Live show reports / comments

[Balor/SS1535]

Can you say more about the Ochu set?  It sounds from what you say that it was amplified?  If so, how?

It was a three-piece for this performance. Combination of pre-recorded sounds on (mostly?) tape and lots of live fumbling & cracking of various types of wood. The live source sounds were looped and manipulated which created a nice blend with the prerecorded materials. The focus was definitely on the sounds produced in the moment.


Besides that an absolutely amazing set by Alfarmania + Proiekt Hat, somehow managing to perfectly walk the line between crude abrupt madness & hallucinatory psychedelic drift. Other noteworthy sets were Anenzephalia, Treriksröset, Lille Roger and Control.

Thank you!  It sounds very cool, not to mention a fun idea for future experimentation.

[post-morten]

Gutted I couldn't be in Stockholm this time. Lots of acts I hate having missed out on. I'm especially annoyed to have missed Alfarmania/Proiekt Hat once again. No big reveal on who is behind African Imperial Wizard then? Expected but a little bit disappointing.

AIW is a French (white) guy with a background in the techno scene. He was pretty much the only non black-clad person in the venue. I didn't like his set. Not so much for his style of music. More so for the sort of cultural appropriation he indulges in. His imagery and background videos promote stereotypes by taking African tribal traditions out of context and exploiting them for his own purposes. Having lived a decade on African soil I can't help but object to this.

As for the good stuff I pretty much agree with everyone else. Inade, Lille Roger, Control, Ochu, Alfarmania + Proiekt Hat all delivered super solid sets. Also need to mention Trepaneringsritualen. Of course they are now a mainstay on the live circuit but this was my first opportunity too see them, which was most impressing. Also liked Beckahesten, sort of a slower, more introvert Sephiroth.

[Phenol]

Gutted I couldn't be in Stockholm this time. Lots of acts I hate having missed out on. I'm especially annoyed to have missed Alfarmania/Proiekt Hat once again. No big reveal on who is behind African Imperial Wizard then? Expected but a little bit disappointing.

AIW is a French (white) guy with a background in the techno scene. He was pretty much the only non black-clad person in the venue. I didn't like his set. Not so much for his style of music. More so for the sort of cultural appropriation he indulges in. His imagery and background videos promote stereotypes by taking African tribal traditions out of context and exploiting them for his own purposes. Having lived a decade on African soil I can't help but object to this.

As for the good stuff I pretty much agree with everyone else. Inade, Lille Roger, Control, Ochu, Alfarmania + Proiekt Hat all delivered super solid sets. Also need to mention Trepaneringsritualen. Of course they are now a mainstay on the live circuit but this was my first opportunity too see them, which was most impressing. Also liked Beckahesten, sort of a slower, more introvert Sephiroth.

Thanks for clearing that up. Can't help but find it a little stupid to create all of that mystery and fake identity only to blow the cover like that. I'm not so sure how I feel about AIW. Something about the whole thing feels a bit off to me. I don't like to throw terms like "fake" around too much, but that's kind of how it feels to me. I understand your sentiment about the cultural appropriation of African tribal culture. At the same time, that's also kind of what industrial is; the appropriation/subversion of information by displacing it, so why not do that to African culture(s) as well? I was a bit curious about Beckahesten. I have difficulty not laughing at neo-pagan dress up like stupid elfs bands such as Wardruna and Heilung and Beckahesten is a little bit to that side, at the same time I have listened to some of their stuff on Spotify when I saw their name on the poster for this event and found it strangely enjoyable. Glad the event was a succes!

[Manhog_84]

Any comments from those who participated Congresso Post Industriale?

[Phenol]

Any comments from those who participated Congresso Post Industriale?

I had a blast. S.T.A.B Electronics and Sutcliffe No More were my favourites. S.T.A.B was the first to go on stage and delivered a good and angry show. His vocal delivery was on point and the sound was great. Zero Kama was up next and had moments where it sounded like the old stuff, but was mostly an ethno/trance/techno set, so not really my thing. Fun to get to see it nonetheless and many seemed to enjoy it. Paul Tayler delivered a very good show. Very much in the vein of Sutcliffe No More. Shouting and screaming in an intense but also narrative style. A very energetic performance. I didn't see Patient K as I was busy drinking and talking outside. Stratvm terror was heavy and grinding with great vocals, but after a while it began to bore me a little bit, I can't tell you precisely why since everything should really be up my ally. Sutcliffe No More was the highlight of the evening. So intense it was at times almost unbearable. It felt like being sucked into a vortex of chaos and they looked like they were having a good time too. I gotta admit, I didn't expect too much from them and it took me by surprise that the old geezers could deliver such an energetic and chaotic yet well structured performance. The dual vocal attacks were really intense and beneath the chaos there was a brooding sense of melancholy. This is the best live performance I've seen in a good while. Raison d'Etre was a little boring compared to the Berlin show in the spring. He focused a lot on loops of gongs and metallic sounds with a lot of reverb. You could say he had a more industrial kind of sound, but I would have liked more of his signature melancholic melodies and gregorian chants. These elements were present, of course, but a bit too buried beneath the reverberated metal clanging. Overall it was a very enjoyable evening and night, catching up with old friends and meeting a few new people as well. Also, I stayed at a "spa" located by the highway in an industrial quarter which was basically the place you bring the one who's not your girlfriend. Everything was pink, there were hearts everywhere and books on sexual positions, tantra etc. on the night stand. That brought a little more amusement to the situation.

[Manhog_84]

Thanks. Good heads up to avoid Zero Kama live shows...

[cr]

Any comments from those who participated Congresso Post Industriale?

I was there as well, and I can only confirm everything Phenol already wrote above!
Patient K was short, but very intense. Very good, I was impressed, by both Taylor and Tomkins solo shows. But together as Sutcliffe No More, they really just were the highlight of the evening.
Also, I was quite happy to finally see S.T.A.B. Electronics, as I missed the one in Linz last year because of fucking Covid.

The location - Ex convent of San Francesco - is amazing!
And all shows started exactly on time, when they were scheduled.

Many thanks to Rodolfo/OEC and everyone involved for making this happen!

[Stipsi]

Any comments from those who participated Congresso Post Industriale?

I was there as well, and I can only confirm everything Phenol already wrote above!
Patient K was short, but very intense. Very good, I was impressed, by both Taylor and Tomkins solo shows. But together as Sutcliffe No More, they really just were the highlight of the evening.
Also, I was quite happy to finally see S.T.A.B. Electronics, as I missed the one in Linz last year because of fucking Covid.

The location - Ex convent of San Francesco - is amazing!
And all shows started exactly on time, when they were scheduled.

Many thanks to Rodolfo/OEC and everyone involved for making this happen!

I was at Pordenone and i can confirm everything.
Stab electronics and sutcliffe no more the best acts of the festival.
Not to much into zero kama, so i went out after 5 minutes.
Stratvm Terror very good but to long. Raison d etre did only two tracks because probably he was to drunk, but it was the reason he was cool.
I missed Patient K and Paul Taylor as solo sets because i was out to drink.
But honestly one of the best cong in ages.

[tisbor]

Any comments from those who participated Congresso Post Industriale?

I was there as well, and I can only confirm everything Phenol already wrote above!
Patient K was short, but very intense. Very good, I was impressed, by both Taylor and Tomkins solo shows. But together as Sutcliffe No More, they really just were the highlight of the evening.
Also, I was quite happy to finally see S.T.A.B. Electronics, as I missed the one in Linz last year because of fucking Covid.

The location - Ex convent of San Francesco - is amazing!
And all shows started exactly on time, when they were scheduled.

Many thanks to Rodolfo/OEC and everyone involved for making this happen!

I was at Pordenone and i can confirm everything.
Stab electronics and sutcliffe no more the best acts of the festival.
Not to much into zero kama, so i went out after 5 minutes.
Stratvm Terror very good but to long. Raison d etre did only two tracks because probably he was to drunk, but it was the reason he was cool.
I missed Patient K and Paul Taylor as solo sets because i was out to drink.
But honestly one of the best cong in ages.

Likewise.
Sutcliffe No More were amazing. Keith had a some problems with volume of vocals at the start but then he fixed it. Excellent pissed off set. Location is beautiful (can't be super loud unfortunately), and it's a good tradition to fill Pordenone with weird perverts once a year.

[impulse manslaughter]

Anyone here went to the VOD-festival last weekend? Would like to read a review of this.

[Phenol]

I weren't there, but the responses I've got from a few friends who were are all very positive. The images I've seen look more like an old folks' home on day trip than a counter-cultural event, though, and I can't shake the feeling of it being a nostalgia party/group wank for geriatric industrial-yuppies (and yes, I know, I went to the SPK re-union which can be accused of being the very same thing, although at a much more affordable price, travel and accomodation aside). I'm curious about peoples' experience too, though, so do tell!

[impulse manslaughter]

I was curious as i saw at least 10 of the acts live over the last few years and they were mostly underwhelming, just playing audio-files or cds. Zoviet France was the exception with a great live performance some years ago. Sick lineup for this fest though. Laibach performance was the highlight apparently.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Thanks. Good heads up to avoid Zero Kama live shows...

One has to think it as something else, than re-creation of the 80's material. There is fairly new live CD, which is probably just like the gig was. Not bad if one is ok with beats, but its not to be expected to be like old days.

[k.p.g]

One has to think it as something else, than re-creation of the 80's material.

Saw their return to the live stage at Summer Scum a few years ago.  To say many looked disappointed by having this mindset would be an understatement.

[k.p.g]

On a brighter note, happy to see there is actually a thread for live shows.  Hooray!  I have to say that I have seen a number of standout acts this year that do not get their flowers much.  Perhaps it is because of minimal output/online presence.  Let me highlight here:

Robert Fuchs & YU//F came and played New Jersey in April, and it turned out to be a surprisingly good turnout for a Thursday night!  I have said it once before but it is funny to know that college students up at Rutgers see what we do up there and call it "The New Brunswick Noise."  Half the time you maybe get one jersey local on shows. hah. 
As for these performances though, both artists were on point.  YU//F started out with some crushing, crude harsh before descending into some absolutely stellar tape ambient.  Robert Fuchs did his usual mixer feedback spiel but something felt different about it this time.  It felt far more dialed in and ferocious.  Definitely the best time  I had seen Dean perform.

In May, I played up in Providence, Rhode Island as part of a tour with Max Julian Eastman & Fricker.  This gig was particularly noteworthy for having the best performance I saw on those round of shows, courtesy of a virtual unknown in Causis.  His actual name is Keegan BH, and I mention that as I have no idea whether the Causis name is meant to stick or not.  However, it shouldn't matter when the noise rips as hard as it did with him.  4 track manipulations brought through a harsher, more cut-up vibe.  Not at all how I would approach tape noise, and I am not sure how he accomplished what he did.  I was pretty hard drunk at that point, and this set did the trick.  We can only hope for a release to come soon, as I think this is an artist more people need to hear. 

I must continue throwing my praise towards the young bunch of New Jersey who are stepping up their live work.  I already mentioned Scronch once before on here but their performances as Storage Locker Suicide have gotten better each time I see it this year.  They have another friend named Ian who performs under the name MSDS.  Tons of harsh tape manipulation.  Like I said with Causis, MSDS does things with tape that I would never think to do and that was certainly displayed in the set I saw of theirs.  Think of a Dilloway meets Facialmess type of performance.  Pretty rad!

PCRV delivered an electrifying set with his first ever performance in New Jersey.  Feel like tons of people had been posting about his sets on the usual social media channels but it was the real deal that has to be mentioned again. The old guard shows no sign of slowing down here.

Lastly, must mention again that the Sheer Anxiety duo I saw with Andrea Pensado & Christopher Strunk a few weeks ago was brilliant.  A great combination of harsh electronics, vocal freak outs and percussive fury!