t necessarily have to work in a live situation. The band learnt already that Gilles is not a very gifted vocalist and reduced the vocal parts to a bare minimum. Unfortunately their ambitious studio material relied to heavily on samples which, instead of being integrated into the music, were used all too often to bridge gaps between different parts, leaving an idle band and a wondering audience. Whenever Kitshickers had the opportunity to play their instruments, it was more than obvious that years of experience has turned these guys into one of the tightest rock bands from Luxembourg, creating a sound that owes as much to post metal as to post rock. If they decided to write songs instead of epics, they might get a much better stage presence.  At half past nine sharp, Mono entered the stage, with the guitar players sitting on the left and right sides of the stage, while the bass player wore sexy knee-high boots. The drummer was lost in the back behind his drum, but his “Eye of Mordor” gong made for an impression visual effect.
Their fifth album “Hymn To The Immortal Wind” received some mixed reactions due to the heavy use of orchestration, but Mono proved that on stage, they only need their two guitars, bass and drums. Although they hardly innovate the genre, the instrumental quartet is so adept at what they do that it is next to impossible not to be ensnared by their magical numbers that rarely clock in under ten minutes. They always start out with sweetly chiming guitars, unpretentious melodies that feel as if generated in the spur of the moment, building discreetly momentum until that one crucial moment where the distortion pedals come in with full force, creating a pseudo-cacophonous amalgam that on the surface is pure noise, but hides the most beautiful melodies underneath. It’s pure magic, there are no other words to describe their elongated crescendos. Mono didn’t need to play many songs to fill their set with ninety minutes of pure bliss, leaving an audience that was happy for such a generous amount of music, but which could easily have swallowed the same again. The Rockhal club could have done with a few more people tonight, because those who made the effort to show up were rewarded with one of the most stellar moments in post rock. Lots of foreign fans were proof enough that this band is well worth travelling more than just a couple of kilometres to be cherished in a live situation, where they work much, much better than on CD!
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| Out Of The Crowd Festival VI at the Kulturfabrik in Esch/Alzette (18th April 2009) |
[19 Apr 2009|12:29pm] |
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God Is An Astronaut - God Is An Astronaut |
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The Schalltot Collective invited already for the sixth time to the annual Out Of The Crowd Festival, and even though this quality driven event doesn’t attract crowds like media hyped one-hit-wonders, the organisers didn’t change the overall concept. Ten bands playing between four in the afternoon until the early hours of the morning, completed by an art exhibition and a vegan food stand. Nothing new happening?, you may ask. Of course, because there were once again new bands to discover for a low admittance fee… although some complained, yet are probably willing to spend two to three times more for a more popular band at one of the country’s other venues. I decided to skip the first three bands as I had a taxing previous night, and needed to save my energy for those bands I really would have hated to skip. Kitshickers started the festival at 4pm, but I will see them opening for Mono this coming Thursday. Next up were BlakFish from the UK that apparently left a good impression of the audience. International but Luxembourg based pop band très.b discouraged me with their songs on Myspace.  When I arrived shortly after 6pm, We Versus The Shark were about to start their set. Coming from Athens, Georgia – a main if often overlooked music centre in the USA – the band played a sparkling mix of math rock and just plain hard hitting muscular rock. Veering from one musical part into the next completely unexpected one, just to find themselves in a straightforward hitting groove, they simply joined the best of both worlds: intellectual wizardry with blue collar mannerism. A good stage acting, convincing vocals and an overall crazy vibe made this an optimal start into the evening.
Insiders were of course looking forward to see sBACH, the new project by Hella guitarist Spencer Seim. The long bearded man plays this time drums and was joined by three musicians who all played synthesizers and guitars. This made for a very varied cocktail that worked best when they used 8-bit sounds, although there more regular rock songs definitely had their charm. So much was happening in the short songs that the lack of vocals didn’t really bother. After two such great performances, volcano! somehow disappointed. Their CD was actually very good, with lots of surprising twists and turns. The three-piece from the USA never seemed to be able to convey their musical craziness on stage. Guitar, keyboards and drums did their best but failed to score in the low registers. With an added bass guitar and harder hitting synth sounds, there would have been more depth. Tonight it sounded ambitious enough but lost in a really poor sound. Five years after their last show, Petrograd decided to start their comeback at this festival. Rumours were that they would only play new material, but that was eventually not true. The core members Diff, David and Nathalie were still there, with new members that have been seen in Lecter MD and Six Pax, both bands that shared in the past already ties with Petrograd. After the mixing engineer got initial sound problems fixed, the older part of the audience felt like the welcome return of an old, reliable friend. The songs may be new, but otherwise not much had changed. Three guitars made for a really sense sound, without neglecting the melodies though. Diff was of course the proverbial frontman, still basking in his anti-stance towards rock clichés. Having imported hardcore to Luxembourg in the early Nineties, and then shifting towards political punk rock, he alienated himself from the so-called hardcore scene and everything which followed. This may seem tragic, but it’s not entirely unplanned, and therefore it was quite interesting to see how clueless a big part of the audience seemed, watching a local band of unfamiliar people that still knows how to craft great rock songs. Cult hits like “What About Me?” and “Next Exit Wonderland” nearly drove tears to my eyes, especially since probably no one in the audience under thirty years ever heard of these classics. Welcome back, Petrograd! Maybe it was the shock of nostalgia, but somehow the following Minnaars from England bored the hell out of me. The fashionable disco rock / post punk sound was of course professionally done, but it’s just not the kind of music I’m into. It was also time for a break, checking the art exhibition (which was free entrance for those who didn’t want to see the bands), and hanging around, catching up with people.  Not last band, but still headliner of the evening were Australian electro post rockers Pivot who made the headlines by signing to Warp Records. And although there setup wasn’t much different from the disappointing volcano!, they showed from the start why they are the better band. Guitar and drums were joined by laptop, combining the atmospheric moods of post rock with modern electronic synths and beats. And everyone agreed: Pivot are outstanding performers, convincing even those who normally are not so much into electronic music.
Unfortunately I had to skip Irish post rockers God Is An Astronaut (who, according to Facebook testimonies, really rocked the house), but as this was my third uninterrupted day without sleeping (alas, the stressful life of a freelance music writer!), my body told me it was more than high time to hit the road back home. With 300 people, the festival was not actually crowded. Sold out shows at the Atelier and the Rockhal plus some further events throughout the country may have prevented some people from checking out the Out Of The Crowd, but those that came were in for a heavy dose of quality music. Let’s hope the Schalltot Collective and the Kulturfabrik will keep up the good work, so that we can already look forward to the seventh edition of the festival. See you next year!
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| Sinner DC, Ghost Bees and The Declining Winter at the Exit07 in Luxembourg (10th April 2009) |
[11 Apr 2009|05:20pm] |
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Jeavestone - Mind The Soup |
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You know those rare weekend nights when nearly nothing seems to be going on, so that you feel eventually constrained to head to the only show you are aware of. You are not familiar with the bands, don’t expect too much, and have guessed from its Facebook event that hardly anyone plans to attend. Not afraid of leaving home by myself, I arrive at the Exit07 shortly before 10pm, just in time, as I thought, but then spend half an hour outside in the first really warm evening of the year nursing my first two beers. Waiting doesn’t help, because it seems that the venue has already attracted all those aware and willing to spend their evening in this pleasant oasis right in the middle of Hollerich. About twenty people finally stand inside to witness The Declining Winter’s forty-five minute set. I was badly informed and expected a solo show by Hood co-founder Richard Adams, but The Declining Winter are a band in their own right, and tonight he was accompanied by an electric guitarist, a drummer, a keyboarder/bass player and two violinist. Their sound had little in common with Hood’s glitchy trip hip hop indie sound. Instead Richard Adams, armed with an acoustic guitar, started out with lo-fi indie pop songs that ventured with the help of his band into post rock territory, with the violins adding occasional folk touches. It was quite an ok show, but somehow the vital spark was still missing. Maybe they need to work harder on becoming a real band entity and allow every member more creative freedom. The Declining Winter hasn’t reached yet the idiosyncratic uniqueness of hood, but there is definitely potential waiting to be uncovered.  Up next were Canadian twin sisters Sari and Romy Lightman who perform as Ghost Bees. This unusual band constellation is screaming for comparisons with CocoRosie (only sisters, not twins) and Tegan and Sara, but that wouldn’t do them justice. Sari and Romy are small, fragile looking creatures, and as soon as they started their set, sitting in front of some kind of oversized butterfly, playing mandolin and acoustic guitar, they had their audience captured with a hypnotic energy that was hard to explain. Using tremendous harmonies and passing vocal parts with a dexterity that seemed to come from some kind of telepathic understanding, they were weaving stories that journeyed seamlessly from out real world into a supernatural realm of childhood fantasies and fears. On the surface, their music was gorgeous, but underneath there was a haunting quality that made me feel like trapped in a horror movie. After half an hour, the musical fairy tale was over, I was moved nearly to tears and had to get their CD. If you like Joanna Newsom and the strange atmospheres of the Fiery Furnaces, you will definitely get an unforgettable time with Ghost Bees’ incredible music.
Around midnight, Swiss three-piece Sinner DC tried hard to retain the dwindling audience, and although that was no easy feat, they still gave their best. Again I didn’t know what to expect. On Myspace they gave me the impression of a dance rock / disco punk band, yet I read that they are deep into krautrock. Fortunately, the latter was true, and Sinner DC entered the stage like a regular rock band, with guitar, bass and drums. The guitarist and bassist furthermore handled some antique looking synthesizers and the vocals were treated through a vocoder. I was surprised at how hard rocking they gave themselves. The guitar had ample space, the synthesizers mostly provided spacy effect, so that eventually the audience received gritty krautrock with spacy psychedelia elements and a few decent programmed beats to make the whole thing more danceable. Let these guys play in front of a filled venue, and I am sure they would get the party started. More Hawkwind and The Notwist than run-of-the-mill electro rock! An interesting fact of the evening is that the three performing bands, coming from three different countries (England, Canada and Switzerland), were not touring together. They coincidentally met and made for a very varied musical evening. Too bad that so few people cared to show up. It can’t have been because of too much competition. Maybe people were gone over the Easter weekend, maybe they preferred to sit somewhere outside enjoying the weather, or maybe people prefer to watch what they know and don’t really care for yet unknown acts. Let other people discover them and make them popular, you can feast like vultures on their remains later!
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