Lately I've been thinking about the importance for bands to be touring periodically. Other than mere finance matters, bands need to tour to feed their fans with the appropriate fix of live music every once in a while to keep themselves vital and fresh in the music world. Some bands are able to keep the tour thing going for a while, even long after they've broken up and parted ways, because of course, money doesn't grow on trees. Some others play the "reunion" thing and stage a completely bullshit-filled "reformation" only so they can sell lots of tickets. For extra impact, some bands do the "farewell tour" thing, or something to that effect. And some other bands, usually the really awesome ones, never really tour, and if they do or ever did, it is/was impossible for me to attend their shows.
There are a few bands I wish I could bring back from band demise heaven, or hope their asses go broke so they can stage a fucking reunion tour and let me see them live. (PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!!)
Joy Division: Given. I just had to say it. Poor Ian killed himself way too early in the game. I'm pretty sure, had he stayed alive, he would have stopped touring a long time ago. From what I've heard, their live shows weren't exactly awesome, but the band was just too fucking legendary to miss.
Video bonus: Transmission and She's Lost Control ('79)
Dead Can Dance: My sources tell me there might be a reunion tour in '11, as well as a new album. Definitely a must. Can't bring myself to say anything bad about Lisa Gerrard or Brendan Perry, even though she's a Bible nut and he's a drunk. Oops.
Video bonus: Cantara ('94)
Morphine: Great band whose promising career came to an abrupt end after the lead singer's death onstage in '97. Wish I'd been at their very last show. That would make a great story to tell my grandchildren.
Video bonus: Buena ('90)
The Beatles: BAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Video bonus: [insert widely overrated Beatles song here]
Concrete Blonde: Currently on tour in Australia. Played some shows in the US before that to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Bloodletting, and of course, I was not there while this was happening. With my luck, the band will get into a nasty, Bernard-Sumner-versus-Peter-Hook kind of fight and will hate each other so much they won't ever, ever, ever play together again, not even in hell.
Video bonus: Heal It Up ('10)
Bauhaus: Reformed for like a minute in '08 but didn't tour cause Peter Murphy is such a little drama queen. I'm not sure how good the show would be now that they're all old and balding but I like the music enough to give them a shot.
Video bonus: Bela Lugosi's Dead ('82)
Xmal Deutschland: A huge fan of pretty much all their work, including their poppy last album, I wish I'd been old enough to see them back in the 80's when they were touring. Instead, I got to grow up in the '90s and endure endless plays of Smells Like Teen Spirit on the radio and Oasis shows in every city on the planet. Life sucks.
Video bonus: Polarlicht ('85)
A Perfect Circle: There's like a gazillion rumors of a possible reunion tour/album, but nothing concrete to keep the spark of hope alive. Until I see Maynard James Keenan and Billy Howerdel off their lazy half naked asses onstage playing Passive, I will consider them as dead and long gone. As a bonus, I saw a tweet by Danny Lohner today where he mentioned that APC were rehearsing. One can only hope.
Video bonus: Sleeping Beauty ('00)
Every other post punk/goth/new wave/synthpop/industrial band that was playing shows in the late '70s-early '80s and no longer is: I'm sure Cabaret Voltaire, The Birthday Party, Coil and Fad Gadget were all such a trip live. I was born in the wrong era, sadly, and these bands are no longer playing. God hates me. He doesn't exist and he still hates me. That's how much he hates me.
Video bonus: Cabarer Voltaire - Kino ('86)
Siouxsie and the Banshees: I know they are already included in the above, but I had to write a separate entry for them because they are not just a post punk/goth/new wave/synthpop/industrial band in my eyes, but one of the most inspirational and uncompromised acts in the post punk era. I still can't get over how SUPERB Nocturne is. Makes me wonder how utterly fantastic they were live.
Video bonus: Sin in My Heart ('81) and Israel with Robert Smith ('83)
Cocteau Twins: Are they included in the post punk/goth/new wave/synthpop/industrial band category? Yes? No? Fuck. I miss them dearly. Liz Fraser is... ahem, interesting.
Video bonus: Musette and Drums ('83)
Angels of Light: Their future is uncertain. With Gira reforming Swans and touring with them for a new album, the Angels of Light have been placed in the very flattering backburner until Gira decides that Swans are Dead (again) and goes back to his more acoustic and melancholic venture. Their catalog has a lot of powerful, deeply disturbing songs that I wish I could see performed in a live setting and find out if that way they'd still make me cry.
Video bonus: Nations ('01)
Lard: Jello Biafra needs to stop touring with the Dead Kennedys, get Al Jourgensen out of his coffin and reform Lard. No offense to DK, but Lard has its moments. And I'm pretty sure the Biafra-Jourgensen combo is a machine onstage.
Video bonus: Forkboy ('04)
Option 30: The dance. Oh my god, the dance. I wouldn't even care if they played Justin Bieber backwards over a crazy Tibetan chant, as long as I got to see Trent do the little dance and wear the little outfits. Then again, I don't think that look would be too becoming on present-day Trent Reznor. I liked him better when he was just a little punk doing his little dance and playing bad Police-influenced new wave.
Video bonus: Gotta Look Sharp (circa '85)
Any Krautrock band (even Faust, which is a little ew sometimes): I bet they were the shit back in the day when there was nothing really interesting going on other than mainstream Pink Floyd (meh) and underground bands like Silver Apples (less meh). I really admire the work of some of these bands, and if I could go back in time for a day or two, I'd go to '72 and buy a hipster vinyl of the freshly released Ege Bamyasi.
Video bonus: Can - Vitamin C ('72)
Brainiac: Another band that didn't get to fade away into mediocrity like every other band because of the death of its lead singer. I was really hooked on this band a few years ago. It was actually one of the first electropunk bands I actually liked. Maybe I liked them cause they sounded too punk rock to be electronic. I can only imagine the kind of crazy AWESOME shows they played... *sigh*
Video bonus: To the Baby Counter ('94)
Sometimes I really don't like being young.
----------------
Now playing: Have A Nice Life - Bloodhail
via FoxyTunes
October 25, 2010
October 19, 2010
Boring and Expected Swans Show Review
Hello dear friends. I am back from a joyful and very relaxing 2 week quasi-vacation in NYC and life is good. My lovely bf and I had a wonderful time in the city (though I probably had a better time than he did, cause I shopped a lot), and one of the highlights of our stay in NY was that we were able to see Swans live.
For those of you unfamiliar with the band, Swans are one of the most important and influential bands to come out of the famous No Wave era in New York. This was back in 1982. They remained together and released many albums -- though with a different musical direction -- throughout the '80s and most of the '90s, until they disbanded in 1997. Band leader Michael Gira then took on several other projects as a solo artist, producer and member of other bands, until he announced in 2010 that the band would reunite for a new album and tour.
My boyfriend and I are both avid Swans fans, and this announcement was very pleasant for us to learn. We had been talking about spending some time in New York City before finding out about the tour, but nothing had been formally planned. One day, my boyfriend surprised me with two tickets to the Swans' show at NYC's Bowery Ballroom on Oct. 9, 2010, and immediately, our plans were made.
Most people who know Swans and/or have heard any of their live albums are aware of the incredibly loud performances they put on. I was aware of this, but given the extent and diversity of the Swans' catalog, my fears of a sound-induced coma were dispelled. Of course, I was expecting a warm, rather mellow show that encompassed every aspect of Swans, from their harsh beginnings to their softer, more melodic and rather romantic works. And of course, I was punched in the face when everything I expected was soon shattered into a million tiny pieces. I am not saying, under any circumstances, that this was a bad show, or that I am unhappy with the setlist. I will explain in detail later, but first things first: the opening act.
Opening acts are usually hit or miss with the crowd. For any band, picking an opening act that personifies the future of music in a good way and also carries on the values of the headliner is a rather difficult task. Truth is, the audience is there to see the headliner, and the opener is just an added bonus that the audience could do well without, in most cases. There might be cases where the opening act is just as relevant to the audience as a headliner, but that would usually happen on a person-to-person basis rather than as a whole. I know I haven't attended a show where I was more interested in seeing the openers than the headliners, although I do recall a situation where that could be applied, and I talked about that briefly here. In my case, and my boyfriend's case as well, we were not very enthused about seeing Baby Dee open for Swans.
We were both surprisingly content with Baby Dee's set. The music was simple -- just a violin and a cello accompanying Dee's voice and harp playing -- and the lyrics were crazy, with a sense of depth and good humor at times. Both musicians in her band were very skilled, and played gracefully to her half-sung-half-recited lyrics.
Her set was not very long, but it was a nice one. If anything, it gave me some expectations for the show. If a lo-fi, acoustic act opened for Swans, then Swans would play their more recent, less brutally noisy stuff... Wrong.
They kicked off the set with like 10 minutes of really loud feedback. I mean really loud. It was so loud, even some of the diehard Swans fans started to put on earplugs. Then Thor Harris, of Shearwater (and carpentry) fame, came out to play the chimes in the back over the deep layers of feedback.
The rest of the band, including Michael Gira and two extra brass players came out to join in on the noise, playing their instruments as hard as humanly possible. At this point, I am pretty sure blood came out from inside my ears. I was in pain, but it was a good kind of pain.
Remember what I mentioned earlier about my expectations for this show? The band played deconstructed and prolonged versions of early songs and songs from their new album, My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky.
Getting to the venue early allowed us to secure a spot on the first row. We were standing on the left, so we were right in front of Christoph Hahn and Thor, who was in the back. Gira kept most of the show facing away from the audience, and turning to the right, so most of the pictures I have of him are of his ass, like the one above. I didn't have the best view of the rest of the band who were on my right, so I have very few pictures of Norman Westberg, Phil Puleo (whose picture I couldn't take at all), or bassist Chris Pravdica. At least Hahn posed for a few of my pictures, as shown below.
This was before he (and the rest of the band) took off their shirts. Ahem, moving on...
Highlights of the show were a long and loud instrumental solo mid setlist, and the incredible Beautiful Child, from one of my favorite Swans albums, Children of God. After Eden Prison, a song from their latest album, the band thanked the audience and retreated. A minute later they came back for the encore -- a sweet spoken-word kind of number called Little Mouth, which Gira affectionately dedicated to his wife and Angels of Light bandmate, Siobhan Duffy.
The band thanked the audience one last time, sent guitar picks and drumsticks out to the crowd as souvenirs and posed for pictures as they left. I was able to snap a pretty awesome picture of Thor as he posed for the audience. Gira also makes a nice appearance on the right.
I also got some little souvenirs of my own.
The show was incredible, and we both enjoyed it a lot. The noise cruelly raped my ears with the fury of a depraved maniac, but at least I was able to recover my hearing within the next couple of days.
Every Swans fan should get the chance to see this show. Really, it was too good for words. The whole band showed an incredible amount of skill on the set, and it was very amusing to see them give it their all onstage, despite the fact that they are well into their fifties now. As a suggestion, I would tell them to keep their shirts on for the next shows, but a few saggy tummies were easy to bear with when they gave us such great music. I should post a pic of me wearing the Swans t-shirt I got at the show. Here's the full setlist, in case you were wondering.
In the following days, my boyfriend found a slew of pictures and videos where, unfortunately, we are featured. Here's a screencap from someone's video, where I elegantly highlighted my face and my boyfriend's head, for extra convenience.
You can watch a some videos from the show if you click on this dandy playlist assembled by my bf.
Just to make this review extra professional and journalistic, here's a pic of me and my bf on the train. <3
It actually hurt to try to write a serious review. I will continue with my usual blathering and cursing from now on. Sorry for this momentary lapse of politeness.
----------------
Now playing: Joy Division - The Kill
via FoxyTunes
For those of you unfamiliar with the band, Swans are one of the most important and influential bands to come out of the famous No Wave era in New York. This was back in 1982. They remained together and released many albums -- though with a different musical direction -- throughout the '80s and most of the '90s, until they disbanded in 1997. Band leader Michael Gira then took on several other projects as a solo artist, producer and member of other bands, until he announced in 2010 that the band would reunite for a new album and tour.
My boyfriend and I are both avid Swans fans, and this announcement was very pleasant for us to learn. We had been talking about spending some time in New York City before finding out about the tour, but nothing had been formally planned. One day, my boyfriend surprised me with two tickets to the Swans' show at NYC's Bowery Ballroom on Oct. 9, 2010, and immediately, our plans were made.
Most people who know Swans and/or have heard any of their live albums are aware of the incredibly loud performances they put on. I was aware of this, but given the extent and diversity of the Swans' catalog, my fears of a sound-induced coma were dispelled. Of course, I was expecting a warm, rather mellow show that encompassed every aspect of Swans, from their harsh beginnings to their softer, more melodic and rather romantic works. And of course, I was punched in the face when everything I expected was soon shattered into a million tiny pieces. I am not saying, under any circumstances, that this was a bad show, or that I am unhappy with the setlist. I will explain in detail later, but first things first: the opening act.
Opening acts are usually hit or miss with the crowd. For any band, picking an opening act that personifies the future of music in a good way and also carries on the values of the headliner is a rather difficult task. Truth is, the audience is there to see the headliner, and the opener is just an added bonus that the audience could do well without, in most cases. There might be cases where the opening act is just as relevant to the audience as a headliner, but that would usually happen on a person-to-person basis rather than as a whole. I know I haven't attended a show where I was more interested in seeing the openers than the headliners, although I do recall a situation where that could be applied, and I talked about that briefly here. In my case, and my boyfriend's case as well, we were not very enthused about seeing Baby Dee open for Swans.
We were both surprisingly content with Baby Dee's set. The music was simple -- just a violin and a cello accompanying Dee's voice and harp playing -- and the lyrics were crazy, with a sense of depth and good humor at times. Both musicians in her band were very skilled, and played gracefully to her half-sung-half-recited lyrics.
Her set was not very long, but it was a nice one. If anything, it gave me some expectations for the show. If a lo-fi, acoustic act opened for Swans, then Swans would play their more recent, less brutally noisy stuff... Wrong.
They kicked off the set with like 10 minutes of really loud feedback. I mean really loud. It was so loud, even some of the diehard Swans fans started to put on earplugs. Then Thor Harris, of Shearwater (and carpentry) fame, came out to play the chimes in the back over the deep layers of feedback.
The rest of the band, including Michael Gira and two extra brass players came out to join in on the noise, playing their instruments as hard as humanly possible. At this point, I am pretty sure blood came out from inside my ears. I was in pain, but it was a good kind of pain.
Remember what I mentioned earlier about my expectations for this show? The band played deconstructed and prolonged versions of early songs and songs from their new album, My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky.
Getting to the venue early allowed us to secure a spot on the first row. We were standing on the left, so we were right in front of Christoph Hahn and Thor, who was in the back. Gira kept most of the show facing away from the audience, and turning to the right, so most of the pictures I have of him are of his ass, like the one above. I didn't have the best view of the rest of the band who were on my right, so I have very few pictures of Norman Westberg, Phil Puleo (whose picture I couldn't take at all), or bassist Chris Pravdica. At least Hahn posed for a few of my pictures, as shown below.
This was before he (and the rest of the band) took off their shirts. Ahem, moving on...Highlights of the show were a long and loud instrumental solo mid setlist, and the incredible Beautiful Child, from one of my favorite Swans albums, Children of God. After Eden Prison, a song from their latest album, the band thanked the audience and retreated. A minute later they came back for the encore -- a sweet spoken-word kind of number called Little Mouth, which Gira affectionately dedicated to his wife and Angels of Light bandmate, Siobhan Duffy.
The band thanked the audience one last time, sent guitar picks and drumsticks out to the crowd as souvenirs and posed for pictures as they left. I was able to snap a pretty awesome picture of Thor as he posed for the audience. Gira also makes a nice appearance on the right.
I also got some little souvenirs of my own.
The show was incredible, and we both enjoyed it a lot. The noise cruelly raped my ears with the fury of a depraved maniac, but at least I was able to recover my hearing within the next couple of days.
Every Swans fan should get the chance to see this show. Really, it was too good for words. The whole band showed an incredible amount of skill on the set, and it was very amusing to see them give it their all onstage, despite the fact that they are well into their fifties now. As a suggestion, I would tell them to keep their shirts on for the next shows, but a few saggy tummies were easy to bear with when they gave us such great music. I should post a pic of me wearing the Swans t-shirt I got at the show. Here's the full setlist, in case you were wondering.
In the following days, my boyfriend found a slew of pictures and videos where, unfortunately, we are featured. Here's a screencap from someone's video, where I elegantly highlighted my face and my boyfriend's head, for extra convenience.
You can watch a some videos from the show if you click on this dandy playlist assembled by my bf.
Just to make this review extra professional and journalistic, here's a pic of me and my bf on the train. <3
It actually hurt to try to write a serious review. I will continue with my usual blathering and cursing from now on. Sorry for this momentary lapse of politeness.
----------------
Now playing: Joy Division - The Kill
via FoxyTunes
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