I've just come off a run of three gigs in three nights. The likes of The Swede can take that in their stride but I can't. All these gigs-a-go-go have left Goggins a-gone-gone. But I have summoned up just enough energy to share some brief reviews.
The run started on Tuesday with Laibach at the Islington Assembly Hall. This had not originally been in the schedule but I was offered two free tickets so we decided to take advantage of this kind offer. I'm very glad we did as it was worth every penny I didn't spend.
After 40+ years of industrial agit-prop Laibach have decided to become accessible. Their latest album "MUSICK" is basically a pop album, but being Laibach it is Pop With A Purpose. That purpose is "to celebrate and critically dissect our era of warped reality and gaudy AI copycatting", and to do so through the sneaky use of "irresistibly catchy pop songs powered by hyper-charged postmodernity".
Most of the audience were probably not pondering these philosophical conundrums, but I'm not sure it mattered. The extended Laibach - the band, two energetic dancers and assorted guest vocalists beamed onto the back screen - treated us to one banger after banger after another with a fair bit of weirdness in between. They certainly know how to put on a show.
It was my first time seeing Laibach, but the headliner at Wednesday's gig is someone I have seen more times than I can remember and in many different guises - solo, as a member of Trembling Bells and the short-lived Wyndow, and collaborating with the likes of Bonnie Prince Billy, Mike Heron and Peter Daltrey (ex-Kaleidoscope).
I am talking of course of Lavinia Blackwall, whose turn it was to grace the stage at the What's Cookin' club night in Leytonstone. She was in excellent voice as always and the new touring band did a fine job. They suffered a power failure midway through the set which messed up the mix when they resumed but which gave them a rougher sound which I thought quite suited the livelier numbers.
Special mentions go to the bass player Amanda who is also a virtuoso on the musical saw - something we don't see enough of in my view - and to support act The Equatorial Group, all the way from tropical Eastbourne, who treated us to a pleasant set of what could be loosely described as 1970s style AOR with the occasional wigging out.
Enough of the waffling. On with the show.
The lady looming large over Laibach in the first photo above is Mina Špiler. She joined them 'live' for "Bossanova" from their 2014 album "Spectre", and that is what leads off our audio selection. Other live highlights were "Allgorhythm" from the new album and a surprisingly sweet Mama Cass cover, both of which are in the videos.
From Lavinia we have the opening track from her most recent album "The Making" which came out last year. Georgian's debut EP "Crackled Ground" was released this June. We have something from that for you too, and in the videos we have both of their title tracks.
On a bonus I've added Chinese American Bear to the videos. I saw them up in Hackney last week and they were almost as pop-tastic as Laibach. Unlike Laibach, however, I don't think they are making a devastating critique of anything at all. They just want to make you dance, dance, dance.
Finally a quick reminder that today is Bandcamp Friday. All these good people can be found there. You know what to do.
"Bossanova" - Laibach
"Keep Me Away From The Dark" - Lavinia Blackwall
"Gardens" - Georgian
