SKINNY PUPPY & OTTO VON SCHIRACH
The strangely named (well perhaps not he is German) Otto Von Schirach was basically a guy in a cape and wearing pants over tights like a wrestler, super-hero or err German. This was what I could only first describe as Nacho Libre porno grind. Hankered down behind a laptop he assaulted with some industrial fucking strength breakcore, rife with samples and sounding like the bones of The Bezerker being picked clean by The Locust. It was all very interesting for those never having witnessed such a display but those more accustomed to it were muttering things like, “poor mans Venetian Snares” under their breath.
Japanese hentai or perhaps a bukkake soundtrack was groaning out the speakers along with a barrage of gabba beats sounding like a Toho monster stomping over downtown Tokyo. You never knew quite what was going to come next and we were assaulted by some of Verdi’s Macbeth for our sins (he must be turning in his grave) and then we could only say, “what the absolute fuck”? as a monster looking like it had escaped from Jon Petwee Dr Who era came on stage. BananaSloth apparently looked like it was made out of grass and a face of bananas but it was also playing a keyboard. They had a swordfight, we kept having samples flung at us (HG Lewis Wizard Of Gore, nice) and I had to wonder who had slipped acid in my drink. Finally a cackling woman with a stick and skulls came on as well, very odd, can I have a lie down now please?
The closest I had come to see Skinny Puppy was catching singer Ogre on stage with Pigface, but I had always wanted to and knew I was in for one hell of a visual treat tonight. As I only actually have 1988 album VIVIsectVI album on vinyl and the excellent Greater Wrong Of The Right DVD I knew that I wasn’t going to know a huge amount of material on display here. A bit of sax jazz before the main event sounded like it had escaped Cronneberg’s Naked Lunch and it was just about time for bugs to crawl out the walls.
With drummer Justin hidden behind a huge kit and cEvin behind a bank of electronic equipment we were transfixed by the imagery on the massive screen behind them. We were not exactly able to take any photos of Ogre either as he was hidden behind a blood smeared canvas looking like it had escaped from Hellraiser for the first 3 numbers (which apparently were Anger, Ugli & Dogshit). Casting weird and wonderful silhouettes which at times suggested there was a gorgon behind the screen we were lost in wonder as occasionally what looked like a smoke filled glass bong loomed from behind the decking.
It was really an anti-social display and when Ogre came out after 3 songs the bouncers decided to go with the 3 song ruling and attempt to chuck us all out the photo pit. Talk about lacking in brain cells but we all ignored them and snapped away at the zombified singer who looked like an experiment from Return Of The Living Dead 3. The make up was fantastic and the consistency of the blood completely realistic. Some spattered on me and I certainly wasn’t licking it off to see if it was real.
With a much needed cold one I could relax a bit and get into the music. New album Mythmaker was represented by single ‘Politikil’ bristling and distorting with mutated beats, unlike the lyrics it did not suck in the slightest in fact I think Ogre was thinking of sucking on that bong again. The high energy ebm took me back and although this is a brand new song it sounded like it could have been from the late 80s’ The projection screens were psychedelically intense and break beats and drums slid in and out like the doors of the Starship enterprise. Pedafly was certainly a lot more futuristic bleeping away yet still and descending into the realms of a mutant MDMA party.
Worlock was one I recognised thanks to its opening sample and resemblance to a cybernetic musical mash up between Blade Runner and Tetsuo. Likewise another crowd pleaser was I'mmortal which with the zombified singer stomping around really reminded me of Alien Sex Fiend. Whilst not running around like a headless chicken at a rave Ogre donned a radiation gimp mask reminiscent the one from Richard Stanley’s Hardware and stood by the canvas smearing it with blood.
Musically at times this was so retro it was unbelievable, mixing the likes of Revolting Cocks Big Sexy Land along with the likes of Heaven 17, The Human League and Psychic TV this was a wild ride and one that even descended into handbag house in snatches. Not sure what the encore was but it went from a slightly camp demeanour into a tribal stomp and a half. This was a real rave to the grave and one that made both the ears and the eyeballs pop.
Pete Woods
LONDON ASTORIA 14/08/07