A Tuesday night in San Diego is not for the faint of heart. Only the bravest would dare venture out on this evening. And so it was that tonight’s show would be for a very select audience.
Having missed his last visit to San Diego, I was eager to see Curse Mackey do his thing on the local stage, but first….
Black Season Witch
Opening the show was Chicago’s Black Season Witch. Seeing a cello onstage definitely caught my attention and they put it good use as they opened their set with a number that made me think of dark chamber music. In fact, they created an entire atmosphere around their opener and set with sound effects and black-and-white visuals. The two extended goth jams then segued into a metal vibe that concluded with a very faithful Black Sabbath cover.
It turns out that there was a last minute change in set order as Curse Mackey came on next. Fans of Curse Mackey’s latest release, Imaginary Enemies, would do themselves a favor by seeing him perform live as these songs can be best appreciated through a venue sound system and very loud. Honestly, after opening with an electronic cacophony and then cutting loose on songs like Submerge, I found myself rediscovering an appreciation for the songs as the bass rattled my bones.
Curse Mackey
Now, with some artists who do the one-man-band thing, it can quickly become a glorified karaoke night. Mackey’s stage presence goes a long way toward making this a fulfilling live experience with enough energy to make a true show.
Additionally, this was the night that Mackey performed Kindness Of Serpents live for the first time.
Closing the show was San Diego’s own Moods of a Sinner. Buzzy guitars and solid rhythms fueled this mid-tempo fever dream with flavor. While I could definitely hear a little Christian Death in their sound it was clear that the musicianship is there. They can do more than goth, as proven when they offered some drop D riffs that made me think of the late Geordie Walker.
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Moods of a Sinner
Visitors to the San Diego area would do well to check out a show at Brick By Brick, with its friendly staff and solid sound system. And hopefully artists like Curse Mackey will continue to bring their talent to our fair city.
I love that modern goth is always expanding and pushing the boundaries of what fits in it’s box. I also love bands like Mark E Moon from the Isle of Man that write a love letter to the classic goth sound with every new release. It always takes a fresh new form, but the passion for early proto goth is etched in their dna. This latest release Pop Noir is rich with shadowy vibrations from the underground club sounds of UltraVox “Vienna”. Mark, Phil, and company are at their core precision artisans. They make songs with intention and exacting detail. The perfect skillset to embrace the challenge of euro club proto goth. Mark is always projecting a different inflection to his resonant baritone. This release is dripping with a raw sensuality that would make Dave Gahan blush.
Mark Sayle (lead vocals, keys, guitars) Phil Reynolds (guitars, keys, bass) Katie Redmond (guitars, keys) Joseph Prince (drums, samples, keys, vocals) Steve Halsall (bass guitar) Shelly Rourke (vocals) Marie Reynolds (vocals) George Parsons (keys & guitar)
Front cover artwork by Greg Rolfes Design & layout by Phil, Mark & Joseph
When I think of Mark E Moon the captivating guitar riffs define the sound for me. This album is so synth centric I worried those deep hook leads might take a back seat. They continue to shine from the core without needing to dominate. The title track “Pop Noir” has this amazing delayed New Order “Movement” sound that left me spellbound. It’s so hard to hear this record and not fall in love with it. Touching every note that pulls the emotional strings inside us.
Favorite Tracks:
Use of Weapons – “See the fortress in the dead of night , The long guns and the probing searchlights. A civil war and a waiting game, He walks a path by another name. ” This track has a classic Mark E Moon feel, but what a driving punk spirit banger. I love this flickering guitar lead and the protest song edge in mark’s voice. This might be a deep cut but one I couldn’t turn away from.
A Kiss Before Dying – Always open with a banger. This opening track embodied the homage to proto dance goth. Winding down damp back alleys in search of hidden dance clubs. The drum beat hear is an electrifying stampede to push Mark’s crooning hook. The choir chorus really spits the sky. This track should be rocking every dark dance night in the states.
Mark E Moon continues to be one of the most underrated bands of the modern darkscene. A group that understands and appreciates the ethos of what drew us to the macabre and strange. Balancing the line between straightforward concepts and complex dynamics. Another hit for the legend of Mark E Moon.
A late September evening in 1987, I had just moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, less than a month earlier. I had made friends with some kids at school, a bunch of local skate punks. It was a Friday, and my friends and I had pretended to be in a punk band for a couple of hours, recording ourselves, generally just making noise out of tune from one another, and trying to keep up with the drummer, the only guy who knew his instrument at the time. That night, I was sitting in one guy’s bedroom, playing all of this great American Hardcore Punk. I knew Generation X, Sex Pistols, Dead Kennedys, Husker Du, The THE, and I had an album “This Is Oi”. Most of my punk was British, with a few German and yank bands. That night, my buddy introduced me to The Stupids, FEAR, The Burnt, The Exploited, and Corrosion of Conformity. I fancied CoC as one of the great crossover bands of Punk/Metal, like Faith No More, and Motorhead.
Corrosion of Conformity became staples at Salt Lake punk shows, playing $5 gigs at spots like the Speedway Cafe or Alice’s. They were always a great live act and made regular stops in town. The last time I saw them was early 2001 at “The Palladium” in Worcester, Massachusetts. Having seen their name on many tour rosters from 2001 until now, I was thrilled when they were announced as the openers for Alice Cooper and Judas Priest.
Corrosion of Conformity took the stage, with as much confidence as any veterans could have taken their space on such a magnificent bill. I was getting my passes situated, so I missed the first 2 songs in the photo pit. Opening with “Bottom Feeder” from the album “Deliverance”, it was straight out of their mid-90s playbook, slow, methodical, it just set the mood for their set (When they picked up their fusion jazz drummer). This is one of those songs that has time changes, and winds around, and dare I say it was “Jazz” drumming, the song kicked off a great mood for everyone, be it punk, or metal, or suddenly jazz, everyone was grooving, even I was from the back of the amphitheater.
They gave us “King of the Rotten” again from their powerhouse mid-’90s work, while I was walking down to get to the pit. I got into the pit for a few shots at the tail end of “Seven Days”, noting that most of this set so far was from their apocalyptic phase through the 90s. They cranked out “Vote With A Bullet” , “Who’s Got the Fire”, and then “Albatross”, which was a bit of a surprise for this set; they haven’t played that one much over the last 2 years.
They closed out “Clean My Wounds” again, not from the hardcore 80’s material, but I have to say, they still have it, mixing sounds around since 1982. Chalking up another flawless CoC gig, I was enjoying the night so far.
Now for the theatrics, ALICE COOPER My story with Alice Cooper is as follows: I saw some great video footage in the mid-80s, and I really loved his albums “DaDa” and the album “Alice Cooper Goes to Hell,” which made me just like the guy, and I never took him seriously after that. My ultrareligious Mormon cousin swore to me up and down that Alice’s father was an LDS leader in Roy, Utah, though no one could verify it; it was the stuff of “Legend” to Mormon Rock & Roll fans. I later found out that there was a SHRED of truth to this by 6 degrees of separation. Alice’s (nee Vincent Furnier) Great Great Great Grandfather was one of the great leaders of the “Bickertonite” spinoff sect of the original Mormon Church, and his family has remained strong in that faith until Alice became a teenager obsessed with music in Detroit. Needless to say, Alice Cooper has a huge fanbase in Utah for some of the reasons stated above. Mostly, cause he makes great music with vaudevillian horror musical play theatrics. And he just totally rocks.
Alice began his theatrics by complete accident. He was playing a very early gig in Detroit (almost a neighbor to our chief Editor, Ken) and somehow a chicken ended up on the stage. Alice had NO idea about chickens, and that they couldn’t fly. He kicked the poor bird out into the audience, and the audience thought it was part of the show, so they tore the chicken apart. The media had a complete frenzy, and Alice was devastated about what it was doing to his image. Frank Zappa was his mentor, and told Alice over a phone call, “DO NOT COMMENT ON THIS!!!! Let the story work its magic.” So Alice said nothing, and people started coming to his shows for the blood and guts. Alice Cooper’s sage persona was solidified as he borrowed ideas from the campy horror films we all grew up watching.
With a stage setup that I will leave you to enjoy in the photos, the intro track “Alice’s Attic played, and they came out and opened with a Judy Collins cover “Hello, Hooray” as an intro and the band took the stage. A bassist that looks like Lemmy from Motorhead, and on guitar the bad ass Nita Strauss (of Iron Maidens fame), and another guitarist that looked like Stevie Ray Vaughn. The concert actually started out like a play, with a well-built set and great lighting. Alice fired off with “Who Do You Think We Are”, walking around in a top hat and a long cane. He made “Spark in the Dark” so theatrical, I was in sheer awe of being so close to someone who has been doing this kind of thing for 50 years (He is 77 now BTW). So many of the songs at first blended together. The first full-length one was “No More Mr. Nice Guy”, as he walked around, waiving a foil (dueling sword), and long tuxedo jacket. Alice thanked everyone for coming and said something about sharing a nightmare together.
I got back to my seat, and Alice rocked his way through “House of Fire”, and a campy fun “I’m Eighteen”. They gave us the “Wayne’s World” fave “Feed My Frankenstein”, but through this performance, they had a faux killing of an annoying photographer (wasn’t me this time) where Alice impaled this guy with a lance. It was impressive theatrics, and still singing away. He sang “Dirty Diamonds,” and his voice was, well, smooth, not as raspy as I am used to it. This is going to sound weird, yes, Alice was still singing his high-pitched, sinister vocals, but his voice sounds like it has aged, and aged well. It just seemed weird to hear his vocals sounding like this. Like a “mature” version of Alice. He was singing and sounding like he LOVED what he was singing, but still sounding a thousand times better than most guys his age, still trying to sing. Alice Cooper has clearly taken care of his voice. In the middle of the set, we were treated to an amazing guitar solo from Nita Straus, seeing a badass woman out there playing rocking guitar is a total thrill, I am being honest, but when she is doing it cause she is in the band of such a legend takes everything just a few notches cooler.
Nita Straus, Need I say more?
Through Alice being put in a straitjacket, and wearing it through several songs, getting electrocuted, whipped, and all kinds of methods of abuse and torture. Somehow it flowed into him stabbing a woman (Who was kind of burlesque dancing) during the song “Cold Ethyl” and fake blood spurting everywhere, then she in turn comes back and puts Alice’s head in a guillotine, and drops the blade. (Fair is fair, right?) The guillotine was so iconic over the years, it was all just awesome to see this done on stage. Alice then played a song I wasn’t expecting to hear, he paid tribute to women, just to women in general, how they put up with men, even when they shouldn’t, with the song “Only Women Bleed”. I have always loved this song, and he used it to bring the tone down for a while; it somehow seemed to fit perfectly in this part of the show.
As the set was starting to wind down, they started playing “Second Coming”, then it seamlessly went into “Going Home” from the colossal classic album “Alice Cooper Goes To Hell”. Then it was time for the one song we were all waiting for, “School’s Out”, with a small clip from “Another Brick in the Wall” to make the introductions of the band members. It was time to dance along and laugh with Alice and the band, and 15k other fans in the cold. This whole set, theatrics and all, gives credit to the creativity of Alice Cooper, and his art/production people; they gave us an entertaining show we would never forget. When the song was over, and we finished applauding, Alice Cooper took his curtain call with the band, all waving and cheering us on. Alice gave one final line, “Thank you so much for coming, AND, may all your nightmares…… COME TRUE!!!!!” with all of the fanfare and confetti blasting everywhere.
Looking back on so much of the dark horror music we love, so much was inspired by Alice Cooper; every industrial gig I go to with blood, every goth gig with skulls, decapitations, whatever to stir the macabre, we all have one guy to thank for it; he showed the bands we love today how it’s done.
For the longest time, I was worried we wouldn’t have another Red Lorry Yellow Lorry album. From a prolific run through the 1980s, 1992’s Blasting Off was purported to be the final RLYL album. Cut to twenty-three years later and we have Strange Kind Of Paradise, which is also purported to be the final Lorries album.
The excessive reverb and programmed beats have been phased out in favor of a more traditional rock sound that’s reminiscent of 1960s garage rock but with a bit of 90s Britpop thrown in. Chris Reed’s signature droning baritone voice remains consistent and strong with an almost country-like twang on tracks like As Long As We’re Breathing and Killing Time. The dual guitar sound is put to effective use throughout along with subtle electronic touches such as on Chicken Feed.
Long time fans who remember The Lorries’ early work may feel that Strange Kind Of Paradise is not as atmospheric or moody as previous releases but, still, it does have some elements that make it a very listenable album. And keep in mind, who expects a forty-year-old band to sound like their first album?
One of the many times I have photographed “James” was when they were supporting the Psychedelic Furs. That night, they took the stage and played the first song. Then the lead singer, Tim Booth, said, “You know, this camera operator down in front, he looks just like me, only he’s BIGGER than me, GOD he’s HUGE”. That went down in the history of gigs in Salt Lake, as I still get jabbed about “That time Tim Booth called you out for being the buff version of him from the stage”. I have met James several times, from gigs in the States and the WOMAD festival in Denver, to even backstage at the Guinness Fleadh in London’s Finsbury Park. I asked Tim, “Hey Tim, can I get you to sign this real quick?” He laughed and signed “Real Quick, Tim Booth”. Every time I see them live, they mix up the set and deliver something amazing. Even now, with the tour playing the masterpiece album “LAID”, the selected songs around it are all switched out every night, which keeps it interesting, and the band is always on their toes.
Touring the US right now, James stopped off in Salt Lake to play at “The Commonwealth Room” to a sold-out crowd. The venue was packed to the doors, and word was that the singer Tim Booth had come down with food poisoning that day. Everyone in the crowd was wondering how this was going to go down.
As the band took the stage one by one, they opened with the eerie guitar intro that makes you think of a long drive into the sunset, almost western style, the song “Dream Thrum,” you could almost feel the scorching heat from the desert going through a dry, barren landscape. Once Tim walked out, the band was complete, and I counted 9 people on that stage. Tim was dressed in a Tai Chi practice shirt and a black skirt, with platform sneakers. Looking almost like he was ready to take us all through a yoga class.
credit: Jeremy Hinks
They had as follows, Two drummers (Debbie Knox-Hewson and Dave Baynton-Power), a bassist (Jim Glennie), an occasional bassist/tamborine/vocalist/guitarist (Chloe Alper), guitarist (Larry Gott), violinist/guitarist (Saul Davies), keyboards (Mark Hunter), trumpet (Andy Diagram), another guitarist (Adrian Oxaal), and (occasional) Megaphone (Tim). With that many people and that many instruments, we all knew this was going to be an over-the-top performance.
Tim said, “Thank you so much for coming out to see us. It’s good to be back. Just be advised, I’ve had some bad food poisoning, so I might not be as active as you are used to, but we’ll get through this together”. Then they played “Say Something”, and he danced mostly in place. The band had EVERYONE dancing, and for an album such as “LAID” we all knew it note for note, it seemed.
They got to “Seven” which was so powerful with the line “Understand the world we’re living in, Love can mean anything”. I was in the pit, still taking photos, and noticed we were missing the signature trumpet line from this song. In the pit, just feet from them, and I yelled at Andy Diagram (Trumpet Player), “I can’t hear you”, which was really weird, being that close to him. He fiddled with the mic on his trumpet and gave me a thumbs-up as I left the pit.
Credit: Jeremy Hinks
They played “Tomorrow”, “Heads”, which was a surprise, because I never heard this one live before, and “Lullaby”, we all were figuring out that they were playing the whole album, just not in order.
Then the guitar sort of whammy bar sound started playing, and the violin on top of it, and the other guitar chimed in, and the entire venue was swaying to “Five-o”, with the lights spinning like two opposite faces of a clock, and everyone on the stage was the ensemble singing the rest of the song out. This was one of those James songs that didn’t really follow conventional songwriting and showcased the fiddle player (who also played guitar for several songs too).
Credit: Jeremy Hinks
As the band began playing the opening lines for “Born Of Frustration,” the bouncers walked Tim into the crowd, and he sang it while sitting on the edge of the sound booth. It was his only real opportunity to get into the crowd. We could all see he was enjoying it, and that it was taking it out of him; he looked a bit drained, but sounded incredible.
Closing the first set out with “Out To Get You” everyone on stage and off were swaying along with the band to the heavy beats “Insecure, what you gonna do? Feel so small they could step on you”, after a magnificent crescendo of “WHAT I NEED” it was almost silent when Tim sang oh so softly the last “I need you” as if it was storytime at the library, and they are trying to get all the kids to go to sleep.
Credit: Jeremy HinksCredit: Jeremy HinksCredit: Jeremy Hinks
The band left the stage for a good 20-minute intermission and returned without Tim. The crowd was a bit confused, and Chloë Alper took the mic and said, “Good Evening, everyone. Tim wanted me to sing this for you,” and she sang “Skindiving,” which was fine, really she KILLED IT. Followed up by “P.S.,” as Tim came back to the stage, it looked a lot better. For a while, we were not sure if this would go on much longer. There were lots of cartons of coconut water on stage; I suspect he had been drinking a lot of that.
With the brush sticks on the snares, and the signature guitar lines, and a single bassline that leads almost every song on this album, they went into the…. Well, open to interpretation as to the meaning of the somber song “One Of The Three”, which many of us, when we were Christians, thought was written to Jesus himself. A song reflecting tragedy that someone’s belief took them through, looking for peace, or sacrificing themselves for the greater good. Was it mocking the ideas, saying that they went too far? All of this that we, the listeners and believers, have asked ourselves, it all became very present in the mood and tone for a moment. Well done, guys, really well done.
Credit: Jeremy Hinks
With the same vibe and feeling of HEAT from the other songs, they went into “Everybody Knows” with the great whammy bar effects in the background. What else can you say about this song?
Then they pulled a brand new one out and threw it at us, “Shadow Of A Giant”, with the deep violin of a haunted celtic wood, with beautiful piano to warm up into the actual song. A great song off the album “Yummy” from last year. It ended with the feeling of the shared experience, as if we all would have been singing “I shall be released” by Bob Dylan. They quickly followed up with “Way Over Your Head”, also from “Yummy” (I really think you should check out this album; they teased us all with some great samples, but let’s face it, we all need to buy that album anyway.
With the sort of “Pulp Fiction” inspired bassline, we all got our groove on into “Knuckle Too Far”, like all other songs on “Laid”, you can’t skip them, you just ride through them. This is a wonderful song, but something about it live just hits the spot, with the Robyn Guthrie-esque chiming guitars on a great bassline. I have always liked this song, but LIVE, well, nuff said.
Their ONLY song that sounded like American Guitar Country, they fired up “Low Low Low”, with lyrics like “I’m a member of an ape-like race
At the asshole end of the twentieth century
This film’s a thriller of the mind
Will we destroy our homes, release ourselves from the
Weights of gravity
I’ll be amazed if we survive.” How could you not LOVE a cheeky take on the subject matter? The entire venue was howling “LOW LOW LOW” along with the band, and yeah, we were pretty hoarse and loving every minute of it.
By now, Tim Booth was able to gauge how much energy he had, and needed to finish the gig, and began dancing a bit, giving us some of his reserves for “Sometimes”, and we all knew the words, so by the time we got to the chorus everyone was singing “SOMETIMES, WHEN I LOOK DEEP IN YOUR EYES, I SWEAR I CAN SEE YOUR SOUL”, loud enough for even the band to smile, and feel the love.
Closing out the 2nd set they played the title track “Laid” and everyone was singing loudly, the band were smiling and everyone feeding off each-others energy, and I am not sure anyone was in key when they got to “Ah you think you’re so PRETTY—-HEEEE HEEEEE” though I am not sure it even mattered, this was the culminating song of the evening the one undoubtedly on the playlist of any James fans.
They walked off the stage for 5 minutes, took a breather, and took their positions. Tim Booth had his instrument in hand (his megaphone). We all knew what was coming next, the guitar and bassist began in sync playing the same two notes, then the 2nd guitarist started flipping the distortion on his guitar. Tim began singing into the megaphone, “This is the invitation, to leave yourself behind, do something out of character, do something, you’ve never done before”. This had EVERYONE dancing in a way that Tim wasn’t able to at that moment, but he looked THRILLED to see the audience bouncing in sync to this one. The Trumpet lines, the dreamy guitar, everything was just feeling and sounding perfect. “Laugh at all the madness in this world,” we all sang along with them. With the trumpet being the lead instrument and the band playing underneath it all, there was no longer a band and punters; it was James and a bunch of friends in a crowded room becoming one with the music. By the time Tim got to the prayer section of the song, it was just a mad rush of love for everyone in the room. I was singing along, all teared up, “I call upon the love, I call upon the power, I call upon the witnes, to inspire us, I call upon my father’s spirit watching over me”. Andy Diagram was walking around in the crowd playing the trumpet line, and Tim got into the gap between the stage and the punters, and shook as many hands as he could. As he walked back to the stage while the song was ending, the two drummers went completely insane, perfectly in sync; this was why they needed two drummers.
Credit: Jeremy Hinks
Once the song finished, Tim introduced everyone in the band, getting to the drummers, he said, “Debbie Knox-Hewson, and Dave Baynton-Power, AND ONE of them is 7 months pregnant”. Debbie stood up and waved her sticks to the cheers of all the women in the venue, cheering her on as much as just appreciating her skills.
With everyone exhausted at this point, they closed the evening out with “Come Home”, by far the oldest song on this set list, from 1989.
With everyone sweating and in a bit of a haze from what we had just experienced, no one was coming down from this high for a while. We all walked out of the hall without a single complaint. With Tim as sick as he was that day, they all managed to pull together and give us an unforgettable show. They have proven themselves every time, with a completely different setlist every time, they can bury any expectations you ever had for a concert. James Live is a “must see” and you will remember each as a knock-down, awesome experience. From WOMAD in 1993 til Salt Lake “Laid” in 2025, I’m afraid it doesn’t get better than this.
At the moment of publishing this James are prepping for a string of dates in Mexico. Since this gig last week, they have already posted dates for their “Love Is The Answer” tour next year, so, you all want to check that out if you missed this tour.
