Category: Live Reports (Page 15 of 36)

PARALLELS + NINA Live at Zigfrid Von Underbelly

4 April 2018 /

London’s Zigfrid Von Underbelly played host to two of the best acts currently bridging synthpop and synthwave, PARALLELS and NINA.

For Toronto trio PARALLELS, this was their first UK gig as part of a short European jaunt also taking in Sweden and France. Meanwhile for NINA, it was her first full live performance since the release of her acclaimed debut album ‘Sleepwalking’.

Accompanied by her ever faithful electronic percussionist and backing vocalist Laura Fares, NINA came on stage alluringly cosplaying  as Charlie Blackwood from ‘Top Gun’ and opened proceedings on her Roland Gaia with ‘Don’t You Give Up’, her vibrant collaboration with Swedish producer Oscillian who worked his studio magic on the majority of ‘Sleepwalking’.

With a good turnout for the evening, the enthusiastic crowd welcomed the marvellous moonlit triumph of ‘Beyond Memory’ and its sister song, ‘My Mistake’. While the latter was picked up by Mercedes-Benz back in 2014, the former showcased the strength of NINA’s development since that first burst of praise and recognition.

Continuing with the driven pop of ‘Empire Of Love’, NINA’s poignant delivery of her anti-bullying anthem ‘One Of Us’ captivated all those present. The mighty ‘Your Truth’ allowed Laura Fares to shine energetically on her Roland percussion pad, adding pertinent dynamics next to NINA’s devoted assurance that “I’ll be there for you”.

But the best was saved to last with the neon-lit thrust of ‘80s Girl’, NINA’s touching song dedicated to her mother. Embroiled in passion and positivity like a missing theme tune from ‘Mannequin’, all Laura could do was crouch down in awe as she observed NINA’s neo-acapella conclusion to the song’s fading synths.

During the interlude, DJ She-Ra pulled off the impressive feat of playing a set of synthwave and Italo that, while largely unknown to the wider public, was immediate and enjoyable without having to resort to the same old – same old. Other music anchors should follow her example while her inclusion of ‘Let Me In’, the KLEERUP collaboration with SUSANNE SUNDFØR, showed she also had impeccable taste.

Accompanied by her bother Nick on drums and Oliver Blair on synths, Holly Dodson led PARALLELS through an enticing performance that proved their worth as an engaging live band, a more than welcome sight when a number of noted synthwave acts’ live presentation comprises of just one man and his laptop, with some visuals if you are lucky.

With her big auburn hair and wearing a striking sequinned black jacket, Holly had that inherent onstage confidence having grown up in the music business after her father Rich found fame as the singer and guitarist of Canadian AOR combo THE STAMPEDERS with his song ‘Sweet City Woman’, a domestic No1 in 1973.

Indeed, one could be forgiven for thinking Holly was the lead singer of a band like HEART, rather than an electronic pop group.

Opening with the playful ‘Find The Fire’ which appeared on ‘Kitsuné Maison Compilation 8’ back in 2009 alongside CHEW LIPS and DELPHIC, Holly was a natural at connecting with the audience, all while moving around singing and occasionally veering over to play keyboards.

There was a delightful synth-off between Holly and Oliver on ‘Dry Blood’ before she sweetly dedicated the CHVRCHES influenced ‘Metropolis’ to everyone at ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK, while the bouncy electropop of ‘Tell The World’ from the ‘Metropolis’ album maintained momentum.

On the gorgeous ‘Runaway Girl’, a brilliant track written by Oliver Blair for his RADIO WOLF project, she gave a marvellously candied performance that was powerful too.

Breezy with ‘Electrimotion’, as an introduction to ‘IRL’ (a commentary on internet dating), Holly encouraged the audience to hug each other, before the percussive ‘Ultralight’ allowed Nick Dodson to indulge briefly in a drum solo during a middle section respite from the song’s pulsing electronics.

PARALLELS’ most recent single ‘The Last Man’ arrived in its more frenetic RADIO WOLF variant with Oliver Blair clearly relishing the opportunity to present his neo-gothic handy work. Closing with the synthy New Wave drama of ‘Counterparts’, this was an accessible and lively set with no lulls that was enjoyed by the appreciative crowd, no doubt buoyed along by Holly’s sparkling personality.

In a live marketplace where there are far too many mismatched billings, PARALLELS and NINA made a perfect pairing, more than complimenting each other in style, mood and sound while both being different in their presentation and approaches. With great tunes, lots of synths and insistent groovy rhythms, this evening was exactly what modern electronic pop music should be all about.

PARALLELS ‘Metropolis’ is released by Marigold Productions and available as a CD or download from https://parallels.bandcamp.com/album/metropolis

They play Toronto Adelaide Hall on Thursday 26th April 2018 and Ottawa House of TARG on Friday 11th May 2018

http://www.iloveparallels.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Parallels/

https://twitter.com/iloveparallels

https://www.instagram.com/iloveparallels/

NINA ‘Sleepwalking’ is released by Aztec Records and available on CD, download or pink vinyl LP from http://www.ninasounduk.com/store/

https://www.iloveninamusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/iloveninamusic

https://twitter.com/iloveninamusic

https://www.instagram.com/ninasounduk/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by Richard Price and Chi Ming Lai
4th April 2018

xPROPAGANDA A Secret Wish Live at The Garage

29 March 2018 /

PROPAGANDA’s ‘A Secret Wish’ is often hailed as a classic album of the electronic era which heralded the advent of sampling and digital synthesis. 

Among its fans were the likes of Martin Gore, John Taylor and Jim Kerr; over the years, ‘A Secret Wish’ has grown in stature with its influence felt on Michael Jackson’s ‘Bad’ produced by Quincy Jones. Meanwhile, the quartet of Claudia Brücken, Susanne Freytag, Ralf Dörper and Michael Mertens dubbed “ABBA in hell” were a forerunner of acts such as LADYTRON.

But it all ended acrimoniously and despite attempts to reform PROPAGANDA over the last 30 years, they have all come to nought, although the quartet performed together at the ‘Produced by Trevor Horn’ celebratory concert for The Prince’s Trust in 2004, while Freytag and Dörper joined Brücken for her career retrospective show at The Scala in 2011.

More recently, Claudia Brücken and Susanne Freytag have teamed up with Stephen J Lipson, producer of ‘A Secret Wish’ and have been using social media to introduce their new project named D:UEL; so it was something of a surprise when it was announced that the pair would be playing two London shows performing ‘A Secret Wish’ billed as xPROPAGANDA.

Despite the online protestations of Michael Mertens, the two shows quickly sold out and it was interesting to see Ralf Dörper at the bar as an interested observer to hear how the songs he co-wrote with Mertens would come over in the 21st Century.

Squeezed onto the comparatively small stage at The Garage, Brücken and Freytag were joined by Stephen J Lipson on guitar, famed ZTT percussionist Luis Jardim, regular CB sidemen James Watson and Philip Larsen, drummer Paul Jones and Sam Tate on flugelhorn.

Performing ‘A Secret Wish’ in order, it was Freytag who took centre stage first with ‘Dream Within A Dream’, her spoken Germanic tones reciting the stark poem by Edgar Allen Poe. With Brücken on vibraphone, the pair were backed by a progressive soundtrack of hypnotic bass guitar from Watson and some synthetically layered drama from Larsen. While Lipson’s transient soloing maintained the tension, the solid dual percussive backbone of Jones and Jardim were unable to recreate the frenzied attack of the original’s middle section.

The machine rhythm of ‘The Murder Of Love’ welcomed Brücken’s first lead vocal of the evening with an enthusiastic response from the audience, although whether they appreciated Lipson’s jazz guitar work was debatable.

‘Jewel’ brought Brücken and Freytag into an appealing shouting match as a barrage of aggressive textures sourced from the original album were brought into play, before Freytag left the stage for Brücken to give a spirited rendering of ‘Duel’, joyfully accompanied by the crowd. A supreme pop song, Stock Aitken & Waterman loved it so much that they recorded a version of it with Mandy Smith in 1988, while Sophie Ellis-Bextor covered it in 2007!

Freytag returned to offer her shade next to Brücken’s light on ‘Frozen Faces’ before the volume went up a gear for a magnificently powerful rendition of ‘P: Machinery’. The electronic cover of JOSEF K’s ‘Sorry For Laughing’ continued the power trip before the unsettling cinematic glory of ‘Dr Mabuse’; it seems amazing now that this slice of avant pop noir could have even entered the Top 30 of the UK singles chart in 1984, but it was a much more open-minded and visionary time back then… to close the main set, Brücken and Freytag playfully bashed Simmons drums side-by-side to the coda of ‘The Chase’ before departing to the haunting endsay of ‘The Last Word’.

After a short interlude during which the love could clearly be felt in the room, Freytag returned for the encore brandishing a whip for the welcome performance art of ‘Disziplin’.

Acknowledging the contribution of Ralf Dörper, Michael Mertens and late founder member Andreas Thein to PROPAGANDA in her introduction, ‘Disziplin’ was once presented live on ‘The Tube’ back in the day; inspired by THROBBING GRISTLE’s rather stern ‘Discipline’, it was Dörper who wrote some new German lyrics and the demo got PROPAGANDA signed to ZTT.

Brücken swapped places with Freytag and for her encore contribution, she performed a fabulous version of ‘Femme Fatale’, the Lou Reed song originally voiced by German chanteuse Nico for THE VELVET UNDERGROUND’s debut album produced by Andy Warhol, which was the B-side to ‘Dr Mabuse’. With all the classic line-up PROPAGANDA material now performed, there was a reprise of ‘Duel’ to end proceedings on a nostalgic high.

Brücken and Freytag will have a busy year as they take xPROPAGANDA out on the road opening for HEAVEN 17 as well as playing select European festivals in the summer. But while Claudia Brücken celebrates her past, there is the mouthwatering prospect in June 2018 of her new collaborative album ‘Beginn’ with Jerome Froese (son of the late TANGERINE DREAM legend Edgar Froese) which is set to include electronic reimaginings of two FLEETWOOD MAC songs, ‘Sara’ and ‘Gypsy’.

Whether working in the past or present, another hope feeds another dream…

xPROPAGANDA open for HEAVEN 17 on ‘The Luxury Gap’ 35th Anniversary Tour, dates include:

Northampton Roadmender (Friday 9th November), Norwich UEA (Saturday 10th November), Bournemouth O2 Academy (Friday 16th November), Birmingham O2 Institute (Saturday 17th November), Glasgow O2 ABC (Friday 23rd November), Liverpool O2 Academy (Saturday 24 November), London O2 Shepherds Bush Empire (Friday 30th November), Bristol O2 Academy (Saturday 1st December), Manchester O2 Ritz (Friday 7th December), Sheffield O2 Academy (Saturday 8th November)

http://xpropaganda.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/propagandamabuse/

https://www.facebook.com/claudiaandsusanne/

http://www.claudiabrucken.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/ClaudiaBruckenMusic/

https://twitter.com/ClaudiaBrucken1

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by Richard Price
29th March 2018

DUDLEY – JECZALIK – LANGAN Live at The British Library

18 March 2018 /

With THE ART OF NOISE’s influential and innovative reputation, this live gig was never going to be an ordinary one.

The British Library is certainly not your run of the mill venue either and this show was part of ‘A Season of Sound’, a celebration of the Library’s extensive Sound Archive which hosts in excess of 6 millions recordings.

With their reputation as early pioneers of sampling and use of the Fairlight to grab found sounds alongside more conventional drums and synth textures, this reboot of THE ART OF NOISE made a perfect fit to help celebrate the Library’s own collection of audio.

Special mention must be given to the show’s sound system, a sonically stunning Bowers & Wilkins set-up which throughout the evening delivered audiophile quality live sound, something which you rarely get at gigs these days. The sound system, a cut-down version of the one used at Primavera Sound Festival, which was apparently worth close to a million Euros became a real draw for crowds there.

The PA system was put to good use prior to the band coming on stage, with the audience being treated to a superb ‘Blessed Are The Noisemakers’ mixtape by Kevin Foakes aka DJ Food, with different AON-related tracks like remixes of SCRITTI POLITTI and FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD plus snippets of 10CC in ‘Life is a Minestrone’ and ‘I’m Not In Love’ in honour of Lol Creme who was a member of both acts.

As the band walked on stage, the screen behind became a Fairlight boot-up page, with each musician being ‘initialised’ in a kind of homage to KRAFTWERK who apparently shelved their ‘Technopop’ album after hearing AON’s pioneering sampling work.

Sadly there were no actual Fairlights on stage, but each member had Mac screens with the iconic green on black text to reference the machine which was so pivotal to the band’s sound. From left to right the set-up was Anne Dudley on synths / digital piano / electronic percussion, Gary Langan on mixing duties / percussion and JJ Jeczalik on Arturia Matrixbrute synth / Roland electronic percussion.

Also present but via a couple of pre-recorded video clips was ex-member Paul Morley… this was a bit of a surprise as the ZTT split with AON was very acrimonious. Although billed as an ‘In Visible Silence’ gig, the show was still very much a greatest hits set, with a few choice cuts taken from the trio’s aforementioned second album.

After introductory track ‘Instruments Of Darkness’, there was an early airing of ‘Beatbox’ from the band’s debut EP ‘Into Battle With…’ followed by an all-too-short rendition of ‘Camille’, the band’s ‘Moments in Love’ Part Two.

‘Paranoimia’ featuring Max Headroom was next to appear with suitably appropriate graphics behind the band before the stunningly beautiful ‘Moments In Love’.

This was preceded by an introduction from JJ on the various uses of the track, from a Brylcreem advert through to its usage at MADONNA’s wedding to Sean Penn!

To keep the sample trainspotters happy, there was an interesting mid-set diversion when JJ explained the background behind some of the AON samples used. This included the rhythm track for ‘Eye Of A Needle’ which samples the sound from a squash game; the ball being hit, the squeak of a training shoe on the court and the start of a groan from the impact of someone being hit by the ball. Also included was a special mention for the cash register sound which also ended up on ABC’s ‘Date Stamp’ from ‘The Lexicon Of Love’.

One of the more experimental pieces from the bands’ back catalogue, the Steve Reich-inspired ‘Opus’ with its looped / cut-up vocals was up next, followed by AON’s breakthrough hit ‘Close (To The Edit’). Complete with an extended and very comical three-way car not starting sample-off; this track received the best reception on the night and the now iconic “Hey!” vocal additionally recalled THE PRODIGY’s ‘Firestarter’ which sampled it. After a short break, the band came back on for an encore of ‘Peter Gunn’ with its Rik Mayall promo video projected behind, as the trio left the stage to a rolling set of credits behind them.

This gig was a real bucket list moment for many, the band had supported THE HUMAN LEAGUE last year in Liverpool, but live shows by the ex-AON members have been few and far between.

The deservedly rapturous reception that Dudley, Jeczalik and Langan received for their British Library gig should hopefully spur them into doing more dates as they are an utterly engaging live act with a pioneering back catalogue that is more than worthy of being re-visited.

If you get a chance to see this line-up (especially with a B&W sound system), don’t hesitate, it’s a timely reminder of how incredibly influential AON were and helps to cement their position in electronic music history.

‘Influence’ is still available as a double CD via Union Square

http://www.theartofnoiseonline.com

https://www.facebook.com/artofnoiseofficial/

https://twitter.com/artofnoiseoffic

Text and Photos by Paul Boddy
18th March 2018

THE SOFT MOON Live at The Dome

19 February 2018 /

With fourth album ‘Criminal’ now doing the rounds, The Dome in Tufnell Park was filled to the brim as Oakland’s THE SOFT MOON performed the only UK date on their current tour.

Essentially the one-man project of Luis Vasquez, their live line-up is expanded with the addition of Luigi Pianezzola on bass / synths and Matteo Vallicelli on live / electronic drums including a nifty four pad retro Simmons combo. Vasquez started the show solo with a rendition of the dark title track from his new album before being joined by his two sidemen. What initially hits home most about THE SOFT MOON live experience is the clarity of their sound; on record they have (at times) an impenetrable and murky aesthetic.

But here in the live arena, there is a much more muscular delivery with the superb PA system at The Dome proving transformational sound-wise for the band. On stage, Vasquez showcases himself as a really accomplished musician, effortlessly flipping from guitar to a Moog Sub 37 synth and then to live percussion; he is an artist that holds the audience transfixed, combined with a low down (head bowed) signature synth playing posture.

Special mention must also be given to percussionist Vallicelli; combining the tom-driven style of NEW ORDER’s Stephen Morris and the motorik beat of Krautrock, there was never any unnecessary overplaying and when a song needed electronic drums, he switched to his stand-up Simmons set-up instead.

With a set combining an even balance of tracks from THE SOFT MOON’s four albums, there was plenty here to please both old and new fans alike, with the newer material from ‘Criminal’ slotting in effortlessly with cuts from ‘Deeper’, ‘Zeros’ and their eponymous debut long player. Standout track ‘Give Something’ from ‘Criminal’ proved a mid-set highlight and showed off Vasquez’s wide vocal range, whilst from the same album the EBM bass-driven ‘Father’ got The Dome crowd moving.

‘Wrong’ from ‘Deeper’ gave Vasquez a chance to showcase his percussive skills with an improvised trash can drum played almost Batucada-style plus additional hi-Q synth drums overlayed by Pianezzola on a Roland trigger pad. ‘Tiny Spiders’ was one of many songs in the set to feature the classic Post-Punk flanged guitar sound much beloved of SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES’ John McGeoch and PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED’s Keith Levine and in places, the spirit of Crawley’s finest THE CURE was also summoned.

After a set which seemed to cruise by, the band came back for two encores of ‘Black’ and ‘Want’ (with one word titles being a signature thing for the band). With ‘Criminal’ picking up some really stellar reviews and the band selling out venues effortlessly, it is surely only a matter of time before THE SOFT MOON shift up to a higher level of exposure and popularity.

In the wrong hands, this kind of material has the potential to fail live, but Vasquez and co show how nihilistic anthems of despair and alienation can be truly engaging when performed. At the risk of being overtly pun-tastic, it really would be criminal to miss this band live… highly recommended.

Special thanks to Frankie Davison at Stereo Sanctity

‘Criminal’ is released by Sacred Bones Records in CD, vinyl LP and digital formats

THE SOFT MOON 2018 European Tour dates include:

Yverdon Les Bains L’Amalgame (20th February), Milan Magnolia (21st February), Rome Monk (22nd February), Napoli Lanificio (23rd February), Bologna Covo (24th February), Munich Kranhalle (7th March), Leipzig UT Connewitz (8th March), Hamburg Hafenklang (9th March), Cologne Gebäude 9 (10th March), Saarbrucken Garage Club (11th March), Nijmegen Doomroosje (13th March), Lille Les Paradis Artificiels (14th March), Nantes Stereolux (15th March), Lyon Epicerie Moderne (16th March)

http://www.thesoftmoon.com

https://www.facebook.com/thesoftmoon/

https://twitter.com/thesoftmoon

https://www.sacredbonesrecords.com

Text and Photos by Paul Boddy
19th February 2018

OMD Live in Düsseldorf

9 December 2017 /

OMD made their return to the spiritual home of electronic music.

It was all in support of ‘The Punishment Of Luxury’, appropriately their most KRAFTWERK sounding album ever. In 2018, OMD will be celebrating forty years in as a live entity, so it would have been reasonable to be expect them to either rest on their laurels and turn into a pub blues band.

But with their new album ‘The Punishment Of Luxury’, Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys’ breadth of musicality, technological curiosity and lyrical wordplay has been as strong as ever. At Düsseldorf’s prestigious Mitsubishi Electric Halle, formally Der Philipshalle, the pair were accompanied by long standing keyboardist Martin Cooper and drummer Stuart Kershaw who had his first live stint with OMD in 1993.

On the equipment front, Humphreys and Cooper had shifted from their trusty Roland X8 work stations to Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol keyboards, while Kershaw came armed with an acoustic looking but very electronic drum-tec kit with a Roland TD20 brain.

Proceedings began in an elegant pastoral manner with ‘Ghost Star’, its VANGELIS overtones sounding epically European and easing the audience into an evening of high octane entertainment. The next five numbers were full-on electronic pop of varying vintages with the evergreen ‘Messages’ and bouncy ‘Tesla Girls’ representing the first phase of OMD, while ‘Isotype’ and ‘One More Time’ from the new album sat comfortably alongside a kaleidoscopic ‘History of Modern (Part 1)’, all under big blocks of light in the colours of the album artwork.

For this tour, OMD introduced a novel online vote idea where those attending could choose a song from three to be played at that evening’s performance. In the UK, this had backfired slightly as ‘If You Leave’ kept being chosen… tonight, McCluskey found time to joke about how “Merkel, Trump and Brexit” were examples of democracy gone wrong.

In Düsseldorf though, they chose wisely and ‘Genetic Engineering’ got the nod over ‘If You Leave’ and ‘She’s Leaving; but as the city that gave the world KRAFTWERK, DIE KRUPPS, NEU! and DAF, nothing less could have been expected 😉

As Paul Humphreys sang his pair of hits ‘(Forever) Live & Die’ and ‘Souvenir’, the ever energetic McCluskey didn’t go off for a lie down like DEPECHE MODE’s Dave Gahan does during Martin Gore’s piano noodling spot.

He remained firmly on stage, getting behind the keyboards for the former while just being a bass guitarist for the latter. The ‘Joan Of Arc’ biopic captivated the assembled crowd, and with The ‘Maid Of Orleans’ variant being Germany’s best-selling single of 1982, McCluskey gave it his all with flinging arms akimbo to Kershaw’s militaristic rolls and a barrage of strobe lighting.

And while McCluskey’s dad dancing and windmill moves may continue to polarise some observers, it is obvious that despite being several years older, he makes more effort than Gahan has done in 2017 and despite nursing a knee injury, one would be oblivious that the OMD frontman wasn’t physically 100%.

New material like ‘The Punishment Of Luxury’ title song and ‘What Have We Done’ slotted in seamlessly next to the classic OMD material, with none of the awkwardness at 21st Century DEPECHE MODE concerts when the new songs often go down like farts in a spacesuit that ultimately kill momentum.

In fact on the ‘Global Spirit’ tour, there is no momentum at all until halfway through, but OMD’s show is a well-paced live presentation and even on more pedestrian tunes like ‘So In Love’ and ‘Locomotion’, McCluskey knows how to connect with the audience via his eye contact, gestures and enthusiasm. If OMD possess an arena stomper, then ‘Sailing On The Seven Seas’ is it, while ‘Enola Gay’ exuded the right balance of emotive melody and rhythmic tension.

Some have complained that OMD’s music is not dark enough, but if a song about 80,000 people being burnt alive isn’t dark, then what is? Only naming a bomber after your mother to do the dirty deed, as pilot Colonel Paul Tibbets did, is darker… and as the band left the stage, the Teutonic “ZU-GA-BE” chant from the audience in perfect time with the continuing drum machine pattern was simultaneously frightening and exhilarating!

The encore provided a recital of ‘Pandora’s Box’, a hit from the solo McCluskey era of OMD which has a similar chordal structure to ‘If You Leave’. But behind the pop, there has always been an intelligent if occasionally cryptic narrative behind OMD’s songs, whether the subject is silent film stars, telephone boxes, oil refineries, evangelism, French saints, emojis, the implosion of the universe, suicide, murder, economic corruption, girls who use electrical devices, letter writing, archaeology, biological research or sustainable fuel sources! And it was with this final topic that OMD closed with the “sehr schnell” ‘Electricity’.

In their 2017 tour programme, Paul Humphreys said: “As a band, we keep trying to forge ahead, pushing the band into the future, while respecting and embracing our past. This tour will be reflecting this. We are the type of band who embrace our hits, after all, we owe a 39 year career to them, they have enabled us to remain and to exist, still making records and touring the road…” – it’s a humble attitude that other acts, particularly one from Basildon, could benefit from adopting.

‘The Punishment Of Luxury’ is released by 100% Records

‘The Punishment of Luxury: B Sides & Bonus Material’ featuring previously vinyl only tracks such as ‘Ha Ha Ha’, Skin’ and ‘Lampe Licht’ plus extended mixes will be released as a CD on 15th December 2017

http://www.omd.uk.com/

https://www.facebook.com/omdofficial/

https://twitter.com/OfficialOMD

Text and Photos by Chi Ming Lai
9th December 2017

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