PRONG AND DIE SO FLUID
UNDERWORLD, CAMDEN - 08/06/09
Firstly, and apologies, but I need to get this off my chest; the Underworld stank! I don’t mean the sound, which was as good as it has ever been for years, nor do I mean the lights, which featured less of the normal photo mangling red the mixer so delights in. I mean it stank! I’ve been going to the venue for more years then I care to admit, and could have probably paid off my mortgage with what I’ve spent at the bar, but on this occasion it smelled worse then I’ve ever known it to, and I’ve been there for sold out Orange Goblin shows! Had to say it, so on with the music.
Last time I caught Prong was January 2008 which had been my first time seeing them live in almost 15 years. That gig, on a freezing cold night, was my first of the year, and an absolute highlight even amongst all the many gigs I made before the arrival of 2009. That show had been their only UK gig of the tour, and with the strong showing of ‘Power of the Damager’, and the follow up ‘Power of the Damn Mixxxer’, I hoped for at least as good a turn out this time round. Sadly, by the time I descended into the pub cellar that is my favourite London venue it hadn't boded well for a full house, with the ticket window having a large pile of unsold tix stacked up, and no sign of the normal queue I’d hope for such a prestigious headliner.
Two bands had been listed as support, but as it turned out, only Die So Fluid played, coming on stage at 1945. Having opened for a wide range of acts from Satanic noise merchants Akercocke to Latin nu-metallers Ill Nino, I was interested to see how this three piece would go down with an industrial crowd. Fortunately, they seemed to have brought a fair contingent of their own fans to the venue, and had quite a few singing and dancing to their mix of Goth, Punk, and Ska. Vocalist and bassist Grog had put aside her normal trademark sequinned cat suit for a equally eye catching black leather and corset number, and aside from their fans, there seemed a fair few who had come to see Prong that were happy to sidle up to the stage for a look. Accompanied by Mr Drew on guitar, her proficiency as a bassist, as well as her deep and husky vocals, worked well with the Ska tinged rhythms of drummer Al Fletcher, a man who has previously banged the skins for the likes of Selector and Lee “Scratch” Perry. Highlight of the set was undoubtedly their rendition of last summer’s single, ‘Existential Baby’, the intro to which sounded so much like ‘Mirror in the Bathroom’. On this, as many other tracks, the infectious drum beats were what had me nodding along in appreciation.
For most of their existence, Prong has very much been the Tommy Victor show, and for a second it seemed it would be again, with yet another new bassist replacing Monte Pillman (currently touring as live player for Madonna, undoubtedly a more financially rewarding gig) from their last time out. I thought this would dampen my enthusiasm for the show, as he had proven himself one of the most dynamic rhythm players on the scene, dominating the stage and sharing vocals. As it was, I was not to be disappointed. Without any introduction, Prong fired into a truly epic extended set covering their whole back catalogue. Powered on from behind by the gigantic Aaron Rossi on drums teasing an almost funky beat from his minimalist kit, Tommy Victor stayed glued to his mike, not bothering with any flash tricks, and not stopping to engage in any banter with the audience, instead pummelling out track after track with the precision of a metronome, but with a power and a passion that needs no tricks or pyrotechnics.
Proving himself a more then able substitute on bass, Mike Longworth matched the guitar work of Tommy Victor with his own concentrated playing, adding flourishes of thumb bass to the his lines that gave them their own distinctive style to go along with the blasting and occasionally almost funky beats of the drums. Some of my fears going to this gig were that the band would try to recreate the electronic sounds of the recent ‘Mixxxer’ album, but instead myself and the audience were treated to the stripped back yet layered playing of a band at their live best. As ever, I was amazed at the sound that Victor pulled from his guitar without the aid of a rhythm player or a bank of effects pedals. Instead, punctuated by his angry barks, tracks like ‘Third Option’, ‘Broken Peace’, and ‘Worst of It’ had the venue bouncing along at a break neck pace, one song blasting into another, as with a wry grin Victor played like the skilled veteran he is, the undoubted disappointment in the fact that the venue was barely half full not dampening the enthusiasm of the audience nor making him give anything less then 100%. By the time the classic ‘Prove You Wrong’ was belted out to a near exhausted crowd, I was ready to head home satisfied with an excellent show. Instead, after barely a few seconds away from the stage, Prong came back to power out ‘Whose Fist is this Anyway?’, ‘Snap Your Fingers’, and ‘Power of the Damager’, whipping more life from the happily chanting fans.
With such skill, and so many years of hard touring, Prong deserve to be playing at far larger and far better attended venues. Despite the poor turnout though, Tommy Victor and his latest cohorts played yet another classic show, and I pity those who decided not to come out and see it.
Spenny Bullen
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