Fever Ray @ Webster Hall

This was Karin Dreijer Andersson’s first US show as Fever Ray and what a show it was. Andersson has not stepped on a stage in the States since her last visit to Webster Hall in 2006 with her brother Olof as The Knife. The stage was set with smoke machines, synchronized lamp shades of yellow incandescent light that contrasted the green laser beams bouncing off mirrors on the stage and ceiling. All of this was designed by none other than artist and director Andreas Nilsson, who has directed her spooky-short film videos as well as previous work on the Knife projects. With a much larger live band than expected, the stage was filled with three sampling stations in addition to an large percussion arrangement of tribal drums and Karin’s microphone and guitar setup.

The show opened with “If I Had A Heart” as the droning sample rung with Karin hidden beneath a large Indian headdress that engulfed her entire body. This went along with the primal imagery of Nilsson’s design that also included warpaint and American Indian hand crosses brilliantly juxtaposed by the beams of light, making the smoke look like a moving ocean above our heads.

The perfect sound mix added to what was a flawless show. The deep bass of songs like “Coconut” were heart-pounding. Lights even shined on Karin’s face as her impeccable voice crooned the lyrics to “When I Grow Up” and “Seven.” In addition to songs off of the self-titled record, Fever Ray played two cover songs recorded with Van Rivers and The Subliminal Kid. The tracks are available on a limited vinyl release. “Stranger than Kindness,” originally by Nick Cave and Anita Lane, and “Here Before” by Vashti Bunyan added to s seamless set.

The only awkward moment of the show ironically came when it ended. As Karin and company left the stage the house lights stayed off and the sold out crowd of 1400 clamored for an expected encore. After four minutes of darkness, its almost guaranteed that a band will return to the stage. But Karin Dreijer Andersson is the pinnacle of non-conformity and did not return. The house music slowly began to get louder until the house lights came on, leaving everyone confused but not unfulfilled.

This show was on our calendar for months and was easily the most anticipated of the year. Somehow our expectations were exceeded.  To put it in plain English, it is was one of the best fucking performances I have ever seen in my life.

Setlist:

If I Had A Heart
Triangle Walks
Concrete Walls
Seven
Now’s the Only Time
Dry and Dusty
I’m Not Done
Keep the Streets Empty
Stranger than Kindness
When I Grow Up
Here Before
Coconut

Here’s a sample from the MELT Festival in Germany:

NIN Adds NYC Club Dates: Bowery, Webster Hall & More!!

Trent’s farewell tour just got a bit more interesting and perhaps more fitting.  After attending the NIN/JA show in at PNC in NJ, I was left disappointed.  As the last note of “Hurt” was played, the writhing hard-hitting NIN that that I had seen more than ten times live seemed to have ended with a whimper, destroying my dream of hearing “Heresy” played live.

Now Trent seems to have agreed (citing short sets and large outdoor venues in daylight as not the way to go out).  The announcement came today via Twitter, thanks to Trent’s recent return to the digital world.  But just as he announced it, the servers crashed, delaying the official NIN.com announcement while they patched them up for some 45 minutes.  Dates have yet to be announced.

Full Post from nin.com below:

Getting right to the point, we’re going to play a handful of shows in NYC, Chicago and LA starting August 22nd. They will be informal affairs in medium to small venues with longer set-lists, possible special guests, cool openers and other surprises. Upon reflection, the NIN/JA tour felt like we had to rush through sets due to a limited allotted set length and many shows were in daylight – it just didn’t feel right to end NIN that way. An offer to headline V-Fest in Toronto (being announced soon) set the idea in motion to play some FUN shows to end this up with. If we can get it together we’ll film these shows, too

In NYC we’ll be playing Bowery Ballroom, Webster Hall and Terminal 5. In Chicago, the Aragon Ballroom. In LA we’ll be at The Wiltern, The Henry Fonda, The Palladium and The Echoplex. These should be cool, unusual and unique shows and I hope you come out – this is it.

So far, The Horrors will be joining us for some shows in NYC, Mew will be with us at other shows in NYC, Chicago and LA, and perhaps more.
Details and ticket info will be announced shortly, so check back.”

Thanks,
Trent

Redemption awaits…

Fishpork’s Ten Favorite Shows of 2008

As a collective, Fishpork attended 15 live shows this year (and there are still two more: Of Montreal tomorrow and Crystal Castles on New Year’s Eve, both at the Music Hall of Williamsburg). Unfortunately, a band does not have complete control over how well received their live performance can be. This was the case with all bands that played in our least favorite venue of 2008: The Electric Factory in Philadelphia. Although Animal Collective managed to overcome the venue’s sound limitations the best, others were not so lucky (The Mars Volta, TV on the Radio, Of Montreal). Unless Jeff Mangum announces a show here, Fishpork will avoid it at all costs in 2009. Highlights of the year included an intoxicating performance by Deerhunter, a sweaty dance party curated by Girl Talk, and a 3am secret show by Modest Mouse. These were our favorite shows of 2008:

1. Deerhunter @ The Music Hall of Wiiliamsburg
2. Girl Talk @ Starlight Ballroom
3. Enon @ Hiro Ballroom
4. Modest Mouse @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
5. Built to Spill @ Terminal 5
6. Animal Collective @ Electric Factory
7. Nine Inch Nails @ Wachovia Center
8. Radiohead @ APW Festival
9. Saul Williams @ The Trocadero
10. Battles @ Johnny Brendas

Honorable Mention:

Holy Fuck @ Johnny Brendas
Crystal Castles @ Webster Hall
Health @ House of Blues
TV on the Radio @ Electric Factory
Of Montreal @ Electric Factory

Least Favorite Show of 2008

The Mars Volta @ Electric Factory

Favorite Live Venue of 2008

Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA

Least Favorite Venue of 2008

Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA

Spend New Year’s Eve with Crystal Castles!

Bring in 2009 with Ethan Kath and Alice Glass, better known as Crystal Castles, at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn. The Hall will be hosting our favorite electro-thrash Canadians on New Year’s Eve this year and is without a doubt one of the best venues in the NY area to see a show.  The Modest Mouse secret show and Deerhunter show earlier this month were easily the best shows of the year. If this show is anything like their Webster Hall performance, it will be a night to remember.

Their self-titled debut album released earlier this year is sure to be in many of the Top 10 lists that will begin to pop up over the next few weeks.

Alice gave a boot and smashed my camera into a few pieces at that show, but all that mattered was that the memory card survived.  Check out our pics from that show here. This is sure to be another great one on New Year’s Eve in Brooklyn.

Get your tickets here before it sells out.

CRYSTAL CASTLES – Courtship Dating (official video)
by Differentrecordings

http://www.myspace.com/crystalcastles

Crystal Castles @ Webster Hall

A few months ago I wrote a review raving about electro-thrash duo, Crystal Castles’ self-titled debut album. Months later, the album still holds up as one of the year’s best. As a live band, CC is a three-piece, with Ethan Kath on manipulatables, Alice Glass on whispers and shouting, as well as Michael Bell (Lymbyc System) on percussion. After several years of relentless touring, CC performances have garnered a reputation as raw and chaotic. This was no exception at Webster Hall in New York’s East Village two Thursdays ago.

The show started after a long break between opening bands. Friends and I showed up in the middle of the break, so I cannot comment on the opening acts (mission accomplished). Without the crowd noticing, Crystal Castles mastermind, Ethan Kath, snuck onto stage and mounted his electronic gear without many noticing. At that point, the bass kicked in and a strobe light provided the light on a mostly dark stage. The hypnotic lighting worked well, as Alice made her way on stage. The feelings among many concerning Glass’ vocal style are mixed to say the least. In a New York Times review of the show, Nate Chinen obviously doesn’t comprehend the Crystal Castles mythos:

The grinding screech of the L train after the show was more engaging, and less mannered.

The set was sporadic and short. Highlights included bass-heavy Black Panther which brought the crowd to a frenzy, as the second floor of Webster Hall shook relentlessly from the simultaneous jumping of the entire crowd. Crowd favorites were obvious. The place went absolutely mental when Crystal Castles’ hit Crimewave, a reinvention of a track by noise rockers, HEALTH. Alice, with her bottle of wine, running mascara, and tattered skirt, sang the inaudible vocals as Kath manipulated her voice even more. The sound in general at Webster Hall was impressive, and Kath’s beats sounded Godlike. Alice’s mics, however, were completely drowned out, which is annoying since she is the centerpiece of the live set. Let’s be honest. She’s merely a guest vocalist on the band’s debut album, and Kath’s beats are what makes Crystal Castles go. But on electro-thrash tracks like Alice Practice and Love and Caring, Glass is more of a focus, and it would be nice if her vocals were somewhat audible. Instead, we are left with her stage antics, which are entertaining in their own right. Not caring about the intentions of hundreds of wandering hands, she continuously stage dived into the crowd. It has been documented in previous shows, that crowds at CC shows are not always as respectful of the diving Glass as one would hope for. Throughout the night, Glass poured wine onto the heads of fans in the first row and jumped into the crowd numerous times from one of several stage amps.

And all of a sudden, it was over. The crowd lingered, confused and yearning for more. It wouldn’t have hurt CC to come out and appease the crowd for more, especially if they want to keep their growing fanbase happy. In this age of filesharing and creative distribution structures in the music industry, bands need to keep fans at their live shows happy. You would have thought that some of Trent Reznor’s fanlove would have rubbed off on them during the Canadian shows they opened up for Nine Inch Nails. For that reason, the show was a minor disappointment. The greatest trick that Crystal Castles ever pulled was convincing the world they existed. And like that, poof. They’re gone.

Due to the sporadic nature of the set, a setlist is not available at this time.