Text by Jen Wilson-Farley (Ladyspythenight)
at Crucible, Madison, WI, April 25th, 2024
Before I talk about these incredible artists separately, I wanted to just say that this evening was a masterclass in the many possible moods of live performance. It was an absolute joy to witness.
Let’s start with the legendary Stabbing Westward.
Stabbing Westward
This band needs no introduction to our audience (although I had to learn more as I’d missed their huge years while being overseas and unaware). We’ll mostly be focusing here on what this incredible band did at this very special, intimate show.
It was Crucible’s first ever sold-out concert, and the buzz and anticipation was palpable. Filled with people from all over, some who’d even flown in for the show, the club had a festive feel during and after being entertained by the incredible Bellhead and Caustic. Now it was time for the moment many of the people present had waited two decades for.
Chris Hall is a rock vocalist like few others. With an incredible range and control, he powered into their first song, “Ungod.” As the foreboding, slow-build grind of bass and Chris’s voice start the song off, we are suddenly taken into a classic SW chorus…
Take this as an offering/Take this as a sign/How much can you take from me?
Other original band member, Walter Flakus, was an energetic presence, with his keyboard set right on the lip of the stage when he wasn’t leaping around on bass. Carlton Bost (of Orgy, Deadsy, and The Dreaming [Hall’s other band]) on guitar and Bobby Amaro (Orgy) on drums rounded out the incredible line up.
Three songs in, they launched into The Cure’s “Burn.” The gothier element of the room were especially thrilled and danced in whatever space they could find. It was a gorgeous and loving take on the song, assisted by beautiful crow imagery from the video backdrop.
The more industrial, synth-and-bass heavy “Lies” was probably my favorite moment of their set.
It brought me back to what I loved most about 90s alternative music with its heavy guitar riffs and anxious synth lines.
Though they didn’t play much from their latest, critically-acclaimed album from 2022, Chasing Ghosts, when they did, the results were electrifying. “Dead & Gone” is a throbbing beauty, with Hall’s vocals at their richest on the verses, while most urgent and powerful on the chorus. Vocals being my absolute focus when at any live show, this song, which shows off his skills so beautifully, was an absolute joy to hear. I was especially astonished to hear that Hall had dealt with throat cancer just two years ago. What a talent and survivor.
“Violent Mood Swings” (video below) was so much fun. Being up at the front with everyone singing along was so great to experience. The beat of this song is so intense and Hall continued to work the crowd, coming up on the middle monitor throughout the show, encouraging their participation. He was clearly having a great time.
Ending the set with two encores, and 16 songs in total, was “Save Yourself.” Hall asked, “You guys ok if we end with a brand new song?” This song was a perfect way to end this intense and intimate set. The crowd were in heaven and the band (especially Hall and Flakus) seemed to be relishing every last moment.
An absolute delight to see. May we see more of this beloved band on the road in the future.
Stabbing Westward’s setlist:
Ungod
Falls Apart
Burn (The Cure cover)
Wasted
Lies
Sometimes it Hurts
Drugstore
What Do I Have to Do?
Slipping Away
Dead & Gone
So Far Away
Nothing
Inside You
The Thing I Hate
Violent Mood Swings
Save Yourself
Stabbing Westward’s 2022 album, Chasing Ghosts, can be found here on Bandcamp:
https://stabbingwestward.bandcamp.com/album/chasing-ghosts-2
Check out DMNX’s incredible live concert photography at:
https://dmnxphoto.pixieset.com
Caustic
Caustic’s Matt Fanale came ready to party. As he said in a later interview, “I want to harness the energy and the passion of the moment and not pretend I’m all angry when I’m in a good place in my life and with my music. I want to throw a party. The world is a fucking mess right now. Let’s lose our minds for 45 minutes. Trust me, we’re going to have fun.”
Having seen Fanale’s other projects Klack and daddybear live, this was my first time seeing Caustic. When I asked about Caustic’s onstage persona, he said, “A lot of artists like to assume a character on stage, but I’m pretty much the louder version of myself.” He prowls back and forth like a slightly crazed tiger who’s in on a joke no one else knows, and it’s incredibly fun to watch.
Caustic was joined onstage by core live members Eric Oehler (of Klack and Null Device), (who was in charge of tracks, manipulation, and glitch) and Katja Lunde (formerly of Sensuous Enemy), providing atmosphere and “additional beep boops” and vocal support, as well as newer addition Bob O’Tron
(of Sensuous Enemy and Subcutaneous) on drums.
Second song in, “White Knuckle Head F—k” (video below) was pure industrial joy. If there’d been more room in the sold out show, I’d have been dancing like a maniac. Irreverent, self-deprecating lyrics like:
Watch me fall… I’m your favorite trainwreck
are part of what has earned Caustic such a loyal following over the years.
“Bigger Better Faster Now!!!’s” repeated opening squeal is the intro to a song that reads like a scathing critique of the last gasps of end-stage capitalism. Its driving beat is intense and exciting.
“F—k that Fascist Beat” (video below) continued Caustic’s assault on the powers that be. All of which feels increasingly relevant, even though these sentiments can be traced back to the early days of punk. As Fanale said of his ethos, “it’s always been more punk than ‘industrial’ anyway. The more chaos and insanity I can put out the better, and the more the crowd comes with me, the more of an experience it is for everybody.” Refuse/resist/raise your fist… always feels reassuring to hear in ridiculous and terrifying times like ours.
During “Bury You Alive,” it was cathartic and fun as hell to hear Caustic scream “EAT SHIT!” and ask the audience to scream back “FUCK YOU!” (in the style of UW Madison student football fans) repeatedly. If there were ever any question of pretense, the punk-inspired back and forth between Caustic and the audience blew it out of the water. Watching Caustic and the fans flip each other off was a delight.
When I asked Caustic what it meant to open for the legendary Stabbing Westward, “I’m definitely a fan. Chris Hall has a great sense of humor in front of a crowd, so it’s a nice notch on my bedpost playing with them at a sold-out show in my hometown. We all brought the noise. It was a great time.”
A Caustic show is irreverent, sarcastic, fun, and never takes itself too seriously. It is hugely refreshing to witness. He’s been taking Caustic’s sound in a different direction, as seen on his most recent release, Buggy. This was inspired heavily by artists such as Techno Animal’s Brotherhood of the Bomb, Kevin Martin, aka The Bug, Scorn, Gorgonn, Choke Chain, Puerta Negra, and Nuxx Vomica. When reflecting on his slower tempo, mostly instrumental Buggy EP, he said, “There’s so much energy in slower BPMs that have a lot of low end bass on them. It’s been fun playing with those sounds,” he explained.
Sadly though, according to Fanale, there may not be many more Caustic shows going forward, though he does plan to make more music. He said, “I kinda like the thought of my stay being finite. I’d rather do an Irish goodbye than stick around until it’s embarrassing that the handjob guy is still yelling F—K a lot at a crowd which may not wanna pay a babysitter to hear that anymore. We’ll see, the internal debate rages on.”
Even without more live shows in the works, Caustic’s new work, along with Klack and daddybear, keep him a very busy man.
Caustic’s setlist:
Intro
White Knuckle Head F—k
Bigger Better Faster Now!!!
Little Pharma
Emmanuel Lewis Handjob
F—k That Fascist Beat
Bury You Alive
Check out DMNX’s incredible live concert photography at:
https://dmnxphoto.pixieset.com
Bellhead
I have reviewed and interviewed Chicago’s Bellhead before, after seeing them for the first time at Crucible a few years ago. I was beyond thrilled to see them again as they opened for Stabbing Westward and Caustic. Starting 2024 off at the inaugural Thrashnetic Festival (a memorial and suicide prevention benefit) in Milwaukee, Bellhead have been touring a lot this spring, and will be heading to Missouri and back to Tennessee this summer.
For those new to Bellhead, their website’s tagline reads:
Post-punk male-female duo band. Two basses and a drum machine. No Guitar, No BS.
MADE IN CHICAGO
This really is the cleverest and most accurate description of a band I’ve ever seen. High bass, lead-vocalist Ivan Russia and low bass, vocalist Karen Righeimer-Schock and are on a mission as one of the most exciting and unique bands in our scene. Labeled as everything from punk to goth, and everything in between, they defy the norms and expectations all too often set in the darker genres.
Ripping into the set with “Mercy,” the grungy low bassline set the tone for their set. The audience, likely very new to them, was immediately won over.
Next was a newer song, “Into the Deep,” from their most recent EP, Good Intentions. This song shows off Russia’s lyric-writing skills, which are marvelous and unique.
I was a drowning man/She had a cold war stare/Under blood red skies/We had a sordid affair
I was a penitent man/She was my skeleton key/I had a new handshake/Before they turned on me
I asked them about the themes of their lyrics, and Russia had this to say, “I like unreliable narrators. When there is a sole survivor of a shipwreck, do you take him at his word? I wanted to go all in on song lyrics that were open to interpretation. Are the intentions truly good or is there something else unseen?”
Soon following was their cover of Prince’s “I Would Die For U.” They put a decidedly darker post-punk turn on this classic, which was brought down to its brass tacks in a most beautiful way. Its lyrics weirdly match so much of their style.
Their stage presence is fun and commanding at the same time, while looking somehow effortless. Launching into “Bad Taste,” Russia hams it up to mock his protagonist. Halfway through, he screams his lyrics midway in a convincing burst of anger. Then as Righeimer-Schock starts a juicy, low solo, they go into their signature double bass bridge that, to me, shows off the core of their unique sound
(video below).
Bellhead’s philsophy of performance is highly refreshing. When I asked what the most important elements of their shows were most important to them as a band, Russia responded, “We’re here to entertain. We work to make sure every minute we are onstage is entertaining. I try to give everyone in the audience at least one eye locking moment of attention during the show. We strive to give back to the audience all the joy they give us. Enthusiasm is a virus to spread.”
They ended their high-energy set with what’s become one of my favorite songs in general, “Unicorn Bones.” The crowd was definitely giving back the joy for this song, with many at the front dancing as much as they could on the packed floor. Always a great sign for an opener for such a huge band as Stabbing Westward. They explained that they are not only fans, but have also worked with them in the past. A Chris Hall remix will even be appearing on their next EP!
I loved their responses to my question about how to stay sane while touring as a busy band with many other responsibilities in their lives.
Russia: “Bananas and water keep my body taped together.”
Righeimer-Schock: “The trick is to be kind to yourself. And don’t forget to call your mother.”
Bellhead’s setlist:
Mercy
Into the Deep
Frankenstein
I Would Die For U
Bad Taste
Heart Shaped Hole (New Song)
Nothing as it Seems
Unicorn Bones
BELLHEAD BAD TASTE TOUR 2024
5.3 Black Lodge: Memphis TN w/ Palm Ghosts / DJ Evonech
5.4 5 Spot: Nashville TN w/ Palm Ghosts / Cold Equations
5.10 Cobra Lounge: Chicago IL w/ Young Medicine / Danny Blu
5.11 Healer: Indianapolis IN w/ Cemetery Sex / DJ Kaleidoscope
7.19 Flavor 90s Bar: Nashville TN w/ Cassette Stress / Sugar Skulls
7.20 Rude Dog Pub: Cape Girardeau MO w/ Gary Robert and Community
https://bellhead.bandcamp.com/music
Check out DMNX photo’s incredible concert photography here:
