Diorama, Faderhead, Agonised by Love
I think we all needed such a concert... engaged, blue-ribbon one,
smashing both mind and psyche and yet recharging the inner batteries of
the listeners and adding to their strength in a magical way... We were
given stimulation of feeling, distance, power, energy and tears;
beautiful music and -on the other hand - crazy antics onstage releasing
the elevated atmosphere of the lyrics and overloads in the area of our
hearts a bit :-) That was what the music should work like –
all-embracingly.
The fact that Diorama evokes great emotions is nothing new, however, now, from the perspective of time all the discussions held in the past, the comparisons, the debates who mirrored whom, where, why and with what result seem funny. And unnecessary. You know it yourself.
Diorama is the only. And that also 'one of a kind' was audible – and visible...
But
Before
There was a time for
Diorama...
...we had a chance to see two more gigs, namely of Agonised by Love (changes!changes!changes!:-) and Faderhead.
I won't develop too much as far as the biography of Agonised by Love is concerned as I assume it's absolutely redundant now. I'll only say that the band have recently released a single, „Southern Sun” and the new album „Lovesick Society” is on the way and will be out in May. So you see... the gents had been busy.
What can I say about the concert... well, of things that were most striking (oh, the first impression, pity it's almost always about the appearance, but well, we're all fallible, right?:-), was the new colour (black) of Rafał Tomaszczuk's hair :)
Still, it was Bartosz Hervvy who appeared on vocal first presenting „ultraviolet duna”... I believe I had not seen him rocking the stage like that before and must admit it was fine, indeed: appropriately lyrical and atmospheric.
The concert was set in a dynamic convention: after all both „Southern Sun” and „Lovesick...” are energetic and lively, so a fair dose of kicking melodies was present on the setlist.
New songs, that is „the hottest summer in history” , „Brothers” and „alienation, fear, despair” (my absolute FAVE and number 1!!!!) are high class, and if I may put it that way, such rapacious, a bit harder songs appeal to me far more than what I'd been familiar with as far as ABL's output is concerned. They are more aggressive, sexy and definite which adds to their concert quality: after all it's easier to win the audience with something full-bloodied than sweet.
All in all, we were served plenty of new material plus, of course, what ABL are renowned for: cold electronics, either vivid or sensual manner of the vocalist and electrifying guitars. Very good start – bravo!
Setlist:
ultraviolet duna | brothers | magnolia | alienation, fear, despair | southern sun | the hottest summer in the history | little ghost
http://www.myspace.com/agonisedbylove
http://www.agonisedbylove.art.pl/
Next in line there was Faderhead that is Sami ,Alex Montana and Chandler XL. Inspired by 16Volt on the one hand and Pet Shop Boys on the other they released an album called „FH2” that met a good reception of both critics and fans.
They had some problems with the gear, but there's nothing that bad that couldn't do them good in the end: the vocalist confession that 60% of their music was played on laptop was taken as sincerity and appreciated.
The concert itself – as usual with such gigs it focussed on vocalist, who was singing or chatting with the people, romping all over the scene, so of course those who were inspired by it, enjoyed the performance. The music? Well, standard thing: the tastes differ...
I first come across the band's music when I heard „Electrosluts Extraordinaire” of E.O.D 2, so I'd more or less known what to expect : sonic destruction with sexual connotations. And that's what it basically sounded like: dynamic, overdriven melodies, lyrics with abundance of 'asses' in numerous variations and the dancy elements were like a big encouragement to start the disco. What pervaded throughout the whole thing was the „marching” beat, scanning vocal and hugely processed melodies that stood for a fine background for energetic madness, but well, as I said, it was a partial success only, though Sami really tried.
Fans seemed to be delighted, so as I take it – it was a won match.
Setlist:
Girly Show
Break Apart Again
Protagonist
O/H Scavenger
Vanish
Electrosluts Extraordinaire
Storm Sparks Structure
Bassgod
Burning/Dancing
Noisebastardz
Dirtygrrrls/Dirtybois
http://www.myspace.com/faderhead666
http://www.faderhead.com/
Finally Diorama landed onstage. Well, back to the musical variety and the special influence Diorama have on the audience I mentioned at the beginning... hmm... what did Exupéry once wrote? „You risk tears if you let yourself be tamed.” Following this thread, one could elaborate and say – you risk tears and you give your personal emotional security code away – so no surprise that what I could see just by the stage was plenty of naked souls waiting for their nourishment...
Diorama proved once again they know how to build the atmosphere and that they had chosen their name perfectly: spiritual changeability, multidimensionality and plasticity plus a special magic: depending on the perspective their music either strikes with hyper-sensitivity or cynicism. Such juxtapositions are sometimes baffling, but generally speaking prevent from sinking in the sea of sweetness.
Or despair.
Still, what Diorama first of all stands for, is scenic contrast: beautiful melodies, highly heart-rendering and emotional, plus the show being completely opposite to all that: wild gestures, mimicry, unexpected voltas, jumps (on)to the audience, Torben and Sash's “special moments” and the like keep one remember that the distance is needed in everything, also (or even - above all) in playing emotional music. No right to be over-sentimental: balance and moderation defined it all.
To be more down-to-earth: the gents played a good gig; old hits combined with the newer ones (ah, „Das Meer!!! that was the highlight – Troben on keys and the sound...), they mixed the power of harsh pieces with the melancholy of the subtle ones and loads of sense of humor: we can play some VNV Nation covers, or our old songs. There were also some Polish accents: they keys brand „Poland”:-) We also witnessed lots of crazy antics: walks on barriers and in the pit, Sash lying on the floor and rocking with his guitar and the final : TWO encores (!!!!).
I lack words to describe what was happening among the screaming, dancing, singing audience.. it was like a collective madness: calls „Diorama”, gigantic applause: the atmosphere was simply fabulous!
The band didn't seem to be indifferent to the audience's manifestation of feelings as they played longer than planned. Whether it's true that it's always an honor for them to play in Poland as they claimed I know not, but I don't think it's important to prove it anyway: the engagement, beauty and energy their shared with us on Saturday speaks for itself and needs no extra words. All that and the music...
...and the music is, as you know „what feelings sound like.” Surely ours for the band are unequivocal.
Setlitst:
01 last minute
02 erase me
03 exit the grey
04 wingless
05 howland road
06 the girls
07 said but true
08 leaving hollywood
09 das meer
10 e minor
11 why
12 definition power
13 synthesize me
13 advance
14 hla
15 light
16 kein mord
http://www.diorama-music.com/
http://www.myspace.com/dioramamusic
Later on the after party started : as unusual it had better and worse moments; the band came to talk and take photos with the people so we used the opportunity and finally, well, we had to make our way home.
The only drawback of the event was the number of people who came; relatively small taking the class of the band playing, but well, it's already been said millions of times: it's often force majeure that operates and it's nobody's fault, so let's just say, the story with attendance will be: remarked, not commented upon :-)
At the end I wanted to say that meeting friends at such a concert was more than pleasure – Diorama Lemmings : it was like a little Fête!!!! Greetz:-)
The fact that Diorama evokes great emotions is nothing new, however, now, from the perspective of time all the discussions held in the past, the comparisons, the debates who mirrored whom, where, why and with what result seem funny. And unnecessary. You know it yourself.
Diorama is the only. And that also 'one of a kind' was audible – and visible...
But
Before
There was a time for
Diorama...
...we had a chance to see two more gigs, namely of Agonised by Love (changes!changes!changes!:-) and Faderhead.
I won't develop too much as far as the biography of Agonised by Love is concerned as I assume it's absolutely redundant now. I'll only say that the band have recently released a single, „Southern Sun” and the new album „Lovesick Society” is on the way and will be out in May. So you see... the gents had been busy.
What can I say about the concert... well, of things that were most striking (oh, the first impression, pity it's almost always about the appearance, but well, we're all fallible, right?:-), was the new colour (black) of Rafał Tomaszczuk's hair :)
Still, it was Bartosz Hervvy who appeared on vocal first presenting „ultraviolet duna”... I believe I had not seen him rocking the stage like that before and must admit it was fine, indeed: appropriately lyrical and atmospheric.
The concert was set in a dynamic convention: after all both „Southern Sun” and „Lovesick...” are energetic and lively, so a fair dose of kicking melodies was present on the setlist.
New songs, that is „the hottest summer in history” , „Brothers” and „alienation, fear, despair” (my absolute FAVE and number 1!!!!) are high class, and if I may put it that way, such rapacious, a bit harder songs appeal to me far more than what I'd been familiar with as far as ABL's output is concerned. They are more aggressive, sexy and definite which adds to their concert quality: after all it's easier to win the audience with something full-bloodied than sweet.
All in all, we were served plenty of new material plus, of course, what ABL are renowned for: cold electronics, either vivid or sensual manner of the vocalist and electrifying guitars. Very good start – bravo!
Setlist:
ultraviolet duna | brothers | magnolia | alienation, fear, despair | southern sun | the hottest summer in the history | little ghost
http://www.myspace.com/agonisedbylove
http://www.agonisedbylove.art.pl/
Next in line there was Faderhead that is Sami ,Alex Montana and Chandler XL. Inspired by 16Volt on the one hand and Pet Shop Boys on the other they released an album called „FH2” that met a good reception of both critics and fans.
They had some problems with the gear, but there's nothing that bad that couldn't do them good in the end: the vocalist confession that 60% of their music was played on laptop was taken as sincerity and appreciated.
The concert itself – as usual with such gigs it focussed on vocalist, who was singing or chatting with the people, romping all over the scene, so of course those who were inspired by it, enjoyed the performance. The music? Well, standard thing: the tastes differ...
I first come across the band's music when I heard „Electrosluts Extraordinaire” of E.O.D 2, so I'd more or less known what to expect : sonic destruction with sexual connotations. And that's what it basically sounded like: dynamic, overdriven melodies, lyrics with abundance of 'asses' in numerous variations and the dancy elements were like a big encouragement to start the disco. What pervaded throughout the whole thing was the „marching” beat, scanning vocal and hugely processed melodies that stood for a fine background for energetic madness, but well, as I said, it was a partial success only, though Sami really tried.
Fans seemed to be delighted, so as I take it – it was a won match.
Setlist:
Girly Show
Break Apart Again
Protagonist
O/H Scavenger
Vanish
Electrosluts Extraordinaire
Storm Sparks Structure
Bassgod
Burning/Dancing
Noisebastardz
Dirtygrrrls/Dirtybois
http://www.myspace.com/faderhead666
http://www.faderhead.com/
Finally Diorama landed onstage. Well, back to the musical variety and the special influence Diorama have on the audience I mentioned at the beginning... hmm... what did Exupéry once wrote? „You risk tears if you let yourself be tamed.” Following this thread, one could elaborate and say – you risk tears and you give your personal emotional security code away – so no surprise that what I could see just by the stage was plenty of naked souls waiting for their nourishment...
Diorama proved once again they know how to build the atmosphere and that they had chosen their name perfectly: spiritual changeability, multidimensionality and plasticity plus a special magic: depending on the perspective their music either strikes with hyper-sensitivity or cynicism. Such juxtapositions are sometimes baffling, but generally speaking prevent from sinking in the sea of sweetness.
Or despair.
Still, what Diorama first of all stands for, is scenic contrast: beautiful melodies, highly heart-rendering and emotional, plus the show being completely opposite to all that: wild gestures, mimicry, unexpected voltas, jumps (on)to the audience, Torben and Sash's “special moments” and the like keep one remember that the distance is needed in everything, also (or even - above all) in playing emotional music. No right to be over-sentimental: balance and moderation defined it all.
To be more down-to-earth: the gents played a good gig; old hits combined with the newer ones (ah, „Das Meer!!! that was the highlight – Troben on keys and the sound...), they mixed the power of harsh pieces with the melancholy of the subtle ones and loads of sense of humor: we can play some VNV Nation covers, or our old songs. There were also some Polish accents: they keys brand „Poland”:-) We also witnessed lots of crazy antics: walks on barriers and in the pit, Sash lying on the floor and rocking with his guitar and the final : TWO encores (!!!!).
I lack words to describe what was happening among the screaming, dancing, singing audience.. it was like a collective madness: calls „Diorama”, gigantic applause: the atmosphere was simply fabulous!
The band didn't seem to be indifferent to the audience's manifestation of feelings as they played longer than planned. Whether it's true that it's always an honor for them to play in Poland as they claimed I know not, but I don't think it's important to prove it anyway: the engagement, beauty and energy their shared with us on Saturday speaks for itself and needs no extra words. All that and the music...
...and the music is, as you know „what feelings sound like.” Surely ours for the band are unequivocal.
Setlitst:
01 last minute
02 erase me
03 exit the grey
04 wingless
05 howland road
06 the girls
07 said but true
08 leaving hollywood
09 das meer
10 e minor
11 why
12 definition power
13 synthesize me
13 advance
14 hla
15 light
16 kein mord
http://www.diorama-music.com/
http://www.myspace.com/dioramamusic
Later on the after party started : as unusual it had better and worse moments; the band came to talk and take photos with the people so we used the opportunity and finally, well, we had to make our way home.
The only drawback of the event was the number of people who came; relatively small taking the class of the band playing, but well, it's already been said millions of times: it's often force majeure that operates and it's nobody's fault, so let's just say, the story with attendance will be: remarked, not commented upon :-)
At the end I wanted to say that meeting friends at such a concert was more than pleasure – Diorama Lemmings : it was like a little Fête!!!! Greetz:-)
