Live show reports / comments

[bogskaggmannen]

who goes to a fucking Power Electronics gig and ends up being offended by the visuals?!

The same people who were most interested in Kristoffer Oustad? I reckon Germany still has a lot of dark Berndt ambient-fans.

[vomitgore]

This is actually kind of a valid and interesting question. Of course, the field of "extreme" Industrial is home to many individuals who take different approaches, so it's kind of hard to speak of nationality-based tastes and understanding, but my observation is that most German Industrial fans are keen on aesthetics close to Tesco and Galakthorrö related projects. A lot of military and political symbolism, basic personal themes etc. The whole sexually perverse thing doesn't seem to be that big with most Germans, at least not, if it's presented in a direct and "un-artsy" way. As said, the S.T.A.B. visuals were quite brutal by a normal porn standard, but certainly not extraordinarily grim by the standards of international Industrial / PE.

[Jaakko V.]

Isn't that the video with the exclusively gay fisting? Who could blame people of normal sexual orientation for leaving the room, heh? I mean it's not such a far-fetched reaction for healthy males (I presume most of them were males) to just react with gut instinct: this is shit / uninteresting. Are "power electronics fans" supposed to leave their personal preferences at home in the name of industrial and just gulp down whatever sleaze there is for offer? I can understand viewing 'disturbing material' from the point of view of 'observer', for realizations of different kinds, but honestly: if blatant gay porn isn't one's thing, and if it doesn't really stimulate the neurons in any creative way, why should one keep watching it or pretend that it's all all right? That time could be used for a nice chat with friends while waiting for a better gig. Not saying that STAB is not good (I at least liked his gigs), but ..c'mon!

[vomitgore]

I would have understood the reaction to gay porn, but it was all heterosexual material. Tit torture, Ballbusting etc, but I didn't notice any homosexuality. Of course, it is understandable that people don't want to see that kind of material, I was just surprised how many were so openly appalled.

[Ashmonger]

Noisefest V, 19/12/2015, Kortrijk, Belgium

Gods Wil: Short Harsh Noise gig with nice sound, though dragging some chains and other metal stuff through a shopping cart connected to a contact mic and going through some effect pedals isn't exactly rocket science. But it sounded good and was a nice opener.

Clamor: Power Electronics project with the guy from Svartvit. Pretty good, especially near the end it got more and more oppressive.

Isaac: Drone (I guess), nice sounds, but also some sounds (like signals) which just didn't seem to fit in with the rest, so ok, but not great.

Zyrtax: Power Electronics, not bad, but not really great either... Not too fond of the sound of the cymbals being thrown around. Also funny to see him lift up an electric guitar which had apparently been lying on the table, still don't know whether it was used to make sounds or not, to then see him use it to bash on the cymbals, haha.

Am Not: Very good, was everything that I expected from it and most probably the best gig of the night.

Edge of Decay: Really wanted to see them and there was a 30 min break between them and Am Not, so we went for food, but we had to wait for a while, because it was rather crowded, so by the time we came back (about 40min later), Edge of Decay was already playing. 5 mins later it was over. Bummer, since what we heard did sound pretty good.

Sisto Rossi: Layered Harsh Noise Wall (if I'm not mistaken, some acts are a bit blurred in my memory). Not bad, but not very interesting either.

Arv & Miljö: Nice fieldrecordings etc., sounded interesting, though it's more music to listen at home than live. And just cutting the sound of at the end of the gig really doesn't fit with this kind of music...

Neutral: Crazy guitar, bass guitar, loops kind of Industrial/Noise music. Pretty good, especially that last track was damn good. Didn't like the parts with the trumpet though. Fucking trumpets...

Damien Dubrovnik: Only know the latest LP but they certainly played some stuff from that LP and it was really good!

[urall]

I was also at Noisefest.

Gods Wil: This was OK, bit boring. It sounded allright, but overall it had no energy and dynamics. I expected the shopping cart to be heavily damaged in the end, but nope.

Clamor: Great set!

Isaac: laptop drone, good for 5 minutes. Not my kinda thing so i walked out.

Zyrtax: Like Ashmonger said, the cymbals being thrown around was silly, almost comical.

Am Not: Due to the short break after this, we decided to skip this and go for food.

Edge of Decay: Hah, saw most of this set and it was really good!  HNW with good depth and texture, awesome set.

Sisto Rossi: Was OK, but not too exciting.

Arv & Miljö: I was into it. Lots of field recordings blending etc.. The ending was indeed weirdly abrupt.

Neutral: Well, one of the highlights for me. I think this would be even better if they were not on a big stage though. Next time i want to see them in some dingy cellar. Imo the trumpets sounded great ;)

Damien Dubrovnik: They delivered as a headliner. A real 'show' and sounded great.

Bottom line: Scandinavia ruled all and Clamor was a nice surprise.

[Ashmonger]

Edge of Decay: Hah, saw most of this set and it was really good!  HNW with good depth and texture, awesome set.

Fuck fuck fuck! Hah. Then again, Am Not was great too, hehe.

Btw, just listened to the Clamor tape and it's good though sounds more subdued, more like the beginning of the set, I believe. Fine tape, but it was better live.

And considering Neutral: it seems I just don't like trumpets. On the Manifesto - Core album I don't really like them either...

[ConcreteMascara]

Ars Nova Workshop presents Hiroshi Hasegawa, Desiccant and Embarker - Philadelphia 11/2/16

first off, it was nice to see pretty decent attendance for a Thursday night noise show with only one "big" name. The same group is also organizing the Hijokaidan show in Philly next month (!!!). Hope to see more noise action in Philly.

Embarker - a mixture of glitchy, minimal video and sharp, un-distorted analog sounds. so I don't know gear for shit but I guess Embarker had some combo of modulars and whatever else. the first "song" was a bit too much directionless bleeps and bloops for my taste, but after that things started to get more loopy and pseudo rhythmic. it reminded me of early '00s Autechre mixed with Nautical Almanac, like some sort of abrasive, beatless DSP nightmare. thanks to the volume it was surprisingly harsh and grating, just not in the normal gutter noise way I'm used to. good to see something different, though I don't know how well I'd enjoy it for home listening.

Desiccant - scum noise duo from Philly(?). first track was all looping goodness with increasing sub-bass frequencies. not quite harsh, but multi-layered and interesting. second track picked up a fried psychedelic vibe with gurgling korg sounds and rough backwards cymbal sounds. as things progressed the performance got a very '07 American noise vibe, reminding me a lot of golden era Wolf Eyes. then homemade wind instruments came out and I feared the worst but things actually got quite brutally harsh. there seemed to be some layer of animal sounds too. some real feral shit. sadly they had nothing for sale but definitely a pleasantly surprising performance.

Hiroshi Hasegawa - I've only seen Hasegawa play once before as ASTRO at No Fun Fest in '08 and that's a very nostalgia tinted memory for me so I was worried this would not live up to the memory. how very wrong I was...
literally one of the best harsh noise sets I've ever seen. 50 minutes long without almost a single dull moment. the set seemed much shorter than that. it was a pleasure to watch someone who knows exactly what they're doing. the flow was relatively quickly paced, most "sections" only lasting a few minutes at most. there was a perfect balance of hi and low end frequencies. shrieking feedback, extremely crunch synth bits, field recordings. it was all there.
but the surprise, at least to me, was the absolutely brutally shrill vocal attacks that happened a few times. not something I was expecting at all. what I remember of the ASTRO set was long sweeping psychedelic noise. this was skullcrushing, nonstop assault and loud as hell too.

a great evening at good venue with consistent performances. for $10 can't ask for more than that!

[whiteheatnoise]

literally one of the best harsh noise sets I've ever seen.

My exact feelings regarding his performance at End Tymes 2014, although I believe it certainly was the best harsh noise set I've witnessed. A true master of control, dynamics, and somehow creating continuous momentum throughout a pummeling harsh noise set. A Hiroshi Hasegawa c60 will be released on Skeleton Dust Recordings soon featuring his set at End Tymes, as well as some studio recordings that are similar in style.

[eyestrain]

I missed him by a few hours here in Philly! Fuck!

[ConcreteMascara]

literally one of the best harsh noise sets I've ever seen.

My exact feelings regarding his performance at End Tymes 2014, although I believe it certainly was the best harsh noise set I've witnessed. A true master of control, dynamics, and somehow creating continuous momentum throughout a pummeling harsh noise set. A Hiroshi Hasegawa c60 will be released on Skeleton Dust Recordings soon featuring his set at End Tymes, as well as some studio recordings that are similar in style.

that's excellent news, I look forward to hearing it!

[Bloated Slutbag]

Hiroshi Hasegawa - I've only seen Hasegawa play once before as ASTRO at No Fun Fest in '08 and that's a very nostalgia tinted memory for me so I was worried this would not live up to the memory. how very wrong I was...
literally one of the best harsh noise sets I've ever seen. 50 minutes long without almost a single dull moment. the set seemed much shorter than that. it was a pleasure to watch someone who knows exactly what they're doing. the flow was relatively quickly paced, most "sections" only lasting a few minutes at most. there was a perfect balance of hi and low end frequencies. shrieking feedback, extremely crunch synth bits, field recordings. it was all there.
but the surprise, at least to me, was the absolutely brutally shrill vocal attacks that happened a few times. not something I was expecting at all.

On more than a few occasions Hasegawa has supplemented his more full-on sets, which perhaps unsurprisingly have played out at more noise-oriented events, with a good dose of lung action. I often wonder if it is entirely planned or a matter of getting caught up in the harshmoment. When he's got a partner with him vocal duties tend to be duly delegated. I love Hasegawa in all incarnations, solo, duo, harsh, otherwise. Once caught Astro at a tiny art space that served wine in little plastic cups. Tiny pair of speakers, not a noisehead in sight. Whispery soft ambience all the way through, probably not even noticed by the neighbors downstairs. That was cool too, total mood music.

[Zeno Marx]

Ars Nova Workshop presents Hiroshi Hasegawa, Desiccant and Embarker - Philadelphia 11/2/16

This show was recorded by someone and is now being shared at the Dime tracker:  http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=553667

[vomitgore]

WILL TO POWER ELECTRONICS II

So, good people in Mannheim put together another two day festival. Venue and people were great as always, shows were interesting, too.

Friday:

AM NOT: Very good, as expected. The set in November knocked me out cold, so that "wow" effect wasn't there this time, as the project had already proven its supremacy. This set was a bit calmer than the one in November and maybe a tad less exciting. Still great, though!

NORDVARGR: Project that doesn't interest me, really. Did some kind of slow Ambient thing with some rhythms. Possibly good for people who are more into the whole Cold Spring material, but I left after 10 minutes.

GRIM (Noise Rock): Grim did two sets on two days. This one worked absolutely great. Heavy, aggressive, tense. A lot of energy and build-up.

RAMLEH: May be a bit akward to talk down to such a legendary project, but I thought it was terrible. Totally uninspired sounds reminiscent of the worse moments of Putrefier and probably the weakest vocal performance I have yet seen. Just forceless moaning, zero punch. Very disappointing.


Saturday:
KE/HIL: Damn good! With an act like Ke/Hil, you just instantly know what to expect. Very rhythmic and clean compositions like they are rarely done nowadays. Much better than last year's gig.

LINEKRAFT: Hot DAMN! This was absolute insanity. Darkest and most aggressive synth mixed with relentless oil-barrell maltreatment and a dedicated, full-frontal vocal performance. Truly jaw-dropping and close to absolute perfection. Left the entire crowd with open mouthes and clapping hands. There is no doubt that this guy beat every other act hands down.

PUCE MARY: Don't like the project, really. Stuff on FA was okayish, the rest doesn't work for me at all, even the "hit" works. Gig in Dresden was very good, though! This one probably showed the project from the side that I can't get into. Slow oscillation, clean soundscapes etc. As usual, good vocals, but still not my bag.

CONTROL: Good, clean standard PE. Thomas did very good vocals and the underlying rhythms he used were refreshing. Nothing out of the ordinary, but it doesn't have to be for me. Enjoyable!

GRIM (Noise show): Some nice ideas like giving rattles to the entire crowd, but too experimental for me personally. Not bad, just something that utilises techniques that don't appeal to me that much. Still, very good reaction from virtually everyone else, heh.

[Ernpe]

Keränen @ Lepakkomies, Helsinki 5.10.2016

Somewhat odd crossover night with Keränen warming up for two local punk bands. Not too many people in when Keränen started his mayhem. Two amps on stage, bass also thru PA-system equals very loud and strong sound. Set started with "slow" bass roaring noise, then evolving into more hectic, incapacitian noise as contact mics entered. Smoothly running and evolving set of c. 10 minutes, no dull moments. Perhaps best show I've seen from Keränen and also one of the best noise gigs I've seen this year, though what a great year noisewise this has been.