RoD header

Translate

Matrix, Bochum, Germany
19th February 2009
iO, Da Impact, Widespread Lingo

A Soul singer and high profile rock music - is that something that can really work? Frankly, I was a bit sceptical and I was curious if that would change on this snowy evening at the Matrix on Bochum where the band IO would appear soon.


Widespread Lingo

WIDESPREAD LINGO came to life in 2003 and quickly decided to play an awful lot of live shows to spread their name. They started with smaller gigs and slowly worked their way up and in 2004 they already had two EPs on the market. In 2007, the first album ‘Blockhead’ came out after playing many, many live gigs during the previous years. WIDESPREAD LINGO is Stefan (vocals), Marcel (guitar), Dirk (bass) and Christian (drums). http://www.widespreadlingo.de/ / http://www.myspace.com/widespreadlingo



Music & Performance
“Hey we’re Widespread Lingo from Essen and we’re going to play some good old classic rock for you…” They said and they also did it! Pure Rock’n’Roll came out of the boxes. Initially, Stefan Wortmann’s vocals were far too low to be heard completely and also there was not much happening on stage during the first song ‘Your Decision’ and I was like “Oh my God I hope that’s not it already”. It wasn’t, luckily as with the following song ‘In Prison’ it got better and better from the hefty ‘Enough’ over the new track ‘Beam me to Mars’ to the last song ‘Rock’n’Roll’… More movement on stage, much more interaction with the audience and a couple of jokes thrown in now and then caused a good and lax mood. If you like rather classic rock then that’s a band to watch out for!



Setlist
01. Your Decision
02. In Prison
03. Enough
04. Beam me to Mars (New Song)
05. Backstabbers
06. For You
07. Crackpot
08. Sabbath (Rough Boy)
09. Black Heart
10. Rock’n’Roll

Rating
Music: 7
Performance: 7
Sound: 7
Light: 6
Total: 6.7 / 10




Da Impact

The quintet formed in 2004, released its first EP ‘Resurrection’ in the same year and in the following two years got airplay on popular German radio station 1Live. A very important part of the concept was to play live from the very beginning and DA IMPACT followed that line consequentially and with that received a good live reputation through the years. Live activities include a performance at Germany’s youth trading fair YOU amongst others in 2008. That same year production work for a full-length took place which is said to be released some time in 2009. DA IMPACT is Marcel Graw (vocals), Thomas Rohoff (bass, background vocals), Jens Bielefeld (guitar), Klaus Jabri (keys/samples, background vocals) and Benjamin Borges (drums, background vocals). http://www.da-impact.de/ / http://www.myspace.com/daimpact



Music & Performance
The next one was announced as “Special guest” and so we were wondering initially who it might be. DA IMPACT from Münster was the answer and their music is a mixture out of Metal / Rock, Hip Hop elements as well as in chant and Rap vocals or just “Crossover” if you want. Anyway, they brought lots of energy on stage and apparently they also brought some fans and in the course of the evening certainly gained a few new ones with such energy-laden tunes like the set opener ‘Shake up your Mind’ or ‘Bring it Back’ where the Hip Hop influences, apart from the vocals, manifest very strongly. I’m certainly not much of a Hip-Hop fan but in combination with that kind of dynamic music it even worked for me and made me moving to the songs. Time really flew during that performance and before you knew it they’d done 10 songs and already said goodbye. Well done!



Setlist
01. Shake up Your Mind
02. Revenge
03. Bring it Back
04. Be True
05. Jazz & Coolin’
06. Cell Attitude
07. Trapped
08. My Life
09. Lost Souls
10. Violent Mirages

Rating
Music: 7
Performance: 8
Sound: 7
Light: 7
Total: 7.3 / 10




iO

Bass player Stefan Ude, drummer Dennis Poschwatta; and guitarist Henning Rümenapp came back together in the studio only three months after the official split of famous GUANO APES with no intention of forming a new band back then. A period with many artistic encounters and breaks followed until in 2006 Dennis met soul singer Charles Simmons, had a few chats with him and the result was the genesis of IO, who played over 50 live shows ever since, which had significant influence on their debut album ‘For The Masses’, which was released on 1st August 2008. IO is Charles Simmons (vocals), Dennis Poschwatta (drums), Henning Rümenapp (guitar), and Stefan Ude (bass). http://www.io-rocks.com/ / http://www.myspace.com/ioonline



Music & Performance
Compared to the main act all the support acts were just little warm-up exercises and a walk in the park. A repeating guitar solo announced the first song of the evening ‘Attention’, what an apt title to start a show. Short time after singer Charles Simons had entered the stage as the last one, the song started through and with it the complete band. It was clearly visible that they’re living their songs to the last cell of their bodies; and speaking of their bodies: There was barely any moment you saw anybody on stage standing still and now you could say the same about the audience all around me. That was their band; this was what they’re waiting for and they enjoyed every single second of it to the full with head banging, dancing and extensive jumping when Charles announced ‘Fight back’, a musical challenge against the radical right-winged and it had enough power to blow all those fascists off their feet… and the people in the venue too.



While performing songs from the current debut album ‘For the Masses’ as well as a few new songs which, according to Charles “will be released but we won’t tell you when”. The very serious and quite dark ‘Pretending’ and ‘When I Fall’ - a ballad just with vocals and guitar - became so special for me because Charles, who has an incredible feeling for rhythm or better his body is rhythm, presented his best vocal performance (my opinion) in the set, even though his voice was and is way above standards anyway. The last song of the main set was called ‘Under Pressure’ and that’s not just a simple name but a description for the music. An unparalleled axe once more pumping a sheer flood of adrenaline through the people, who’re begging for more after the band left so they would quickly come back for an encore!



And they came back to perform another three songs in total including one excellent cover version of Billy Idol’s ‘Rebel Yell’ mixed with a little Reggae and if you think that couldn’t possibly sound good you’re damn wrong. Well, I must admit I was sceptical whether rock would work with an R’n’B / Soul singer but in hindsight my scepticism was without any reason even more it turned into enthusiasm. Thanks to the band for an amazing show!

Setlist
01. Attention
02. Stupid People
03. Don’t mean Nothing
04. Give it a Try
05. Fight Back
06. Mind Game
07. Say Something
08. Pretending
09. When I Fall
10. Legacy
11. Optimism
12. Rage
13. Under Pressure
---
14. In You
15. Rebel Yell (Billy Idol Cover)
16. Stand My Ground

Rating
Music: 8
Performance: 9
Sound: 8
Light: 7
Total: 8.2 / 10


See also (all categories):

Comments powered by CComment