On Friday the 2nd of March, I went to the Wine Cellar to see The Neo-Kalashnikovs and Myth Of Democracy perform. It was my second time seeing both of these bands and they did not disappoint. It was also my second time attending the Wine Cellar. Another band called Royal Fortune was performing but I unfortunately missed them as I was running late, as per usual. This gig had free entry, which is always a welcome bonus!
I arrived just in time to see The Neo-Kalashnikovs, although I missed their first song as I was getting my Jack Dagnallz (that's how they say 'Daniel's' on Epic Meal Time, therefore, that's how I say it). They played a longer set than when I saw them at the King's Arms, which was good. The set included the single To Russia (go and download it for free now!), and Diamonds. Because of the layout of the Wine Cellar, I had a better view of the band and could watch the drummer, who is actually pretty pro. Turns out that the whole band are siblings, which is pretty cool. I wish my brother could play an instrument! They're a good looking family too. Oh yeah, the bass player remembered his strap this time haha.
Myth Of Democracy were next. I thought that this venue suited them perfectly, seeing as they're a folk punk band. The front man had just been recently married, and it was nice to see a man embracing marriage rather than viewing it as a prison sentence, as we are always shown in popular films/TV. They played a set of reasonable length. I'm a nub and don't really know any of their songs, but the name of their album is Humans Piss Me Off, which I think is a pretty cool title, and is coming out soon. "I swear we'll play something happy soon!" was one of the quotes from the front man, as the large majority of Myth Of Democracy's tracks are political (if you didn't guess by the name), with a critical outlook on the Western World.
The Wine Cellar is a pretty cool venue. It would definitely suit an unplugged set. There are a number of couches for people to sit on as well. I guess this venue is quite intimate, as it is reasonably small and the band don't play on any elevated flooring. There were quite a few older people at this gig (i.e. middle aged), which was quite interesting as generally people in their 20s or 30s make up the majority of the crowd of the gigs I go to. The sound for this gig was quite good. The drums were perfect, however I think the guitar and vocals could have been turned up a bit more.
In conclusion, both of these talented bands put on a good show at a venue which suited them. Hopefully we see some album releases from them both soon!
On Wednesday the 22nd of February I attended goth rockers, The Sisters Of Mercy's first ever show in New Zealand. It was held at the Powerstation, which is actually a really good venue. This night was a big night for famous international bands, as System Of A Down and Roger Waters were also playing. I could have gone to SOAD as my friend had a spare ticket, but I decided on The Sisters Of Mercy. I have only been a fan of The Sisters Of Mercy for about a month, but I have really gotten into them and I would now consider them to be one of my favourite bands. I wish I had gotten into them earlier!
I arrived at the Powerstation at around 8ish pm. There were a reasonable amount of people there. I don't think it was sold out, but definitely enough to fill the venue to a reasonable capacity. I went straight to the merch stand to check out what they had. The vendor was really friendly, probably one of the most friendly vendors I've ever come across. Apparently he worked for Nine Inch Nails back in The Downward Spiral era! (I was wearing my NIN shirt and NIN are my all time favourite band, if you didn't know). I was actually impressed with the merchandise they had to offer, as they had shirts for women and the prices weren't overly ridiculous; $40 for a shirt, which isn't too bad considering they all seem to be $50 these days. My one gripe would be that they didn't have tour dates on the back of any of the shirts. I ended up buying a shirt that references the song Lucretia My Reflection and a wristband. I kinda wish I bought another shirt but there's only so much that money scabbed from Studylink can buy.
Anyway! The opening act appeared on stage at around 8.30 pm. I don't actually know what the proper name for this act was (feel free to enlighten me), but it was a man called Craig who played a solo acoustic set. I thought he was quite good. He was saying how he only just started to play again as he broke his leg and lost inspiration to play guitar for a year. One of his songs was about how the Devil doesn't play drums, but plays guitar. I didn't particularly appreciate this (as I'm a drummer) and now I think about it, wouldn't Satan be able to play anything and everything? Another song topic was about how he treated a previous girlfriend badly (not sure if it's actually about him but I'm assuming so). I thought that it was pretty brave and honest to admit this (if it is non-fiction). Maybe my ex, the Russian Nightmare, could take a leaf out of his book haha.
After Craig had finished, the waiting game began. Sisters came on at about 9.30ish. I had a pretty good standing position - three people from the front. The stage was cloaked in a thick layer of fog, courtesy of the fog machines. They opened with Ribbons, which I was pretty stoked about as it's one of my favourite songs of theirs. Next came Detonation Boulevard, another track from 1990's Vision Thing. I read a review saying that the mix wasn't very good and Andrew Eldritch's voice was buried deep in it, but I thought the sound was fine; I could hear him fine. The live act for The Sisters Of Mercy consists ofMr. Eldritch on vocals, and Chris Catalyst and Ben Christo on guitars. 'Doktor Avalanche' is the software resposible for the keys, drums and bass(?). I think the show would have been way cooler if all of the instruments were performed live. They should employ me to play drums!
They played a mix of songs I knew and didn't know. Being a new fan, I didn't know absolutely everything, unfortunately. But they did perform well known tracks, such as More and Lucretia My Reflection. Eldritch's vocals sounded sexy as (I'd totally do him) and Chris Catalyst was an enthusiastic guitar player (I couldn't really see the other one). The lighting was cool too. There was a nice blood red, which suited the goth rock sound.
The fog machine ended up being quite annoying. It was way over used. Some people have said that this is to prevent people from getting a 'good' look at Eldritch. If this is the case, I don't see why he would feel ashamed about anybody being able to see him. I could actually see him pretty well from where I was standing. He spent quite a lot of time on my side of the stage, which was cool. I found it amusing how he would always have a cigarette in his hand, mostly because the Powerstation is probably a smoke-free area. He doesn't give a fuck though >:D.
The crowd interaction was pretty poor. The only thing that Eldritch said to the crowd the whole time (other than 'thank you') was how they had been in NZ for a week and they had had 'a lovely time', which was said right at the end. They did two encores, which was good (and needed) as their non-encore set was only a little bit longer than an hour.
Other than my two gripes of the fog machine and lack of crowd interaction, I had a really good time and I'm glad I went. I was dancing pretty much the whole time. I hope that I get another chance to see The Sisters Of Mercy in the future (I will know all of the songs!). The Powerstation is actually a really good venue too: good sound, not too big and not too small in size, and good placement of the bar.
Setlist:
Ribbons
Detonation Boulevard
First, Last & Always
Crash & Burn
Logic
This Corrosion
No Time To Cry
Gift That Shines
On The Wire
Arms
Dominion/Mother Russia
Summer
Alice
Anaconda
More
Flood
Something Fast
Vision Thing
Lucretia My Reflection
Instrumental
Temple Of Love
PS. I got one of Chris Catalyst's picks! It's just a green Dunlop one that you could buy from any instrument store, but it will always be special to me and I shall treasure it forever! I also beat a midget, who looked like Greg Proops, at picking it up too. He didn't seem too annoyed that I won this race, as he smiled at me in my triumph.
PPS. A pretty goth guy started to talk to me as I was waiting to be picked up. But of course, my ride arrived just as we were starting to get into the roll of conversation. I should have got his number... I'm such a noob! If you happen to be reading this and happened to have gone to The Sisters Of Mercy and your name is John and you remember talking to a girl called Julia with a NIN t-shirt, PM me! (Ahh I'm so sad).
If you're unfamiliar with The Sisters Of Mercy, be sure to check them out! Especially if you're into your goth rock. You can get a 'five in one' pack of their albums for $20, bargain!
The Sisters Of Mercy - More
Andrew Eldritch is fkn hot in this video! (Just so you know)
