Nachtmahr - Washington 2009

DC9, Washington DC, USA
23rd July 2009
NACHTMAHR and support: Alter der Ruine & XUberX

Despite being an odd night of the week (a Thursday) and at a venue no generally known for hosting electro-industrial concerts of any sort (DC9), NACHTMAHR's debut performance in the nation's capitol went off with quite a respectable number of people. For those unfamiliar with this Austrian outfit, it is perhaps best known as the solo project of L'ÂME IMMORTELLE's front man, Thomas Rainer.

Backed by a mysterious fellow in a mask, Rainer took the stage amidst machine-gun beats while clips of what appeared to be old war footage played on a large projection screen off to the side of the venue's triangular corner stage. Though this tour was at the time to support the just-released 'Alle Lust will Ewigkeit', the crowd seemed tuned in nonetheless as Rainer and his mysterious cohort deftly weaved from vocal piece to bludgeoning instrumental. While even from the onset of the hard dance opener, Rainer proved his keyboardist's pedigree by actually playing live as opposed to the sadly usual mimed performance, though his growling vocal delivery equally charmed the crowd. Though explosive past club hits will the incendiary 'Feuer Frei!' as well as the tectonic stomp of 'Boom Boom Boom' certainly won over the crowd, one has to hand it to Rainer for even getting a reaction from his previously unheard material, which can quite a feat with the local, skeptical crowd. 

However, pieces like 'Tanzdiktator' needed no prior listening party; with it's Germanic counting-chorus evocative of RAMMSTEIN's own numerically-friendly single 'Links 2-3-4' proved immediate fodder for stomping as well as shouting along. Likewise, 'War on the Dancefloor', an anthem perfect for conquering the clubs, went over quite well. Of course, while the titles of these songs were rather self-evident, even the as-of-writing unknown instrumentals were equally catchy and proved Rainer and his silent partner could also keep up with the heavy, techno-friendly electronics of similar artists like Soman.

Though the crowd was obviously fatigued and sweating within the somewhat cramped confines of DC9's upstairs concert floor, it was certainly pleasant to witness Nachtmahr's first local appearance. Judging by the reaction of the crowd, one can only expect the Austrian force to amass only more troops when if D.C. is fortunate enough to witness a return visit in our future!

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