Wow. My ears are still ringing. As shown below, the ticket stated that the doors open at 8 pm, as is the case for most shows. Having never been to the venue or, for that matter, any venue of the type, I thought it would be a relatively brisk affair, especially considering that the afterparty was 10 pm. As it turned out, CSS didn't get on until about 9. Their set was the sonic equivalent of a power bar: low in nutritional value, but high on energy. I had planned on listening through their album beforehand, but I suppose it wouldn't have made much of a difference. Lead singer Lovefoxxx was quite charismatic, going as far as to mosh with us (see below) on two separate occasions.
This was simply a taster for the synth-powered transcendence that was Ladytron's set. There's something about this band, seemingly mechanized, yet able to convey such human emotion and fragility, that's incredibly unique. Singers Helen Marnie and Mira Aroyo were charming, classy, and provided fantastic vocals. Helen seemed rather amused when a member of the crowd felt the urge to jump on stage and show off his dance moves...on two separate occasions.
Perhaps it was the addition of a bassist and drummer, combined with the proximity, but their sound has really become massive, dare I say, almost My Bloody Valentinesque. Yet, throughout the density of synths, Helen's soaring vocals, complemented by Mira's Bulgarian-inflected delivery, gave the show an ethereal atmosphere. Of course, the crowd added a whole other dimension, turning the entire evening into a collectively euphoric experience. The band played a good deal of material from Light & Magic, including the crowd-pleasing "Seventeen," as well as slightly less prominent tracks such as "Cracked LCD." A number of cuts from 604 also appeared. They saved "Destroy Everything You Touch" as a one-of encore, and my favorite performance was the moody "International Dateline."
Enjoy the pictures:
CSS
Lovefoxxx: Moshing With The Masses!
Ladytron
Also, for your pleasure (and your leisure), I've uploaded Ladytron's Peel Session, recorded on January 31st, 2002.
Enjoy:
Another Breakfast With YouDiscotraxx
Nuhorizons
Zmeyka
AMCD: Here
Tired of Being Sexy? Here
2 comments:
Looks like fun. But a tip, a show never starts on time, nor does it start near the time doors open. The doors open early for people to buy alcohol. I waited almost 2 hours the other night. lol But the show made up for it.
Heh, yeah, seems to be the case. I've got tickets for Massive Attack (more on them later) and the doors open at 6:45. Unfortunately, they don't specify when the show will actually start. Thanks for the reply, it's very gratifying to know that someone's reading!
Post a Comment