Röhre, Stuttgart, Germany
28th September 2006
Bif Naked, The Vincent Black Shadow, Neurosonic
Reminding the audience of Bif Naked at the Taubertal Festival, I felt a little bit unsure what to expect of this evening. I met her for an interview right before the show and we talked in her tour bus. I got to know a very nice and friendly woman. She talked a lot about her dogs and hobbies and about religion. With this preparation I was looking forward to the concert. Whatever went wrong at the Taubertal festival, this time it was going to be a great evening. Unfortunately there weren’t many guests at the entrance and so I was a little bit concerned, whether this will be a successful evening for the musicians or not. I only knew “Die Röhre” of some parties, but I had never been there for a concert.
Neurosonic
Actually there is just one band member – Jason Darr. The songwriter learned all instruments he needed for his musical creations. After he had a Canadian hit by covering the Madonna hit “Music” he separated from that band and founded Neurosonic. The debut album “Drama Queen” came out at the 27the October in Europe. http://www.bodogmusic.com/neurosonic/
Music
With their energetic mixture the Canadians convinced the audience immediately. Jason Darr had some musicians with him and so they made a great show. He was very angry and sometimes just spit out his lyrics. So he made a song about “…the bitch Ashley Simpson”. Damn, I just want to know more about that topic. 
Performance
Matching to their power, the show was very fast. They just played some songs, but that was a good impression of the upcoming album. Unfortunately there wasn’t much light and so the other band members stood in the dark.
Rating
Music 6
Performance 7
Light 3
Sound 4
Total 5.6
The Vincent Black Shadow
The Canadian band signed their label contract in 2006 and their debut album “Fear’s in the water” just came out. The line-up is set with Cassandra Ford (vocals) and three Kirkham brothers - Rob Kirkham (guitar), Anthony Kirkham (drums) and Chris Kirkham (bass). The band is named after an old motorcycle. http://www.bodogmusic.com/tvbs/
Music
Right from the start this reminded me of the first album of No doubt. They played a wild mixture of Rock, Punk, Ska and some old-time influences. The additional keyboard melodies made the songs quite special and sometimes it sounded a little bit weird. The Kirkham brothers were very energetic. They tried to animate the audience and there were some heavy dancers in the first rows, which already seem to know them personally.
Performance
The singer Cassandra Ford is a beautiful little person, but she had an incredible strong voice. The eyes of the male guests hang on her tiny skirt and her legs. She made some jokes in-between the songs and told the audience about her new learned German word “Fledermaus” (bat). She had some tattoos, but not as much as Bif Naked. Sometimes she sang so fast the lyrics were hardly understood. During the breaks she drank some beer, but I stood a little bit besides the stage and so I could see that she just drank very tiny swallows. In the back of the stage she was drinking water. I don’t know why she wanted to make the audience believe she was drinking beer. They had a keyboard player with them who looked really funny. He seemed to be a little bit too big for the chair and the place behind his instrument.
Rating
Music 6
Performance 6
Light 5
Sound 5
Total 5.7
Bif Naked
The unique singer was born in India and is now living in Canada. She released seven solo albums and worked also with the punk bands Gorilla Gorilla and Chrome Dog. She toured around the whole world is also currently working on a television show. She studied theatre in the past and worked also in some horror movies. Her last album “Superbeautifulmonster” came out in 2005 and this was the tour to present it in Europe. http://www.herroyalmajestysrecords.com/bif/index.html
Music
Fortunately the room has already filled up before her concert and so she entered the stage to a huge applause. She was supported by Jason Darr (Neurosonic) and his musicians. Because of her incredible voice and her natural charisma she immediately attracted the attention of the audience. Mostly, she played songs from her current album, but there were also some older ones like “Spaceman”, which I haven’t heard for a long time. She was never interested in popular styles or popular success and maybe this is a reason why she is still such a unique artist.
Performance
There was no comparison with her audition at the Taubertal Festival. She was in a good mood again, talked a lot and jumped all over the stage. During the breaks, she told the audience of the quality of the albums of her support bands. She made more promotion for them than for herself. She alternates from rocking songs to quiet ones. It was a special moment when she started “Nothing else matters” (Metallica). Because all her own songs are personal and autobiographic they were all honest and this was shown in her appearance and the reactions of the audience. “Everyday” is not only her most personal and special song. She wanted this one to be the only way to live for everybody. It was a very good and direct concert. She interacted the whole time with the listeners and in my opinion she was truly happy about the evening.
Setlist
01. Yeah you
02. The question song
03. I want
04. My bike
05. After a while
06. Everyday
07. Tango Shoes
08. Spaceman
09. Funeral of a good girl
10. Nothing else matters
22. Let down
12. I Love myself today
---
13. Leader
14. October song
Rating
Music 8
Performance 7
Light 4
Sound 6
Total 6.8
{jos_sb_discuss:17}
pictures by Susan Miersch
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