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November 8, 2012

a.p.a.t.T. and Secret Chiefs 3 @Silver Church, Bucharest, Nov 07, 2012 – Viva Music review with photos

Without exaggerating a bit, I would say that last night I had my most notable musical experience of the year 2012.

The two beautiful and heart-felt shows of a.p.a.t.T. and Secret Chiefs 3 charged me with energy enough to last until I make sure I see them again, somehow. And I will. These are shows to look forward to, this is the music anyone can and should enjoy. Radio stations should make a rule of sharing excellent music, not mainstream music, perfect music gems that will surely survive the test of time and still be great 200 years from now. Last night the participants’ musical tastes were irrelevant; we all vibrated like one to the crazy experimental awesomeness of a.p.a.t.T. and then to the majestic musical occult of Secret Chiefs 3.

Why was I so excited? Why did I feel this was a night to remember? Not easy to explain… Most probably the infectious pleasure of the two bands to be on stage and share their passion, the impeccable execution of the instrument parts, the modesty and openness…

a.p.a.t.T.

 Official | on Facebook | Discography on Discogs

a.p.a.t.T. stroke me as a jazz orchestra with a social message embedded in distorted and confusing melodies, a pizzicato of energy and regular human experiences, all topped with virtuoso instrumental tours de force from all band members. The show was theatrical and expressive, with all band members dressed in white and moving around like mad. They sang, danced, explained things and got into a trance just as the music was developing into a kind of short movie.

a.p.a.t.T. photos:

Secret Chiefs 3

 Official | on Facebook | Discography on Discogs

Secret Chiefs 3 can and should headline festivals and play stadiums.

However, I think they are too busy creating masterpieces, expressing their beliefs and enjoying live performances to have time to become famous. I know too many underground bands who choose to stay underground and I think they are right. Still, more people should enjoy the music of Secret Chiefs 3.

From the very beginning the band strikes as a group of introvert people with deep convictions and living in their own universe. They create a film on stage; the monks antagonistically placed next to a punk rocker who plays his heart out on violin, guitar and trumpet tell stories of lost souls and dark experiences, having us travel with them to faraway lands. I could hear and literally feel the Arabic music influences, the depth of metal and the darkness of Gothic tunes, I felt like riding a horse in the wild, wild West to switch quickly to a Balkan traditional songs mixed with some Bach and spiced up with Badalamenti. The energy, the determination to complete every piece with utter professionalism while having the best of fun and laughing and cheering moved all participants in an indescribable way. We asked for more and we received encores that seemed to project our experience in a parallel dimension, a timeless place where we could save this night forever.

Thank you, Secret Chiefs 3!

Secret Chiefs 3 photos:

October 16, 2012

Kosheen, October 13, 2012 at Panic! Club, Bucharest: Viva Music Review and Photos

I cannot imagine music in the years 2000 without Kosheen. I remember watching the video for All in My Head and wondering how in God’s name did Sian manage to survive that shooting? On Saturday, October 13, 2012, is Bucharest I had the immense pleasure to chat with her backstage, during the instrumental tracks her 2 colleagues were taking care of. Sian confessed that shooting that video was quite difficult as she had to take intensive diving lessons and she had to learn how to smile and keep her eyes open underwater! I don’t know how you feel after reading this, but I was stunned! Just watch the video again, and you will understand:

Some history behind this legendary group: they are a British trip hop, breakbeat and rock group based in Bristol, England. Bristol has given many unique acts to the world: Massive Attack, Tricky, Portishead, Roni Size, Smith and Mighty, Dr Meaker, AllFlaws to name a few. I will allow our readers to find the common traits for all these acts. The trio consists of producers Markee Substance and Darren Decoder, with singer and song writer Sian Evans. They could not have chosen a better name for their band but Kosheen (Ko = old, sheen = new, Japanese), as their music has been absolutely brilliant from the very beginning to this day. According to Sian Evans, the talented Kosheen vocalist, the name of their band “is phonetic and warm. Actually it is derived from a name for a North American Warrior, Kochese. When we were touring we discovered that the characters for Ko and She had a meaning of Old and New. Our group name was something that we where throwing around and Kosheen just sounded right, we didn’t realize that it had this meaning.”

We witnessed old and new Kosheen on the small stage of the semirefurbished Panic! Club in Bucharest and we enjoyed it immensely. After their gig in Cluj at the chic Boiler Club, Kosheen came straight to Bucharest to perform as part of their tour to promote their latest album, Independence. After listening to the new album I was even more looking forward to seeing them live, as the music was old and new at the same time, the ageless female voice over the beautiful danceable tunes. Independence is a coherent and well produced album that confirms in 2012 the status of premium band Kosheen have gained over the years.

Kosheen performance in Bucharest started with a DJ set that warmed everyone up, but the best was still to come. Without any former introduction Sian appeared on stage and started singing Empty Skies off of their first album, Resist, an amazingly energetic track that highlights the talent of the vocalist and literally forces the audience to start jumping up and down singing along! Kudos to the participants on Saturday night who tirelessly sang along and danced to every tune!

Sian herself pointed out a few times that the Romanian audience knew all the lyrics and she allowed the participants to sing the chorus of Hide U and Catch, without accompanying them. At the very beginning of the fourth song (exactly when the photographers are supposed to leave the photo pit), Sian invited the press to f**k off and allow the audience to dance and have some real fun near the stage. She also added that she could stop worrying about her mascara falling off once the photographers were gone! And we were gone! At a certain point, Sian invited a guy screaming his heart out, dancing and bouncing around on stage to sing with her and he was definitely very happy about that.

It was a great night and everyone enjoyed the well known hits such as: (Slip & Slide) Suicide, Hide U, Hungry (a famous track that made history with me because of the very sexy gothic Sian in the video, not only for the excellent music), Catch and so on. I had the feeling that the concert was not going to end. I remembered loving and being loved, dancing at the disco, playing Kosheen in the morning and getting their songs stuck in my head for weeks on end. Thank you, Kosheen!

 

October 12, 2012

The Cranberries (The Mono Jacks opening) 11.10.2012 at Romexpo, Bucharest: Viva Music Review and Photos

We were very happy to attend a special event last night; and it was, according to our opinion, but we hope not only ours, one of the best – if not the best event of the year in Bucharest. We are talking about the concert performed by The Cranberries (opening: The Mono Jacks) on Oct-11, at Romexpo in Bucharest, promoted by Events. We would like to take a moment to thank the artists, their crew, the promoters, and last but not least the lively audience who gathered in the cozy ambiance of Romexpo in order to witness the band’s second Romanian concert.

 The Mono Jacks @Romtexpo, Oct-11: Viva Music Review and Photos | The Cranberries @Romexpo, Oct-11: Viva Music Review and Photos: Setlist | Introduction | Review

The Mono Jacks @Romexpo, Oct-11: Viva Music Review and Photos

Official | on Facebook

Click here for the gallery The Mono Jacks @Romexpo, Oct-11

Previously on darkwave.ro: The Mono Jacks (opening for Suede) @Arenele Romane: Viva Music Review and Photos

The Mono Jacks already have a renown for very elegant and professional shows, and their opening for The Cranberries is no exception. They have a flair for how to fuse and dissipate at the same time energies, and their gracious and uplifting set was greeted very positively by the audience. Most likely, their songs were already known, and there were definitely at least some dozens of people who were there to support and sing along with their favorite act. Avoiding monotony with a set that included among others “What Do You Know“, “Woman“, “We’re All Getting Older” or “Maria“,  they managed to put up with the quite difficult task of opening for a world famous act such as The Cranberries. The 30+ minutes of their set were meant to put in the mood people for a party of alternative rock, and they checked off the task nicely. It is a pleasure to see The Mono Jacks perform, and we are happy every time we have the opportunity to attend their concerts.back to top

The Cranberries @Romexpo, Oct-11: Viva Music Review and Photos

 Official | on Facebook | Discography on Discogs

 

Click here for the gallery The Cranberries @Romexpo, Oct-11

 Setlist 

Just My Imagination”  * “When You’re Gone” * “Losing My Mind” * “Linger” * “Free to Decide” * “Ordinary Day” * “21” * “Tomorrow” * “Still Can’t” * “Sunday” * “Can’t Be with You” * “Conduct” * “Fire and Soul” (canceled) * “Shattered” (instrumental) * “Not Sorry” * “Show Me the Way” * “Ridiculous Thoughts” * “Salvation” * “Zombie” * “Schizophrenic Playboys” * “The Journey” * “Dreams” back to top

Introduction

A performance by The Cranberries is the kind of experience you know – even before it started – that it is going to please you. Natural talent has proved, many times before, to be the essential, guiding force behind their performances – and it’s been like this ever since they shyly set foot on stage in their early years, twenty years before.

 

The past two decades have been a carousel of emotions for The Cranberries, and even though a few years ago it seemed as if the games were made, and there was no The Cranberries anymore, their recent comeback (plausibly at the same time as other of their contemporary acts among which Skunk Anansie, Suede, or Pulp came back) meant coming in front of new audiences. Their Romanian one – which greeted their first concert with unparalleled emotion – who, after all, was still expecting a concert from The Cranberries? – was not the only audience – basically The Cranberries came in front of a new Europe and new world. Their reputation was still rock solid and no one expected them to flunk in any regard – how could anyone have possibly believed so, since their history of concerts is basically flawless?

 

The Cranberries are conveyors of feel-good music. Wherever they go, they charm their audiences with songs that have already claimed – and were allowed into – a rock canon of the 1990’s. Practically it would be difficult to disentangle them from the musical tumult of the 1990’s – and their story,  which is one of young local talents who meet up and decide that what they want to achieve in life is larger than their city and more than their average peer, is still told in the present tense. Even when addressing worldwide known hits, and The Cranberries are never short of that – we still talk about the common consensus and feeling gathered by “Zombie” or “Salvation“, about how sharp and crisp is the communion of people who listen to “Dreams“. And even if their hits ‘linger’ on, without the possibility of being forgotten (even the generations that grew up during their disbandment are as aware of the importance of their tracks), there are numerous other signs of their success.

 

Firstly, they hail from Ireland, and as most Irish acts (should we remind of U2?) have a story to tell – it’s a story of their own devise, but also one raising the spirits of Irish lore, carried on the melodiousness of Irish folk music, but also impinging, not with brute force, but with gentleness, and self-possession, on the current issues that societies within and without experience. It’s rare to find such an astuteness and acuity about the impact of hatred, or about war children in music as we find it with The Cranberries – it’s nowhere near abusive or judgmental, but takes a stand in a very personal way. A personal way which came to be allotted willy-nilly to the person Dolores O’Riordan, not the band, even if, were it not for the creative web of emotions they brought together, The Cranberries would never be.

 

Secondly, it is also a fact that unlike other, similarly talented acts, they made it big from the very beginning. A difficultly earned, but solid record deal, concert dates, MTV air time when it was still hip, when band members were in their early 20’s – and they knew how to use that and evolve instead of stagnate, propose more instead of settle for less.  They grew up to fame, but never let fame to be the ruler – rather, they knew somehow that in leading their private lives the way they used to when they were anonymous lies the secret of their future success.

 

Thirdly, The Cranberries, in their popularity, never left the arena. TV contestants in China made it big in front of audiences of several million covering their songs. “Dreams” was used in a 2011 independent movie, “Sound of My Voice” to represent the bridge between epochs: the character of Maggie, a self-professed time traveler from the future, sings to prospective cult followers “Dreams” when asked about music from her (future) time. The fact that not only cult members – but also the film’s audience can clearly and distinctly recollect the song, and pin it down, as being a (past) song from The Cranberries, adds flavor to the role The Cranberries play in popular culture today. back to top

 

Review

 

The Cranberries went on stage minutes before the expected time, and ‘going on’ stage barely describes their vivid outburst, on the notes of “Just My Imagination“, a recent live favorite of the band, and also one of their most spontaneous, carefree and vivid songs, ever. They caused a stir in the audience, and animated everyone with the delicate acoustics of the song, and the strong message conveyed throughout. Not before thanking everyone for coming and showing her admiration of our beautiful country, Dolores made it clear for everyone that she means business, and set on to enchant us for the rest of the evening.  Setting from the very beginning a cadence of contrasts, they went on to play “When You’re Gone“, which in a theory of extremes, would be one of their most intimate and heartfelt songs – with a melancholy fragrance and a lushness easily comparable to the world’s most long-lasting love ballads. A song of yearning and genuine emotion, played in front of our very eyes, as if we were the estranged or departed lover from this song.

 

Going on with “Losing My Mind“, one of their new releases from “Roses“,  The Cranberries reverted to the original feel of their show, only teasingly so, since the next piece, “Linger” went back to musing and the openness of lovers on the edge. One of the most loved pieces by The Cranberries, it was hummed along by the audience in tune with the band. Their next choice of music was “Free to Decide“, and it became fiercer and very outspoken – the first song in which Dolores O’Riordan joined bandmates on her guitar. Casual and at the same time serious, demanding the right of one’s own options stubbornly like a child, but with the eloquence of maturity, the song was applauded lavishly.

 

Up next, The Cranberries delighted us with Dolores O’Riordan’s solo comeback of 2007 – “Ordinary Day” – a song she confessed she had composed thinking of her daughters. Evasive and at the same time leaving an indelible mark on the listener, “Ordinary Day” is a mother’s lament, one that makes it clear that there are hardships ahead, but they could at all times and on all occasions be overcome by the strength of the bond between mother and infant.

 

After asking casually how many people in the audience were aged twenty-one, it became clear that the next track on the setlist was going to be “21“. Lyrical, balanced and sentimentally plausible, the song was delivered with genuine zest by the band, and they made sure to gain and capture a feel of their early days. It was extremely pleasing to see them on stage perform this song; they seemed to go back themselves to the era in which the song was a novelty even for themselves, so easily and so unpretentiously that it became clear for everyone that their unexpected comeback had solid grounds, and that they are here to stay, until further notice.

 

Tomorrow” was their second choice of the day, or evening rather! from their newest album, “Roses“, and though it was less known by the audience, or had a shorter history with them than the previous tracks, it was extremely well received. “Still Can’t” and “Sunday“, both from their emotional “Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?“, followed; about the latter song, Dolores O’Riordan mentioned that it’s been until last night 12 years since they last played the song live; and it was carried out in a very elegant manner, it sounded fresh and not rusty at all, it emerged as one of the most neat and tasteful additions to the evening’s setlist.

 

Going back to carefree liveliness, “Can’t Be With You” continued only in the red thread of love affairs that end, well, in other ways than we initially expect, but changed the tone completely. “Conduct” followed, with its unobtrusive, but clearly pointed out couple politics. After a short technical indisposition which boiled down to canceling “Fire & Soul“, “Not Sorry” proved that a song that gathers less critical attention from a debut album is up to the challenge of delighting an audience almost twenty years after its release. “Show Me the Way” was again a highlight of the concert, similar in intent and in frankness to “Free to Decide“, delivered earlier. An acoustic version of “Shattered“, with a lot of instrumental added value ensued, leaving a needed breathing space before the sound storm of “Ridiculous Thoughts“. We are unaware of what exact feelings can actually plunge one in the state of creating such a masterpiece, and even less of how it is possible to recollect exactly the feeling and its musical rendition after so many years, because not all resides in the very personal touch added to the very turbulent stream of thought, and not all can be explained by a flawless musical line and a very plausible tact.

 

The main set was concluded with two of the band’s most known songs, applauded wildly, and sung along by the entire audience, young and … not so young anymore. To begin with, “Salvation“, which was possibly re-arranged for the new live version of their show, with its fierceness, its almost burlesque elements, and its captioning on the absurd of the situation in which one is caught when trying to have a personal and humane approach to substance abuse. And without any need for an introduction, “Zombie“, which left everyone beaming, despite the sad circumstances that brought about the composition of the song, because after all it is a personal statement of unparalleled grace and lack of resilience in front of the brutality of the world.

 

For their encore, The Cranberries chose to delight us first of all with their catchy “Schizophrenic Playboys“, with its shifting sands of vocals and instrument, and then with the lively and optimistic “The Journey“, again, like “Ordinary Day“, a Dolores O’Riordan solo. The closing, as everyone anticipated, was ensured by the most loved song from the band, namely “Dreams“, delivered in splendid fashion, with utmost enthusiasm and a great attention to the inflections that make the song so loved and so popular with music lovers.

 

Altogether, the show put up by The Cranberries is an example to be followed closely. Not only did they benefit from great organization of the event, but also they stepped in with professionalism and delivered a high class show, in which emotions were carefully calibrated and the finetuned setlist provided sufficient entertainment for the audience. Thank you, The Cranberries, and definitely, next time it’s a date! back to top

 

 

August 22, 2012

Dark Bombastic 4 @Alba Iulia Citadel, 17&18-Aug: Viva Music Review and Photos

Dark Bombastic Evening 4 was an amazing experience, and it was yet another reason to make us feel proud of being Romanian! We would like to thank the organizers, bands, participants, technicians, cooks, press, entertainers and all the other supporters and DBE fans who made this event happen within the walls of the Alba Iulia citadel.

The excellent weather and perfect location, the food and general relaxed atmosphere were unexpectedly beautiful add-ons to the music that conquered our souls. The venue accommodated the hundreds of participants offering generous spaces for entertainment, a food court, a bar, an exhibition hall, a large parking lot and a very well positioned stage. The directions and advice from the organizer were welcome who did not hesitate to go the extra mile in every aspect. Here are some photos of the location, audience, unforgettable moments that we will cherish forever.

Click here for the gallery Dark Bombastic Evening – Audience.

 Day One | Day Two

Day One, Saturday Aug-17: Falloch | Isole | Oranssi Pazuzu | Alcest | Lantlos | Unholy | Dark Buddha Rising | The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation | Solstafir

Falloch (Scotland)

 Official | on Facebook | Discography on Discogs

Click here for Falloch @Dark Bombastic Evening 4 (2012) photo gallery.

About: Celtic / Rock / Metal band Falloch (in Scottish: ‘hidden/in hiding’) are a young act, barely created in 2010, but the renown of which is on the surge with the release of their first album, “Where Distant Spirits Remain”, acclaimed thoroughly as ‘debut of the year’ (mortemzine.net) and ‘album of the year’ (ragherrie.com). With an intrinsically clockwork sound and haunting poetry, Falloch are a breathtaking stage presence and inborn performers.

Review: As the first day of festival was dedicated to more aggressive guitar riffs and harsher voice performances, we expected to witness a lot of energetic shows and vibrant displays of metal excellence. The first band scheduled to open Dark Bombastic Evening 4 was a perfect choice, as the young Scots from Falloch gave everything and more and enjoyed being on stage as much as the eager audience enjoyed dancing to the infectious rhythms. Although it was very difficult for us to pin down the different styles Falloch approach in their music, we could sense not only a devotion to metal and post rock, but some folk influences and melodic sequences that brought flavor to the music of the very talented Scottish band. back to top (more…)

March 2, 2012

Diary of Dreams @The Silver Church Arena, Bucharest Feb-29: Viva Music Review

February 29’s tend to be special occasions – after all, you only witness a couple of them during your lifetime, and they only come every four years. February 29, 2012 was really such a day, since the wonderful performance from Diary of Dreams in Bucharest (their second, after Viva Music‘s own feature of Diary of Dreams in our first Darkwave.ro fest three years ago (photo gallery by Viva Music | event presentation [in Romanian]). It turned out to be an awesome night, with Diary of Dreams offering a well-rounded tour of their oldest and newest, ranging from “False Affection, False Creation” to their last year’s “Mein Eid“, and with a frantic crowd as diverse as you would ever want to witness during a show; with devoted fans who knew all the lyrics to their songs, and were happy to recognize them in the setlist, and with newcomers to the miracles performed on stage by Diary of Dreams.

For full gallery by Viviana Ball/Viva Music and Aridwev Andrei/Tanz die Revolution click here.

Now in the endterm of their 2011-12 Ego:X tour (read Viva Music’s review of Diary of Dreams’ 2011 album “Ego:Xhere), which was offered generously by the band in 30+ venues across the world, Diary of Dreams chose a very wise setlist for their second Bucharest date. It is, as you might well intuit, a rare occasion for a band from our scene to be present for the second time in our beloved Bucharest. but it’s also gladdening news, because during the three years which elapsed since their first Bucharest date, the scene evolved, the concerts and festivals increased in number and became more diverse, and then there are the other events, radio shows, parties and of course, a beautiful community of beautiful people which is there to witness all this bounty. Diary of Dreams came to Bucharest with great enthusiasm and very eager to please their audience – which, at almost full house – welcomed them in their turn with similar keenness and fervor.

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After a very enticing “Intro”, Diary of Dreams did not lose time to induct their audience into the fervent and solemn rhythms of “The Wedding”. “Lebenslang” and “Menschfeind” ensued, asking the crowd to show what they got, and then “Chemicals” and of course, an applauded masterpiece such as their “The Plague”. You needed to be there to love their “Reign of Chaos” and “Giftraum”, as well as their great “Ego:X” track “Mein Eid”. From newest – “Mein Eid” to oldest – “False Affection, False Creation” from their 1994 “Cholymelan”. The cavalcade of goodies went on with “Wahn?Sinn!” and “King of Nowhere”, which were responded to ardently, as well as their save-the-best-for-last strategy that meant keeping for the end a great streak that included “Amok”, “The Curse”, and “Butterfly – Dance!”. Toward the end, a great performance of “She and Her Darkness” convinced all attending how successful the night was, and just how much passion was poured by the band into the show.

Diary of Dreams’ performance in The Silver Church Arena was a wonderful occasion to meet old and new friends, to immerse in the captivating atmosphere born from the next to perfect interaction of artists and audience. And we won’t need to wait long for their next performance, because within weeks we are going to report back to you about Diary of Dreams’ performance at Industrial Boom – Reboot Festival from Budapest!

Diary of Dreams: Official Website | on Facebook | Discography on Discogs

February 27, 2012

Future Sounds Festival 2012/Winter Edition – Bucharest, Feb-24 – Viva Music Review

Festival gallery by Viviana Ball/Viva Music

 

Musical encounters in Bucharest tend to be predictable and arouse their general cheering from their quite separate niche crowds. Luckily, more and more niches are being provided entertainment – a sign of normalcy that was less obvious in past years and now seems to be in itself a norm everyone takes into account when screening an event list. There are, however, events that defy any event rubric you had in mind and get you into a very special kind of mood. This was the case with a very genuine event, Future Sounds Festival 2012 – Winter Edition – the future editions of which are a must for your urban wanderings. Brazenly scheduled for a night that took pride in other seven enticing events, the festival was organized by FRONT and deployed seductively in a venue worth checking out, Safe House (82B, Popa Nan St.). It provided a lineup thought up to tempt the novelty curious crowd; but also to persuade it – two international and two local acts were set up in the festival: Sunrays and Yoon (RO), as well as Selebrities and Slow Magic (US). (more…)

June 5, 2011

Suede (The Mono Jacks opening) 04.06.2011 at Arenele Romane, Bucharest – review (with photos and videos)

 

The EventThe Mono Jacks @Arenele Romane, Bucharest 04.06.2011 – reviewThe Mono Jacks @Arenele Romane, Bucharest 04.06.2011 – photogallerySuede @Arenele Romane, Bucharest 04.06.2011 (The Mono Jacks opening) – review SUEDE @Arenele Romane, Bucharest 04.06.2011 (The Mono Jacks opening) – photogallerySUEDE @Arenele Romane, Bucharest 04.06.2011 (The Mono Jacks opening) – setlistOther reviewsVideos

The Event

The event Suede @Arenele Romane Bucharest 04.06.2011 (The Mono Jacks opening) was presented by One Event (site | Facebook) to whom Viviana (photos) and Octavian (review) thank wholeheartedly for one of the best concert experiences e-vah! Many thanks, and congrats, One Event! With a numerous crowd (less and unfortunately so for the 1-hour show put up by The Mono Jacks), a fine selection of songs on the setlist and a wonderful denouement, the event can be counted among the finest concerts of the year already. It may well be the Suede fan in me saying this, but Suede fans and Suede-curious crowd must agree: the concert, while sounding nothing like the Suede of their past glory, shows Suede are back, and we have to ascertain the more mature-sounding, retro riffs and always and always less falsettos as a sign this could well be the music of a new generation, too.

Suede‘s concert was exactly as I had fantasized about. I had a hunch there would be no “A New Morning” songs, it being the ‘one-too-many’ album lead singer Brett Anderson referred to as being the unnecessary effort that clarified the band’s disbandment in 2003. With a well-represented “Coming Up” (6 songs), “Dog Man Star” (5 songs), as well as 3 songs from “Suede”, 2 from “Head Music” and a totally unexpected and all the more brilliant and valiant “Killing of a Flash Boy” of “Sci-Fi Lullabies” fame, Suede took their audience on a scenic drive with significant halts of their career, showing that, notwithstanding the passing of time (some of the songs are 1-year short of being 2-decade old), the nineties were a wonderful musical playground, worth revisiting.

(more…)

October 8, 2010

Clan of Xymox in Bucharest, Control Club, Oct 7, 2010, Viva Music Review and Photos

At the end of the section “Biography” on their official website one can read:

“Ronny Moorings is Clan Of Xymox”.

And I can confirm that Clan of Xymox is Ronny after seeing CoX live at Control Club in Bucharest last night! He has a deep, caressing voice that you never forget and an excellent, somehow ethereal stage presence, with a slight punk twist to it. I admire artists who keep their cool as the concert goes on, and don’t get overexcited once the audience gets more enthusiastic. I had the feeling the gracious smiles Ronny was displaying and the non-pretentious “It’s good to be in Romania” were a sign of admiration and comfort from a very professional artist. Ronny reminded me of Dave Gahan, first because of the music and second because of the very intense gaze at the public, at everyone and at no one at the same time. Cool and sweet, sound like Killing Joke, Voltaire, Bauhaus, Depeche Mode, Sisters of Mercy and New Order, Clan of Xymox was another well articulated and welcome concert in Bucharest.

The current lineup of Clan of Xymox, now based in Leipzig, Germany, consists of Ronny Moorings – produces, writes, records all music & lyrics. Live members: Ronny Moorings sticks live to guitar & vocals, Mojca on bass, Mario Usai on guitar & Yvonne de Ray on keyboards.

Since 1985, Clan of Xymox have released 9 albums and 14 singles and EP’ and a live album.

Official website: http://www.clanofxymox.com/

Myspace: http://www.clanofxymox.com/

Here are the pics I took at the concert:

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