DENMARK 14.9.2013Gig in Copenhagen. Great venue, huge size concrete basement with insane PA system. I guess this is first time for me, when PA has been so loud, that it's decided (by artists!) to turn it down significantly so it's not so unbearable volume!
It was loud, but not too loud. It was massively echoing, yet still distinctive enough for all bands to sound like themselves and not sink into blurry mass of noise.
Jaakko Vanhala played possible best set of his what I have seen? While show in Sweden last year suffered from lack of subwoofer power (accidentally switched off..) and show in belgium had some minor technical error with equipment preventing the final punch, this time just utter punch in the face harsh noise, with complexity and density, but also intense raw power!
Forza Albino was great surprise! While shows in Finland were the "trad" power electronics set up of two vintage synths and vocals, this time synthesizer, tape loops, prepared-noise-bass controlled synth and vocals created massive and creepy industrial feel. Slow throbbing pulsations, eerie repeating spoken word samples, barbaric vocal performance. Relatively stillness in stage presence contributed to the atmosphere. Brilliant!
Damien Dubrovnik was also possibly best set I have heard from them? Some people were critical of performance art vibe of one segment of set, but that was fine with me. I do acknowledge that swallowing contact mics and gagging & drooling is part of the ABC of noise performances (Sudden Infant, R&G, Dave Phillips, Randy Yau, etc.. just to name few), but most things are always to be re-re-re-discovered by others. Sonically crystallic tones and piercing feedbacks, huge percussive sounds, great vocals ranging from more quiet to ultimate screaming. Everything top-notch from compositional perspective. It's great to see fully thought-out sets.
For
Grunt, I'm obviously hardly objective to say much. Not the best gig of recent times, but neither worst. Few technical changes done AFTER soundcheck proved to be wrong choices, but judging from recording and live pictures, it was mostly reflecting atmosphere on stage, not so much off stage...
Despite huge size of venue, it didn't look empty at all. Good amount of crowd!
Thanks for Nikolaj for professional organization, Klaus for the slice on the floor and Posh crew, Forza barbarians etc. Thanks to last minute sleaze hunt in sunday morning, returned home with almost 40 super-8 loops and pile of mags! Copenhagen proves to be cultural city indeed.
I might throw few photos later on. Slide-show of several dozens of Grunt pictures combined with one live track can be found at:
http://grunt-finland.tumblr.com/
