Batschkapp, Frankfurt am Main, Germany18th March 2009
Combichrist, Aesthetic Perfection & Auto-Auto
Being on tour from January to May, the workaholic Andy LaPlegua and his project COMBICHRIST are rocking the world. Beside the gigs in the USA, LaPlegua comes to many European countries. Seven concerts, including the Pluswelt-Festival VII that is going to take place in Krefeld on 3rd April, will lead him to German clubs. On 18th March, it was time to dance for all Frankfurt fans who gathered at the Batschkapp waiting for COMBICHRIST and the support acts, AUTO-AUTO from Sweden and the American project AESTHETIC PERFECTION.
The Swedish duo AUTO-AUTO opened up the concert evening. Erik Frankel and Johan Hellqvist founded their project in 2004. They describe it as a mix of Synth Pop and darker EBM influenced by bands such as COVENANT, KRAFTWERK and DEPECHE MODE. The debut album `Sounds of a new Generator´ made the Electro scene listening attentively and gained a very positive feedback due to the interesting and catchy arrangements. Last year, AUTO-AUTO released the second long-player `Celeste´ that followed the tradition of the melodious and danceable sound the musicians had already convinced with their critics before. http://www.auto-auto.se/
Music & Performance
In my opinion, the guys did a good job, although it seemed that they had to face the disadvantage of being not that popular and well-known to the bigger part of the audience. Thus, AUTO-AUTO received a more restrained reception in spite of the appealing sound the band presented. When Frankel and Hellqvist entered the stage, many visitors were buying some drinks at the bar or paying a visit to the merchandise stand. Nevertheless, the duo offered a setlist containing danceable and well-done songs wrapped in a nice Electro Pop soundscape. Though, the two of them could not move as freely as they wanted to, as they had to play the keyboards. Anyhow, they animated the crowd and brought a solid performance. Furthermore, they were a bit disregarded in respect of the light; perhaps a better light show would have brought them the deserved audience’s attraction. After about 30 minutes and the last song of the set, `Shadowland´, AUTO-AUTO said goodbye and received friendly applause.
Rating
Music: 7
Performance: 7
Sound: 7
Light: 4
Total: 6.6 / 10
Aesthetic Perfection
Daniel Graves is the mastermind of the project AESTHETIC PERFECTION that released the debut album `Close to Human´ in 2005. The formation acquired an enthusiastic following that was taken with the multi-faceted and hard Electro style. By releasing the second album `A Violent Emotion´ in 2008, Graves affirmed that his success hadn’t just been a flash in the pan. The aggressive sound is enhanced by Synth Pop effects and guarantees large quantities of dance floor stuff. http://aesthetic-perfection.net
Music & Performance
After a short changeover, the stage was decorated with a backdrop showing a knife – it was time for AESTHETIC PERFECTION. The second support act seemed to be eagerly awaited by many listeners and was welcomed in a rapturous way. Fortunately, the light show was more intensive than before. Daniel Graves and his musicians offered everything the fan of Electro music desires: Flogging beats, distorted vocals and a sweaty show made the crowd go wild. According to that, his 30-minutes set, including some songs of both albums was received well. The front man screamed at the top of his voice and was full of energy. The grateful and warmed-up audience paid a great applause back.
Rating
Music: 7
Performance: 9
Sound: 6
Light: 6
Total: 7.3 / 10
Combichrist
The creative and restless Norwegian, who is also successful with his other formation ICON OF COIL, scored a big hit again by releasing the recent long-player `Today we are all Demons´ last year. Hence, it had been a matter of time until he should announce the tour dates to test his new stuff’s live capability. Due to its length, the following changeover was a bit confusing. When the lights went down for the first time, the crowd laughed too soon, as it was only a kind of test concerning the lighting system. Finally, the concert began. Not for the faint-hearted, the show came as a real bombshell right from the start. http://www.combichrist/
Music & Performance
Andy LaPlegua and his band, consisting of Joe Letz (drums), z_marr (keyboards), Trevor Friedrich (percussions) and Mr. Peterson (keyboards), caused a firework of Aggrotech, Electro and Industrial sounds that made everybody - and I really mean everybody - dance. Like a berserk, the front man dashed from the left to the right and find some relief from the heat by splashing water down on himself and the first rows. The band also did a hard work; especially the drummers were the icing on the cake, as they brought the show to the musical and visual perfection. If you have ever seen a COMBICHRIST concert, you will know that the lyrics aren’t poetic at all.
With full force and true to the motto “Blood, Sex, Demons”, they perfectly match with the brute compositions and result in the infernal sound the fans long for. Like a hellhound and firing song by song at his fans, LaPlegua caused a dance floor inferno by screaming his hits such as `Without Emotions´ and `Shut up and swallow´. The newer pieces, for example `Scarred´ and `Today we are all Demons´, don’t have to be hidden behind the well-tried older stuff. Despite of the ear-attacking noise, the sound was always catchy, and even in the last rows, nearly everybody moved his body to the blast LaPlegua was responsible for.
Almost finished, the two encores `This shit will fuck you up´ and `What the Fuck is wrong with you´ were celebrated euphorically again. Since January, LaPlegua and his band have been on tour; that means back-breaking work on several days a week. Due to this fact, I can understand why the setlist wasn’t that extensive, and I guess that everybody was totally exhausted and satisfied at the same time after leaving the venue.
Setlist
01. All Pain is gone
02. Get out of my head
03. Electrohead
04. Without Emotions
05. Get your Body beat
06. I want your Blood
07. Scarred
08. Blut Royale
09. Today we are all Demons
10. This is my Rifle
11. Today I woke to the Rain of Blood
12. Like to thank my Buddies
13. Shut up and swallow
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14. This Shit will fuck you up
15. What the Fuck is wrong with you
Rating
Music: 7
Performance: 10
Sound: 8
Light: 7
Total: 8.1 / 10
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