Kulturfabrik, Krefeld, Germany5th May 2005
Client and Equatronic
Ascension Day Afternoon. I still had a slight hangover from the party the night before. But that couldn´t keep me away from driving nearly 150km from Münster to Krefeld to see the British pop duo client. They were supported by the German band Equatronic. Even though this band is now more than a decade active I´ve never heard anything of them before. But I was told that they make synth pop stuff. So I was sure it would fit quite well to Client with their 80s influenced kinky synth music. The concert again took place in the small club of the Kulturfabrik... promising an intimate concert close to the band.
Equatronic - Dirk Gerlach (keyboards, vocals) and Oliver Thom (vocals, programming) - are a German synth pop band from Saarbrücken. The band now exists for more than 10 years presenting wonderful nostalgic synth music inspired by bands like Depeche Mode or Erasure. The band lately released a best-of remix album named "Too Close, Too Far And Gone".
www.equatronic.com
www.equatronic.com
Music
As the band entered the stage they still had to prepare their stuff. As an "intro" the Windows XP sound appeared what caused a lot of laughter in the audience and everyone was hoping that windows would run stable and the laptop wouldn´t crash. So far the funny episode before the start. Even there were some really good rudiments in their music it was lacking some inspiration and consequent enhancements. They started a bit weak but as it came to the "Ultravox" cover version of "The voice" everything seemed to run better.
Performance
Mostly front man Oliver was on the mic and performing an expressive dance style. For one song Dirk took the mic while Oliver took in the place behind the keyboard. After a while the band came more and more into it´s set... like the audience too which cheered and clapped along. The band performed a second cover version later: "Madonna´s" "La isla bonita". The opinion about the band´s show and music was quite devided. Some found it very boring and some were really excited. Let´s see what the band shows in future.
Setlist
01. shame
02. assistant views
03. always the same
04. the voice
05. the liar
06. she
07. xenophobia
08. nightmare
09. silent sea
10. la isla bonita
11. close to you
Rating
Music: 6
Performance: 6
Sound: 6
Light: 5
Total: 6 (5.9)
01. shame
02. assistant views
03. always the same
04. the voice
05. the liar
06. she
07. xenophobia
08. nightmare
09. silent sea
10. la isla bonita
11. close to you
Rating
Music: 6
Performance: 6
Sound: 6
Light: 5
Total: 6 (5.9)
Client
The first signings to the "Toast Hawaii" label of Depeche Mode´s Andrew Fletcher, girl duo Client are about as contradictory as it gets, combining abrasive electro and upfront attitude with addictive melodies and girly naivety. Yet somehow it all works, and their debut album is going to soundtrack your life. A gorgeous mix of sleaze, heartbreak, hedonism and classic song-writing, it's the electro-pop record that many lesser bands have promised but only Client have delivered.
www.client-online.net
Music
This concert should become the longest and best show I´ve ever seen of Client. Starting with "It's Rock And Roll" they spread power and joy in performing from the first second. Client A behind her keyboard turned the knobs to elicit the strangest electro tunes from her instrument. Client B turned the audience and especially the guys on with her erotic voice... no one could stay cold when she says "ahh, ahh....". The sound was a bit weak at the beginning but became much more powerful during the set.
Performance
The show was amazing. Dressed up in their grey-blue stewardess dresses and Client B with her black PVC gloves they looked really pretty. Band and audience were in such a good mood. The girls on stage were laughing all the time. Especially Client B had fun. The audience screemed, sang along and waved their arms, clapped and danced the whole show long. All arms stood straight into the air during "Rock And Roll Machine" while one guy from the adience sang parts of "Here and now" into the microphone later. Because of the impressive atmosphere the band enlarged the set by some songs they rarely play... like "Happy" or the Davod Bowie cover version "Let´s dance". After about 70 minutes they released a very satisfied audience. Satisfaction guaranteed.
Setlist
1. It's Rock And Roll
2. Come On
3. In It For The Money
4. Radio
5. Client
6. Don't Call Me Baby
7. Rock And Roll Machine
8. Overdrive
9. Down To The Underground
10. Here And Now
11. Price Of Love
12. Pornography
13. Pills
14. One Day At A Time
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15. Happy
16. Let's Dance (David Bowie cover)
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17. Diary Of An 18 Year Old Boy
18. Tuesday Night
Rating
Music: 8
Performance: 9
Sound: 6
Light: 7
Total: 8 (7.9)
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