Thursday June 7, DF Productions and Events took over the inner sanctum of The Mockbee building in Cincinnati hosting a visually underground evening of dark industrial bliss. Synthesizers bounced off the cavernous stone walls in rapture as Xentrifuge, Fires and Adoration Destroyed filled the room with luminous, linear sounds and musical echoes.
On entrance, to the right in a room that spoke As Above, So Below, resembling something from 1888 Whitechapel, with Jack The Ripper’s steps echoing in the darkness an audience of night dwellers gathered for the ritual. The outstretched stones were the perfect metaphor for the night’s entertainment reaching out like cold industrial hands.
A uniquely creepy collection of art gave the main room and bar color. With metal animals posed taxidermy style straight out of the Norman Bates private collection. hovering against the wall. It was a building built for visual mystique, made for the night’s ceremony with walls that cried paranormal investigation.
Request Leather and GypsyWitchyCreations provided body art and medication as needed with DJ Stephen and DJ Impossible spinning industrial soundtrack tunes.
In a misty shroud of cold blue evanescence, surrounded by the crypto tools of the trade, New York trio Xentrifuge began the electro-industrialization. With images of a post-apocalyptic charred metropolis revolving on the cyber screen, Lisa Hellen’s cold seductive synthetic touch and backing vocals accompanied the icy snaked uber-bite of vocalist Chris X.
Under spotlight and shadow, like the fog of the Moore, they sported Rammstein flare, with Fear Factory mechanization creating a harsh aggroteched enclosure. X also sported a mischievous resemblance to Tom Hiddleston as Loki.
“Circles of Dust” began the coiling fusion of audience and band. “Fated” heralded the voices of the resistance against the machines as drums hammered the dance of war while synth added thematic depths to the struggle.
“Intravenous” took on the vices and voices of addiction and self-affliction. With a street pharmacy blue aftermath painted over the horizon, sanitized by medical sober white. The teasing, tempting voice of addiction masqueraded as a friend extending a destructive invite. The needle, reflecting like a shiny tongue licked the toxins in.
“N.M.E.” trapped the darkness under a mask, playing subtle games, stalking like a late night prowler taking a stroll. “Machine Winter” wrenched out the old broken down memories of the sacred fallen machines. Defeated in battle, destined to mechanically tan, freeze and whither under the sky.
A so-called freeing call to the other side, with a life decided over, came with “A Summoning.” Final decisions made as synth poured kaleidoscope memories through the mind’s eye.
They ended, switching genre’s to a “Negative Creep” droned and stoned stance with Nirvana.
In the style of George Michael and the flamboyance of Wham!, Nashville’s Fires continued the duo theme with screen visuals, theatrics, and a vocalist that couldn’t stop moving. With drummer Mike K. Johnson and rapid body movement of vocalist Eric Sochocki they’re an electro-rock synth throwback to the ‘80s goth, new wave and industrial sound and scene. Like Duran Duran, Depeche Mode and INXS at a NIN show with screened images of colors, shapes and shadows as spotlights sprayed the walls.
“Red Goes Grey” hit the dance floor moving, reminiscing the era of Walkman’s and loud clothes in general. The happiest sounding, up tempo number of the set was the uplifting solo loner of the night but started the show strong, ending with an electro-snyth wave goodbye.
Ovistuligr took to the crowd, asking for assistance, especially during an impromptu air guitar double solo by Stephen Eckstein and Spencer Burton.
“Believe Me” was active and busy with guitar solo streaks interplayed with perpetual moving leys. “Counting Walls” summoned a bit of the Running Man and a feeling of time passing in preparation, with hints of an 80’s training sequence.
“All of My Dreams are of this Place” played a rhythmic cadence through atmospheric landscapes with nightmarish hints of being chased accompanied the whimsical bells and chimes of anxiety with sinister sounds and feelings. “Red Flags” played heavily with gothic, dance floor flare as echoes trailed away.
From Austin, Texas came the keyboard, drums and voice of headliners Adoration Destroyed.
Erik Gustafson played the moody, sinister dream-weaver throating dark verses with Ritchard F. Napierkowski on synth/sound control and Los Vincent on electro-skins. The party began “In Elegant Decay” professing the carnage left by two toxic souls that could’t coexist or walk away. Keys hit like cracks in the heart. Sometimes abuse is addictive.
“Never Mine” opened heavy on the synth and drums, like an obsessed mind fantasizing on its heart’s desire. Embraced in a conjured mind’s eye apparition, dancing in shadowed romance as the fictional flames burned high.
With subtle sadness and struggle “Torn Apart” displayed the toxic physical addiction to someone that’s emotionally poisonous. “Fingerbleed” eased into the self-hate and high of scarification. Eerie keys displayed the struggle between temptation and stopping.
“TImeLapse” slammed and sludged between yesterday, today and tomorrow. Guitars amped up a sarcastic frustration.
Keys prickled the precepts of acceptable personal behavior on “Carnal Dirge” as desire lamented instant activity. They played exclusive track “Ember” from the Electronic Saviors Volume V: Remembrance compilation honoring those taken by cancer.
For those that lived the ‘80s and those that heard about them, they opened the vault, for “Voices Carry.”
“Both of Me” ended with multiple personalities scattered around the lyrics with conflicting actions and confusing motives causing a personal Jekyll and Hyde.
Live Images by Mike Ritchie
