Tangerine Dream - Live 2025.06.29 Volkstheater, Vienna, Austria

While in Vienna for the Nine Inch Nails show, I saw advertisements for this show. Rarely does that work on me, but for once it did! My friends were as excited as I was to see the legendary band in a beautiful venue, so for our last night in town, that’s what we did.

I’d last seen Tangerine Dream in a church in Berlin six years ago, and I loved it. Since then, Ulrich Schnauss left the band, but Paul Frick has gone from being a mere “guest” to a become a full member. Thorsten Quaeschning remains the central figure and Hoshiko Yamane continues to perform violin and pads. This show was apparently originally scheduled for the village of Grafenegg but had to be moved. Too bad for anyone who was excited for that, but I would’ve missed it in that case.

Quaeschning opened the show by announcing the outline of the show: first a main set of old songs, new songs, and really old songs, next an improvised piece, then by a break, and finally another set of old, new, and really old songs. He said the improv would be in the key of D minor because that’s what sounded best in the space, and he played a few deep synth tones and explained their effect: one shook the screws loose of the building, another gave a sense of well-being (“Wohlgefühl”), and so on.

[Tangerine Dream with video of Yamane.]

The show proceeded as planned. The main set was about an hour with very few pauses. I recognized some parts (particularly something akin to the classic synth sound of “Phaedra”) but not most. I let the music wash over me instead of hyperfocusing on the details, which seemed to be the appropriate means for enjoying it. There were distinct sections, but the pieces generally flowed seamlessly from one to the next. Most featured sequencers controlled by Quaeschning, keyboard melodies by Frick, and violin by Yamane, but they all switched it up and played synths, pads, loops, and other electronic instruments of indeterminate nature. Yamane’s violin was often heavily effected, sometimes to the point where I couldn’t even tell what sound was being conjured from the instrument, and while she rarely played virtuosic parts, she consistently played with sharp precision and fluid grace. It was usually hard to see what exactly Quaeschning was doing, but for one song he served up an impressive keyboard solo effected to sound similar to electric guitar. If it had been guitar, I probably would’ve dismissed it as self-indulgent, but on the synth it sounded sick!

The improvisation began slow and dark in the expected key of D minor, but shifted and expanded dramatically over the course of 45 minutes. I hadn’t expected it would be quite so long, and while there were of course some dull moments, I was impressed by how varied and engaging it was for most of its course. Quaeschning triggered a couple voice samples on his laptop that felt a bit out of place, but he manipulated them to give them some extra texture. One sounded like someone recounting a dream, and the other was just wordless vocalization. Otherwise, the band incorporated a wide array of different rhythms, sequencers, and moods throughout the piece. It wasn’t quite as smooth or dynamic as the main set, but it came close, which is remarkable for an improv.

[Note the on-stage disco hemispheres.]

After the break, the band’s second main set was similar to the first, but was a little more energetic, rhythmic, and powerful. In retrospect, the first half was calmer, quieter, and more atmospheric. I again recognized a few parts, but most was a bit of a blur. It grooved more and I felt like I woke up a bit and wanted to move more. They didn’t play an encore, but after two and a half hours, I didn’t really expect more.

I didn’t find this show to be quite as successful as the last one I saw. While this show sounded quite good and was instrumentally solid, I suspect having four members on stage made for a bigger, fuller sound, and I missed a bit of that this time. And while the video and lighting were quite good, the light show in the Passionskirche was on another level. Regardless, it was still a very enjoyable show and a welcome bonus for my brief trip to Vienna.

[The ceiling of the Volkstheater with the reflected disco lights.]

Score: B+

Thanks to Keagan and Dave!

P.S. The weirdest moment of the night was that early in the show, an older man near us in the balcony turned around and punched another man in the face. He was escorted out, and his presumptive partner left with him. I have no idea what the context was, but I’ve never seen something like that, least of all from older men seated in a classical venue. Who would’ve guessed that the Tangerine Dream show would be more violent than a Nine Inch Nails concert?

Nine Inch Nails / Boys Noize - Live 2025.06.27 Stadthalle, Vienna, Austria

Sometimes life’s coincidences seem a lot like omens. Earlier this year, in the midst of dealing with various health concerns and pining for the live music experiences I haven’t had much of since 2019, I told my partner that I’d really like to see Nine Inch Nails if they ever toured again. I was a fan as a teenager but lost my enthusiasm when With Teeth (2005) and Year Zero (2007) didn’t carry the same nuance and impact as earlier albums. Well, just a few days after my pronouncement, rumors started swirling, and soon enough the Peel It Back tour was announced. On top of that, one-time guest author Keagan got in touch, as he got frustrated with Ticketmaster’s antics in the USA and was considering coming to Europe to see me and the band. We ended up getting tickets along with some other like-minded friends for Vienna, where we’d spent a semester studying together in 2007. (That’s when I saw John Cale the first time, which was the show that inspired me to start the blog.) Sometimes, the stars align.

Anyway, suffice to say I was excited. The throngs of Nailers outside the venue were a sight to behold, and the presence of gummy candy and popcorn vendors in the venue made it seem like some sort of goth carnival. I caught the entirety of the opening set from Boys Noize, who performed a solo techno set with plenty of samples, including Kraftwerk’s “Tour de France” and Fehlfarben’s “Paul ist tot”. He was set up on a small stage in the back of the venue, and I was in a seat close to the main stage, but I don’t think there was much to see even if I’d had a better view. He performed for a solid hour, and while the beats were good, my spot wasn’t well suited to dancing and I got pretty tired of it.

[Trent solo at the keyboard.]

But then at just about the hour mark, Boys Noize suddenly stopped and knelt down while the curtains fell around another stage in the middle of the venue, revealing Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails sitting at a keyboard. He performed “Right Where It Belongs” alone, and after starting into “Ruiner”, Atticus Ross eventually joined on keyboards and whatever else he does (samples? electronics? programming?), followed by Alessandro Cortini on keyboards and bass. “Piggy” was the Further Down the Spiral (1995) version with minimal bass and frantic choruses with wild guitar provided by Robin Finck. As the song ended, the high-energy drumming continued while the band members left the stage, walked down a corridor, and then mounted the main stage. Meanwhile, a projection on the curtains showed Ilan Rubin drumming, and he was revealed to be already on the main stage as the heavy curtain rose.

The moment Ilan finally stopped, band launched into an intense set with almost no pause between songs. I was immediately taken in. A videographer ran around the stage, shooting the various members while the feed was projected on assorted curtains on, behind, and around the stage. The videographer must’ve had an exhausting job, but the effort totally paid off. On top of that, the lighting was incredible. It was full of surprises and rarely fell back on just flashing and blinding the audience. There were loads of patterns and techniques I’d never seen before, like lines of red lights moving through the crowd like waveforms, presumably only fully apparent from up in the seats. For “Copy of A”, Reznor’s silhouette was projected live with varying delays across the many curtains for a disconcerting effect.

After six songs, the band walked off while noise continued. I noticed Boys Noize in the middle stage, and Trent and Atticus joined him there for techno remixes of two Year Zero tracks and “Came Back Haunted” from Hesitation Marks (2013). I’ve come to appreciate the latter album (and NIN’s subsequent work), but while those mid-00s albums still don’t do much for me, the live remixed versions gave them vitality that they’d previously lacked. Boys Noize’s dance-oriented sensibility fit right in and the songs were total jams. Again, the lighting was in top form, and the change of pace was a welcome variation. I would’ve taken more, but after the three songs, Boys Noize kept up the noise and then once again knelt and disappeared while the other two rejoined the rest of the band on the main stage.

[Trent and Atticus with Boys Noize.]

The band went right back into the high energy from the first main set. “1,000,000” isn’t a standout song, but all the rest were absolute winners. I mean, we got “I’m Afraid of Americans” and “The Perfect Drug”!? And “Heresy”?  I could always do with more Pretty Hate Machine (1989) and I would've liked anything from The Fragile (1999), but it's hard to complain. “Closer” was done with a little surprise segue into “The Only Time” while Trent sang the outro lines. “Head Like a Hole” went hard even though the band did without the usual bassline. And “Hurt”, I mean, what can I say? I was on the verge of tears.

The band were in top form. There were no flaws, no mistakes, and no technical problems. Despite that level of precision, it didn’t feel restrained or constrained at all. They were raw and full of energy. The sound was quite good, particularly the vocals. My only complaint was that the bass was a bit muddy, but that’s likely due to my position up in the seats. Robin sang the chorus parts of “Gave Up” and “Head Like a Hole”, presumably to give Trent a break from screaming, and he also did backing parts in several songs. Alessandro switched between keyboards, bass, and guitar, and also sang some backing parts, but lower in the mix. Ilan focused on the drums, but occasionally played keyboards, most notably on “Hurt”. Who knows what exactly Atticus was doing.

The combination of the aggressive songs, the constant movement, the pacing, and the brilliant lighting kept the show highly engaging. The stage design felt dynamic, alive, and full of action. There was no encore, but after about an hour and 45 minutes with that setlist, I don’t know what else they could’ve done. It was an emotional ride. Trent admitted to having had a rough day with depression and anxiety, and his thanks for being present and making a connection felt real. The heavy nature of the music is a lot to hold, but it still hit me as hard as it did when I was younger. This was an incredible show.

[Trent on tambourine with the band. Note the projection of Robin in the back.]

Here’s the setlist:

Second stage:
01. Right Where It Belongs → Zero Sum [partial] [Trent solo]
02. Ruiner
03. Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now)
Main stage:
04. Wish
05. March of the Pigs
06. Reptile
07. The Lovers
08. Copy of A
09. Gave Up
Second stage with Boys Noize:
10. Vessel
11. The Warning
12. Came Back Haunted
Main stage:
13. 1,000,000
14. Heresy
15. Less Than
16. Closer / The Only Time [partial]
17. I’m Afraid of Americans [David Bowie song]
18. The Perfect Drug
19. Head Like a Hole
20. Hurt

Scores:
Boys Noize: C+
Nine Inch Nails: A+

Thanks to Keagan, Dave, and the rest of the gang!

Alanis Morissette / Lùisa - Live 2025.06.17 Zitadelle Spandau, Berlin, Germany

Better late than never. I’ve got a backlog after a few busy weeks.

I’ve oddly never had the opportunity to see Alanis live in the city I was living in since 2005, which is about the time I began to be able to see concerts on my own will and dollar. It’s been a while since she’s been at the peak of her popularity, but she’s clearly picked up some steam again and was able to fill (even if not quite sell out) one of the largest venues in Berlin.

Lùisa opened the night. She performed with a three-piece backing band to flesh out her singer-songwriter material into fuller indie pop arrangements. She played a couple new songs from an upcoming album, for which she put down her guitar and let the band and some backing tracks fill in the space while she sang and danced around the stage. Those songs had a distinctively more electronic dance sound. I found her music rather light but enjoyed it well enough, although few other details remain in my memory.

Before Alanis Morissette actually came on stage, a video played a series of clips from interviews and other promotional material to remind us how great she is. The band eventually appeared and then finally the star herself, just in time to dive right in with “Hand in My Pocket” from Jagged Little Pill (1995). That set the tone right there: the setlist leaned heavily on her first international album, with a good dose from her second-best-selling album, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (1998) and a smattering from her work that has come since. She ignored her first two teenage dance-pop albums as well as her most recent album, the ambient The Storm Before the Calm (2022). The newest song she performed was “Rest”, a non-album single from 2021. It’s hard to complain, as her picks largely overlapped with the songs I know and like best, but I appreciated that there were a few here and there from lesser-known albums that I didn’t recognize.

The classics still go hard, and she can still sing the hell out of them. Her voice is just as strong as ever and you’d barely notice that 30 years have passed since some of those songs came out. I was also impressed with how fluidly she would whip out her harmonica and blast out flawless riffs on it. (Definitely none of that loose and freewheeling Neil Young style!) She also played some rhythm guitar, but mostly let her band do the rest of the instrumental work. They were similarly tight, but that pointed to a problem it took me some time to put my finger on: there was no edge in the music at all. It was rather rote and too smooth and clean. They didn’t take any risks. Of course that level of professionalism makes for a solid performance, and I imagine most people got what they wanted, but I couldn’t help but feel that it was predictable and a little too easy.

The other aspect that bugged me was the visuals. After the embarrassing opening video, several songs featured projections that attempted to convey some sense of progressive, feminist empowerment. The messaging was kinda cringe and felt like pandering. The tone was deliberately inoffensive, middling, typical cishet white feminism rooted in 90s politics, and it was fairly clearly put together around 2022 and not updated since. The boldest messages were brief images of protesters holding signs with “Black lives matter” and “my body, my choice”. The lack of mention of Palestine or even Ukraine was telling. I know she’s Canadian, but the omission of anything about Trump, Merz, or any other demagogues was also odd. She barely spoke between songs, and the dissonance between her presence and the visuals made it seem all the more contrived. At best, it was simply distracting. The show would’ve been better without any of that.

About halfway through the set my enthusiasm was waning, but I liked that Alanis switched things up and switched to an acoustic setup for a few songs before returning to the fuller rock setup for the final three Jagged bangers of the set. “Ironic” felt obligatory, as if she knew that her biggest song has been the butt of plenty of jokes, and she tried to distract from that by inviting three people to sing the first verse. I’m guessing they were VIP ticketholders, which is a whole other beast that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Unfortunately, the fans were barely audible so Alanis had to fill in most of it anyway. However, she changed the lyric of the last verse to “It’s meeting the man of my dreams / and then meeting his beautiful husband”, which was on point and the one antidote to my prior complaints.

The encore was also well-chosen, first with the City of Angels (1998) soundtrack single “Uninvited” to build tension and depth, and then the followup single “Thank U” from Junkie as a sweetly harmonious conclusion. It was perhaps a little on the nose, but inarguably the right choice to close out the evening. And then there was just the mad rush to return the cups and then get through the throttled crush to cross the moat and go home. I guess that’s the downside of seeing a band in a medieval fortress. (No bats this time, either.) Still a beautiful experience regardless!

[Alanis Morissette.]

The setlist was as follows, with some help from here. All the partial songs were segued into or from the following or preceding song, but I don’t recall the details.
01. Hand in My Pocket
02. Right Through You
03. Reasons I Drink
04. A Man [partial]
05. Hands Clean
06. Can’t Not [partial]
07. Lens
08. Sorry to Myself [partial]
09. Head Over Feet
10. Everything [partial]
11. You Learn
12. Would Not Come [partial]
13. Smiling
14. I Remain [partial]
15. Rest [acoustic]
16. Flinch [acoustic]
17. Mary Jane [acoustic]
18. Ironic
19. Are You Still Mad [partial]
20. All I Really Want
21. Sympathetic Character [partial]
22. You Oughta Know

Encore:
23. Uninvited
24. Thank U

Scores:
Lùisa: B
Alanis Morissette: B-

Thanks to Alyssa!

Immergut Festival 2025 Day 3

I slept worse than the night before, but took it easy and relaxed until the performances began. First up was Roller Derby, who I’d seen a few years ago at Synästhesie. I decided to give them another shot, but basically had the same feeling as last time. I liked the hints of dream pop and Cocteau Twins guitar, but they were too light and breezy for me to really dig into. The official schedule listed a surprise for the next slot, which turned out to be Laura Lee & The Jettes. They had a pretty generic sound and I didn’t stick around for more than a few minutes.

I came back for Mary in the Junkyard, whose self-description as an “angry weepy chaos rok trio” was rather exaggerated. (Well, they are a trio.) I didn’t find them chaotic or angry at all. There were a few hints of drama but they were mostly chill. Perhaps too chill. A few too many songs lacked percussion and just featured guitar or bass and violin. I saw a lot of opportunity, and they were a good band to listen to while lazily lying on a blanket, but I guess I craved a bit of the advertised chaos.

They were followed by Drangsal, who I knew only as the main project of Max Gruber, whose side project Die Mausis is a collaboration with Stella Sommer of Die Heiterkeit. With seven synthesizers and six musicians on stage, of which four occupied space somewhere in the mid-range, they summoned a thick, heavy wall of sound. The individual instruments were rather indistinct while Gruber’s melodramatic voice was foregrounded. They initially played a dark sort of post-punk that was right on the line for me, and then they switched to a more standard pop-rock style and totally lost me. I left.

[Drangsal.]

After another break, I came back for Erobique. I wasn’t sure what to expect from a solo musician known best as a soundtrack producer, DJ, and remixer. He appeared behind an array of keyboards, accompanied only by a drummer. I was skeptical, but he won me over immediately. He had a casual, laid-back demeanor but played exceptionally well. He built up layers of beats and synths and maintained a fun, chill, groovy vibe the whole time. The live drummer really helped. The highlights were whenever he grabbed a melodica, came out from behind his rig, and played the instrument better than I’ve ever seen it done while dancing around the stage. This was a performer who was clearly optimized for the festival atmosphere. Some songs’ themes, like “Urlaub in Italien” (“Holiday in Italy”), were maybe just a bit cringe, but it didn’t bother me. I was wholly taken in.

[Erobique. Look, I was too busy grooving in the back where there was space to move freely to be bothered to take a better picture.]

After that came Isolation Berlin. They started with an unexpectedly heavy, dark, angry energy, which was a bit intense and almost too much for me. But after a few songs, they suddenly shifted into their more typical new wave indie rock sound, which I found much more charming and sweet. They played most of their classics, as well as some newer songs that were just as good, like “Verliebt in dieses Lied”. Their trademark seems to be somewhat depressing lyrics over good guitar music with a little synth, buoyed by the expressiveness and curious charm of their vocalist. “Alles grau” was great, but it was a little weird that someone crowdsurfed to it. Not much later, two people with signs asking the band to show solidarity with Palestine were escorted out after they shouted something I couldn’t discern between songs. That wasn’t a great look. Other than that and the few bits of unbridled anger, they were very much up my alley.

I was starting to lose energy, and I wasn’t expecting that I would be into Nilüfer Yanya, but she came with a full band, good grooves, and a little more edge than I had anticipated. I’d put her last record somewhere on the more accessible side of the pop spectrum, but her live set seemed like something else. I couldn’t keep up and headed back to the tent, although I continued to like what I could hear while I was brushing my teeth.

And that was that. The next morning I packed up and came back to Berlin. Not a bad experience for my first European outdoor festival! I had a great time, even if I still struggle to deal with people that don’t seem to know how to share space respectfully. I liked that the festival was on the relatively smaller size (I believe around 5000 people), that all the food was vegetarian and every vendor had vegan options, and that prices were reasonable. It shows that it’s organized by an e.V., a nonprofit association.

Scores:
Roller Derby: C+
Mary in the Junkyard: B-
Drangsal: C
Erobique: A-
Isolation Berlin: B+

Thanks to my fellow festival crew!

Immergut Festival 2025 Day 2

Somehow I managed to get some sleep after my first day at Immergut. It was still sprinkling here and there for a bit, but the day turned increasingly pleasant. In the meantime, I walked to the nearby grocery store and soaked in the atmosphere.

At the start of day’s formal activities, I listened to Charlotte Brandi of Me and My Drummer read from her new book, Fischtage, while I sat on a blanket and ate a wrap. The parts she read dealt with coming to terms with the frustrating, difficult, and bizarre aspects of her childhood, which gave me gender feelings but didn’t interest me much. But as a surprise ending, she played a haunting, mesmerizing rendition of a Björk song solo on keyboard. She was quickly followed by Beharie from Norway, who seemed friendly, but played rather tame singer-songwriter pop. I wasn’t inspired to stick around.

I took a break and came back for Sophia Kennedy. I couldn’t really see the band at all, but it seemed she was using samples or backing tracks to augment the drummer, bassist/synth player, and her own keyboard. Instead of being distracting or taking away from the intensity or dynamics of the show, it instead felt like a proper production. The band’s sound was huge and immersive, but neither heavy nor dark. I was totally lost in it, or at least until there was some sort of incident that led to a person getting led away by medics. Not long later, someone in the band missed a cue and they had to start a song over, although they recovered quickly and barely seemed thrown off. Despite the distractions, I was thoroughly impressed. The live set somehow totally eclipsed her studio recordings.

Next up was Dog Race. I was anticipating darkwave, but they were sparser and more foreboding than I’d expected. The singer had a strong, deep voice, but her style was serious and anachronistic, and her band seemed incongruously young and bored. I found their unforgiving darkness unsettling, so I left.

[Dog Race.]

Back outside was Porridge Radio, who are apparently on a farewell tour. They started strong with a lot of energy and reminded me of the early 90s alternative rock heyday. They had that same magic sense of looseness that comes off as raw authenticity, charm, and unbridled emotion. I wanted more of their harmonies and dynamics, but relaxed into their familiar vibe regardless. They gradually slowed down and took things down a notch, and thus I got bored and restless. Sure enough, right as I left to take a break, it sounded like they were picking up again. I wish they’d been able to find a better balance, or that they’d adapted their set better to the festival atmosphere.

[Porridge Radio.]

I came back for Bilderbuch, who seemed to draw the largest crowd of the weekend. My crew wanted a space up near the front, which was hard for me to handle, so I basically squeezed in the middle of them to have a bit of a protective buffer, and that helped. The band came out in full force with walls of video screens and a loud, thick, highly produced sound. They played tight and strong like a well-oiled, efficient engine. Their singer and lead guitarist were showy and played to the crowd. I was fairly well engaged by the experience, but increasingly distracted by their apparently cocaine-fueled cishet masculinity. It occurred to me that that was the same energy that I was getting from the oblivious, obnoxious partiers at the campsite, and once I had that realization, I couldn’t enjoy it any further. I left, although I could still see and hear part of their last songs while brushing my teeth. A setlist has been posted online, but I cannot vouch for it.

Scores:
Sophia Kennedy: A
Dog Race: C-
Porridge Radio: B
Bilderbuch: B-

Immergut Festival 2025 Day 1

At long last, I’m finally through the worst of my health needs that limited my time, energy, and patience for going to shows. Festivals have been entirely out of the equation for a while. I missed the 2023 iteration of Synästhesie and it now appears to be defunct or at least dormant. However, after my partner went to Immergut last year with friends, she encouraged me to join her this year. This was my first outdoor festival in Europe (well, not counting Melodica), and my first ever where I camped on site.

After taking the train to Neustrelitz, catching a short festival shuttle ride on a restored older train, and setting up the campsite, I started my musical experience with Sofie Royer. I was curious about her alleged blend of disco, rock, and synthpop, but the result wasn’t as exciting as I’d hoped. Her voice was good, and I admired her violin skills, but she relied on backing tracks to fill out most of her sound, including even guitar solos. Her bassist was funky and the drummer put down some decent grooves, but it was weird to have a lead guitar part and her own harmonies played from tape. It felt too much like karaoke.

[Sofie Royer.]

Immediately following was Mel D of Mischgewebe. I was initially again disappointed, as I was expecting something of a spooky, mysterious vibe based on what I’d heard beforehand. Instead, she played a pretty standard form of indie rock that highlighted her strong voice. I liked her shy bassist and in particular her harmonies. The drummer also added some extra touches on keyboard and chimes and occasionally sang a backing part as well. Mel’s guitar leads were rather simple, but the general vibe was pleasant.

[Mel D.]

I took a break but ended up catching most of strongboi’s set anyway while waiting in an unusually slow-moving line for a burrito. I found their R&B to be much too smooth and clean, and the lyrics were upsettingly clichéd. Thankfully I received and consumed my burrito in time to catch most of Paula Dalla Corte’s set. She was full of energy and drama as befits a TV pop star of her standing. Her voice was even stronger than the preceding women I’d seen, but the instrumentation was rote and absent of surprises. At least she didn’t seem to be relying on backing tracks, or they were subtle enough to not be distracting. Her band offered a tiny hint of harmony that left me wanting more.

My real hope for the day (if not the festival!) was International Music, and they didn’t disappoint. The trio was tight, upbeat, and in a good mood. Their wry, absurd humor was at the fore, and they used their limited instruments, effects, and voices to full effect. I felt like there was still a touch of something missing from the records, but one of my crew said it sounded to him like there was more going on than he could see. The set was fun and I was glad their playful psychedelia still translated to the stage. Their set was a mix from their three albums, with a slight bias against the second (Ententraum, 2021), which was after all their least successful. I was near the front and realized much of the crowd was singing along. I was too when I remembered the words. This was the sort of experience that made me feel like a properly acclimated German (for better or worse).

[International Music.]

The sets were running late by that point, and I was tired from a full day and week. I made it a relatively early night and went to bed, or at least tried to. The nearby bros did their best to piss off the entire campsite with a loud boombox and terrible music. Somehow I eventually drifted off, probably thanks to the rain.

Scores:
Sofie Royer: C
Mel D: B
strongboi: D
Paula Dalla Corte: B-
International Music: A

Dummy / Lawn Chair - Live 2025.05.20 Badehaus, Berlin, Germany

Dummy put out one of my favorite albums of 2024, Free Energy. It draws heavily from the playbook of Stereolab and My Bloody Valentine (I mean, there’s a song titled “Soonish”!) yet remains experimental and playful enough to stand on its own merits. I was thrilled that the LA band was coming to Europe on tour.

Lawn Chair of Köln played first. They played an energetic take on punk with a bit of keyboard thrown in. The bassist played some spiky rhythms while the guitarists mostly filled the space with power chords but occasionally added some spice with a brief riff or effect pedal flair. The lead singer and frontwoman stole the show. Her lyrics were often plain and direct, but her presence was strong, almost confrontational, but like she wanted to make sure we were having a good time with her. She jumped in the audience to sing from the floor a few times for the hell of it.

Dummy’s stage presence was rather more reserved, and they had surrounded themselves with synthesizers and other instruments. Of the five members, all but the bassist played synth and percussion at some point. One of the guitarists even started the show shaking a maraca in the audience before climbing up and picking up his main instrument. They were shy and mostly let the music speak for itself, but technical difficulties encouraged them to talk to us more than they might’ve otherwise. They played most of Free Energy and a smattering of older songs, and while they generally set about reproducing the recorded sound on stage, it breathed and felt more alive than I feared it might. I was impressed by how well they’d arranged what sounded like complex studio compositions for live performance. There were a few samples and some of the work was done by sequencers, but that never overwhelmed the feeling of, well, free energy.

The vocals were surprisingly clear, which is something I rarely experience at smaller venues, and especially not with bands that tend towards shoegaze. I wish the two singers did more harmonization or simultaneous vocalization; they mostly just traded parts. Regardless, they sang well and carried the melodies effectively. The rest of the instrumentation stood up just as well. The band’s rhythms were particularly highlighted, which meant that I danced through the entire set. It was captivating. They speak my language.

I didn’t even try to capture the setlist, and I haven’t seen one online yet, but it was probably similar to the night before, except that technical problems prevented them from playing “Dip in the Lake” and “Sudden Flutes” until the encore. Whatever. I enjoyed this from start to finish.

[Dummy.]

Scores:
Lawn Chair: B
Dummy: A

Thanks to Jochen and Tim!

Soltero @ Junction Bar on May 8

New year, new album, new show! Soltero is coming to you at Junction Bar on Gneisenaustraße in Berlin on May 8 at 20:30. I'm thrilled that we'll be sharing the stage with our friends Lutzilla. We've got new songs and new arrangements and we're excited to back in concert!

Soltero - Staying Alive (2025)

 

Staying Alive is out now! I'm incredibly proud to be a part of this album. Playing with Tim and Ludwig is a joy, and recording with Matt Johnson was great fun. The album is on Bandcamp, Spotify, and everywhere else you might want it. I'm looking forward to bringing these songs to you on stage!

Mogwai / Kathryn Joseph - Live 2025.02.11 Admiralspalast, Berlin, Germany

Mogwai just released a new album, The Bad Fire, and kicked off this tour. I’m still a relatively recent fan, but I loved As the Love Continues (2021) and regretted that I missed their Berlin appearance in 2022. I didn’t want to make that mistake again, so despite still recovering from surgery, I bought a ticket. It helps that the venue is excellent and has relatively comfortable seating.

Kathryn Joseph, a Scottish singer-songwriter on Mogwai’s label, opened the night – a full quarter-hour ahead of the scheduled show start! She initially claimed her songs were all about “cunts” but later admitted her latest album was about people in her life dealing with emotional trauma. It wasn’t particularly easy to separate the songs into sex-positive and emotionally-heavy categories; they all seemed to occupy a similar space. That was the critical shortcoming of her set: it entirely lacked the dynamics that the headliner of the show is famous for. Her electric piano never changed tone, and while her vocals were strong, the vibe was fairly constant. On a few songs, she played an electronic drumbeat pedal, and I was hoping for the song to take off like Radiohead’s “Everything in Its Right Place”, but that never quite happened.

Mogwai made quite a different impression: with five members (including touring guitarist/keyboardist Alex Mackay), a rack of lights behind the band, and a colorful lighting array intermingled across the stage, the visual experience was on point. While Stuart Braithwaite said little more than “Danke schön, thank you very much!” after each song (and no one else said a word), the music was, as expected, huge. I was disappointed that it wasn’t quite as physically intense as I’d been led to expect, but perhaps that had something to do with being in a back row of the second balcony, not exactly a prime seat. The mix was occasionally a bit muddy from my spot, but still good. I suspect it was a different experience on the floor, and for once I was a bit sad not to be there.

The band switched between songs from the new album and tracks scattered from throughout their career, including “Cody” from their second album (Come On Die Young, 1999), Spotify favorite “Kids Will Be Skeletons”, and one of my absolute favorites, “Friend of the Night”. They have too many albums to play something from all of them, but I was impressed by the diversity of their picks. They’re one of not many bands that still vary their setlists dramatically from night to night, which I find admirable. Nonetheless, I was sad that they skipped “God Gets You Back” from the new album, as it’s the best song from the album and the band played it every preceding night on the tour.

The Bad Fire is a bit darker than their last few albums, but that wasn’t especially obvious on stage, as the variation in moods from one song to the next flowed naturally. Their trademark dynamics were on full display, both across the set and within most of the songs. There were a few cases were it seemed that the transitions were a bit off, and I wondered if something was flubbed or if it was just hard to reproduce some auditory effects on stage. Beyond that, though, the performances were solid.

I was hoping for more when the main set ended after a mere 70 minutes, and was worried for a moment when they came back and said they had just one more song. It turned out to be “My Father, My King”, a 20-minute opus. It’s a bit hard to keep focus on one song for that long, and while it dragged in a few parts, it was still a powerful way to close out the night.

[Mogwai.]

Setlist:
01. Hi Chaos
02. Kids Will Be Skeletons
03. If You Find This World Bad, You Should See Some of the Others
04. Friend of the Night
05. Cody
06. What Kind of Mix Is This?
07. Ritchie Sacramento
08. 2 Rights Make 1 Wrong
09. Fanzine Made of Flesh
10. Hammer Room
11. Lion Rumpus
12. We’re No Here
Encore:
13. My Father, My King

Scores:
Kathryn Joseph: C
Mogwai: B

Wishful Thinking: Revising the Cure’s Wish (1992)

Wish never felt quite right to me. It was made by a band at a crossroads, going through changing membership, navigating a shifting cultural landscape, and trying to follow up their biggest and most lauded album thus far. Somehow, the Cure both failed and succeeded. Wish was their highest-charting album yet, with one of their biggest singles, but the album is neither as cohesive as their early 80s gothic classics, nor as consistently high-quality as their bigger late 80s albums.

 

[Wish.]

The Cure clearly didn’t want to just repeat themselves. They didn’t want to make another album as thoroughly dark as Disintegration. They instead made a relatively lighter, broader, and more playful album, more in the vein of Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (1987) or The Head on the Door (1985). But in every direction they explored, some of the results fell flat. They tried to go back to the playful fun of “The Lovecats” or “Six Different Ways”, and they certainly succeeded with “Friday I’m in Love”, but “Wendy Time” and “Doing the Unstuck” are awful. They wanted to rock, and while “Open” and “End” have their share of harnessed aggression, “Cut” is overlong, unexciting, and overfilled with tedious wah-wah guitar. They wanted a few more big, moody pieces, and while “From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea” captures that vibe, “Apart” is overblown, maudlin, and unnecessary. The rest of the album is fairly standard pop (“High”, “A Letter to Elise”) and a few bits of delicate beauty (“Trust”, “To Wish Impossible Things”).

What’s most surprising is that all of the period b-sides are good. They’re better than many of album tracks, even. “High”, “Friday I’m in Love”, and “A Letter to Elise” were each released as singles with two b-sides each that have since been gathered up on Join the Dots (2004). “The Big Hand” is a big, brooding song, seemingly about addiction, that was a fan favorite when it was previewed live in 1991. (At the time, it was a surprise that it didn’t make the album or even the first two singles.) “This Twilight Garden” is shimmering and celestial, and the band liked it enough to play it live when I saw them in Austin in 2016. “Halo” is surprisingly poppy. I could go on!

["High".]

So why are there duds on the album if there are such treasures among the b-sides? The band ultimately agreed that the album had its flaws, particularly in the mixing, which led to the live albums Show and Paris (both 1993). And indeed, some of the live versions are marked improvements, in particular “Apart”. Two-thirds of the album reappeared on Show, with two more tracks on Paris. Both live albums are good, but have few surprises. Paris is ultimately slightly better just because there are more subtleties and variations from the original versions. Show is a bit too predictable and by-the-numbers. Of the b-sides, only “The Big Hand” was played live in 1992, and it didn’t make the cut for either album.

["Friday I'm in Love".]

When Wish was reissued in a deluxe package in 2022, I was hoping for a reimagining of the album, or at least a new mix or some deep cuts from the vaults. My disappointments have already been recorded in my brief review. In the end, the only real draws were the Lost Wishes EP, originally a fan club cassette from 1994 that was never reissued, and one instrumental outtake, “A Wendy Band” (seemingly unrelated to “Wendy Time”).

It’s time to reengage with a pastime I haven’t indulged in a while: making my own tracklist for the album I wished existed. (For other examples, see my take on Get Back or The Velvet Underground’s “lost album”). So here’s what I listen to now when I want to get my fix for the Cure circa 1992:

1. Open
2. High
3. The Big Hand
4. From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea
5. This Twilight Garden
6. Play
7. Halo
8. Friday I’m in Love
9. Trust
10. A Letter to Elise
11. Scared As You
12. A Foolish Arrangement
13. To Wish Impossible Things
14. End

If 14 tracks at 70 minutes is too much and you’d prefer to stay closer to the 66 minutes of the original, cut “Play”. It gets a little too close to “Apart”, even if it’s still better. If you insist on 12 tracks, you could also cut “A Foolish Arrangement”. It’s a bit of a retread of familiar territory, although I wouldn’t normally complain.

On the other hand, if you’re craving some more and don’t mind instrumentals, try adding the best bonus tracks from the reissue:

15. Uyea Sound
16. Cloudberry
17. Off to Sleep…
18. The Three Sisters
19. A Wendy Band

I love the Lost Wishes songs; I find them all beautiful and better than some of the album tracks. “A Wendy Band” isn’t spectacular, but it fits the vibe, so why not? Of course if you don’t want to restrict yourself to just the Wish sessions, you could also throw in some other tracks from Join the Dots from nearby years. I do love “Burn” in particular.

["A Letter to Elise".]

Enjoy, and let me know what you think!