This show was for the album launch of Prude's album The dark age of consent. That is now available from here http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Age-Consent-Prude/dp/B00LID0OOA/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1411993097&sr=1-1&keywords=prude
We arrived I'd guess about two thirds of the way through Geeta's opening set of solo keyboards goth warbling, most of what we heard was slow sexy and demure goth at the quieter end of the X-mal Deutchland end of goth, Geeta is crying out to have a full band behind her so she can be the front woman that she is obviously dying to be so that she can go full on Siouxie Sioux meets Kate Bush. That said she held the crowd's attention and once she has a band behind her will be worth catching again.
Next on was Scant Regard which is Will Crewsdon's solo project, this was the first time I've seen Will play since we both managed to break our right shoulders and it was good to see the break hasn't affected his playing at all. This was apparent from the opening notes of Eye Of The Fly off of the Burl Ive's Ghost single as Will meshed his guitar playing to the backing tracks and computer generated sounds he was triggering. Zeronia 21 sounded darker and angrier than the version that opens the Burnt Pop Cycles album. Thank You You’re Welcome almost sounds sarcastic if a guitar solo can be sarcastic that is as well as having enough groove to it to get quite a few people almost dancing.
Sneaking Into Godforsaken Territory is the best mash-up tune you'll hear played live it twists and turns while you stand there figuring out exactly how many different tunes Will is ripping off at once as he fidgets with some of the knobs on his guitar and shards of noise splinter over us in time for Rip Crackaway to act like a master of ceremonies at a gunfight that needs to be fuelled by some Demonade before they start blasting as the drum machines and guitar are scattering the room with sonic bullets.
Scant Regards re-tuned version of Kraftwerks The Model went down a storm sounding darker and sleazier than the original. Will then invited his special guest Roi Robertson of Mechanical Cabaret to join him on keyboards and vocals for One Hundred Years the vocals were almost a distraction from the twisted nature of the music and the acrobatics Will was performing on his guitar before he closed the set with a very cool version of Harpenoid that was one of my favourite tunes on Burnt Pop Cycles.
There is also just about time left for you to pledge to see Will play in the USA with one of his other bands Flesh For Lulu who are running a fundraising campaign here https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/uk-s-flesh-for-lulu-american-tour-and-new-ep
After the break it was time for Prude to blow us all away and I'm sure if Jared Louche could of that's exactly what he'd have done!! They opened with a rumble of deep twisted guitar and bass rumblings as Jared stumbled onto the stage and went full throttle into Airlock as he implored us that he had to Vibrate it was clear it was deeply dark and twisted vibrations he was after.
Plague Star (Black Light Returning) was even darker and with its screams of I Fucking Hate You among lyrics that conjure up London in the good old perverted days of old when you could still score drugs on the streets and pick up a rent boy quite easily this was music for the damned and happy about it and Marc Olivier's guitar playing was just super sleazy throughout like he was working the backroom of The Colhearne while not playing.
Knife On Mars took us on a tour of the sleaziest bits of London back in the day as the song depicts a night of infamy and louche ribaldry over a backing that is almost Clan of Xymox meets Scraping Foetus Of The wheel but without the motoric beats. Cigarette Burn Heart seems to be about the sort of person that used to always be causing ructions while trying not to pay the drugs bill and run off with your girlfriend at the same time as Jared sounded like he was gasping to go on a massive drugs bender.
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Kings Of The Republic Of Nowhere reworks parts of the Stooges TV Eye and adds a couple of extra layers of sleaze like they have just escaped from a super heavy scene at Club Fist in the old days, before they disappear into the Darkroom to lose what's left of any modesty they might have had in a hail of poppers and cheap speed and unrepeatable behavior. They closed the set with Great Eraser (in the Sky) that saw Jared careening out into the audience to bellow the lyrics in our ears as well as the microphone it was a fitting end to a totally sleaze ridden set that makes me want to have a shower before I leave the venue and not a golden one although I'm sure Prude would arrange that for you if you desire it.
A brilliantly dark and dirty set from a band that needs to be seen live it was hard to believe this was only the bands 4th live show.
We were still a little stunned by the time Black Volition came who are yet another band featuring Will Crewsdon on Guitar this time with Reza Udhin from Killing Joke along with Roi Robertson of Mechanical Cabaret who are here to revel in western gothic sleaze from the opener Hands On You that sounds a bit like the darker bits of The Missions output. Underground Cities with its cries of Haa Haaa that were chilling and scary and the dark twisted guitars over a pulsating beat that would sound perfect at club Antichrist or the Batcave.
Velvet Ray was probably as catchy a number as they've got and would work as a single if it hasn't already been one. Unselected Places takes us into a dark world not unlike the one inhabited by Rowland S Howard it had a deep groove underneath it that was very cool. They Got Danni Antagonist up to sing on The Rain and her vocals seemed to lift the veil of darkness a little and just in time for the band's first single to be played which was Rivers that had some wicked guitar over the lyrics about being left behind afterwards.
They closed there set with Life Speed that was probably the fastest thing they played and it wasn't that fast as nobody wants to hear a speed goth band and Black Volition are more of a classic Goth rock band and a very cool one indeed who are well worth seeing live or finding the bands single or music through http://www.reverbnation.com/blackvolition?page_view_source=facebook_app .
That was one hell of a great gig for a Tuesday night and I must thank Will Crewsdon and Marc Olivier for help with the setlists for this review.
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