TKK 2008: Pepper Somerset, Groovie Mann, Buzz McCoy

When I think about the bands that have molded me into the fantatically schizophrenic music devotee that I am today, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult sits fairly high on that list. While they are generally referred to as an “industrial band,” in reality TKK has been about a hundred different genres throughout their nearly 20 year history – nearly all of which they delved into long before it was “the thing to do.” In fact, whenever I hear new-school indie disco like New Young Pony Club or Calvin Harris, I can’t help but think how little credit TKK gets for their early forays into this genre.

Of course, it was my intense appreciation for this band that made it all the worse when I finally saw them live with Ministry a few years ago, and they were…well…terrible. It seemed unbelievable that such an inventive sex, drugs, ’n satan band could be so lifeless and dreary live. Truly a disappointing mess.

So, it was with mixed emotions that I attended their Baltimore show on Saturday night. On the one hand, there was the lackluster experience of a few year’s prior still in my memory, but on the other there was the fact that I wanted to believe they could do better – plus I adored their most recent album, “The Filthiest Show in Town.” So, I decided everybody deserves a second chance, and made the trip out in the pouring rain to Fletcher’s Bar.

After a long night spent standing in stifling heat (Seriously, Fletcher’s, air conditioning – ever heard of it?), and waiting through four god-awful opening bands, I got what I came for. And it was far more than expected. From the second TKK took the stage, this seemed like a completely different band from the one I saw three years ago. Frontman Groovie Mann was energetic, excited, and seemed just generally thrilled to be there. And for a dude who’s gotta be in his mid 40s by now, let me say, the man can still rock a pair of leather pants.

Missing from the band were regular bassist Charles Levi and any sort of live drum or guitar accompaniment, and accordingly the band did a more electronic set, focusing heavily on tracks from their early career. Despite the fact that I would have enjoyed hearing some of their newer material, I’ll forgive it because I got to hear unexpected treats like “A Daisy Chain For Satan” and “Leathersex.” Cheers to current female vocalist and resident sexy laydee Pepper Somerset for working a very small stage and doing all previous TKK Bomb Gang Girlz proud.

All in all, TKK put on the fantastically sleazy electro disco show that I always knew they could. The band’s main set ended with “Cuz It’s Hot,” a fitting tribute to the sweat-box conditions Fletcher’s trapped us in. Kinda fit the show’s atmosphere though – if the heat didn’t have you strippin down, the music sure as hell would.

Wario Land: Shake It! is Nintendo’s newest “platformer”, released here in the states on September 22^nd. Like most people, I haven’t yet had the opportunity to play it, but have been looking forward to it since visiting this amazing YouTube page:

After reading the game overview on Nintendo.com, I’ve decided that Mario Land: Shake It! could be right up there with Super Mario Galaxy as the Wii’s best platform game to be released so far. The game control seems to incorporate Nintendo’s classic game play and Wii’s new style of interactive play beautifully. As stated in the overview “The controls are standard for a Wii Remote held sideways (D-pad, buttons), but with an important twist: most of Wario’s special moves are accomplished by shaking or tilting the Wii Remote. This allows great versatility but without forcing the player to remember complicated button combinations“.

To learn more about Wario Land: Shake It!, visit the officially website: wariolandshakeit.com. Hopefully I’ll have as much fun playing the game as I did playing on it’s website! I’ll make sure to share my review of Shake It! as soon as I can. But if you’ve already had the opportunity to play this game, please feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Remember James? No? Well, do you remember that song “Laid?” It was kind of a big hit in the mid-90s. Still no? It’s that one that goes, “This bed is on fire with passionate love…But she only comes when she’s on top…” It was in the American Pie commercials. Bingo — now you’ve got it.

I had that conversation several times over the past few weeks when I told friends I was going to see James. Though the band was actually quite successful in the UK, their visibility in the US post-Laid was perhaps not so high. Those that do remember turned out in force on Friday, however, as the James reunion tour played to a sold-out crowd at DC’s 9:30 Club.

James proved themselves worthy of the high turn out, providing those that were there with a little over two hours from a band that clearly wanted to be nowhere else but on that stage doing that show. Band enthusiasm has been known to make or break a concert, and James had it in spades. Singer Tim Booth flailed about wildly throughout a passionate performance that couldn’t help but draw you in — and make you wonder why they only managed one hit in the States.

The setlist leaned a bit heavily on the new album and tracks from “Laid” — though that’s to be expected, considering one’s the album they’re currently trying to promote, and the other’s the one Americans actually bought. I was pleased to hear a few from the earlier days, however, including “Sit Down,” “Come Home,” and personal favorite “Born of Frustration.” They even deviated from their setlist at one point, playing “Don’t Wait That Long” for a guy holding up a piece of notebook paper with the song’s title scrawled on it.

Me and fellow concert troublemaker Joe,
stalking Tim Booth (center) after the show

While I can’t say the crowd’s enthusiasm matched up to the energy displayed by the band, people at least seemed appreciative. At the end of the night, it was clear the members of James did not want to leave the stage, and can you blame them? After so many years away, it had to feel good to bask in the adoration of a sold-out crowd. It seemed obvious that James is welcome back in these parts anytime — hopefully, we won’t have to wait another 11 years for their next visit.

Amirah’s picks:

10. Barenaked Ladies – August 28, 1997 – Merriweather Post Pavilion / Columbia, MD

Sounds quite lame in retrospect, but at age 16, I remember this being one of the most fun nights of my life. BNL live is something like a cross between a band and a comedy troupe, and given that this show was slightly before they had a big mainstream hit with “One Week,” they weren’t afraid to be completely off the wall. Plus, my mom insisted on going to “make sure nothing happened to me,” and even she had a great time.

Har Mar Superstar booty shorts. Yes, I do have these.

9. Har Mar Superstar/Ben Lee – April 22, 2005 – Black Cat / Washington D.C.

To say the crowd there for folky indie dude Ben Lee were not the same people who would appreciate Har Mar’s Prince-style sleaze-pop, is something of an understatement. I have honestly never seen such hatred from a crowd for a performer – and I have never seen a performer more willing to keep going despite the animosity. I think I was one of about 10 people who actually went there to see Har Mar (who puts on a fantastic show, I might add), and it seemed my devotion did not go unappreciated…I’ve been in the front row for a lot of shows, but this still stands as the one and only time the guy on stage grabbed me and kissed me in the middle of his set. Memorable, to say the least.

8. Reverend Horton Heat/Southern Culture on the Skids – September 28, 2003 – Recher Theatre / Towson, MD

I’ve seen the Reverend several times, and I have say they do pretty much the same show every time. However, it is an awesomely fun, gloriously gimmicky rockabilly show, and this was the first time I saw it.

What I could grab of the Phoenix set list.

7. Phoenix – May 6, 2006 – 9:30 Club / Washington, D.C.

I love this band, and they are simply amazing live. Singer Tomas Mars has a subtle charisma that few can pull off, and a beautiful voice that sounds just as good live as on CD – a real feat in these days of autotune. I remember the band doing “Playground Love” as the encore; Tomas being the original singer for this Air song, this was one of those special “for the fans” moments.

6. The Libertines – October 19, 2004 – 9:30 Club / Washington, D.C.

Many felt this tour would be somewhat lackluster thanks to the absence of band co-founder Pete Doherty, but I doubt anyone would claim that after attending this show. Sure, the Libs were magic as a duo, and I will always wish I could’ve seen that live, but this was still one of the most exciting shows I’ve ever been to. This crowd was up for it, and it certainly showed when the show ended with a massive stage invasion. Funny thing — I remember getting separated from my friend in the melee of the crowd and inadvertantly reuniting with him…on stage. Unforgettable.

A really bad photo from the Chemlab show. What
do you want — I had a shit camera and it was dark.

5. Chemlab – January 7, 2006 – Albion – New York, NY

This was the first of three Chemlab shows I’ve attended, any of which could easily have been on this list. I actually enjoyed the setlist more at the other two, but this one makes the list sheerly for atmosphere. At the time, this was supposed to be a one-off show, and there was really no reason to believe we’d see Jared “get the band back together” any time soon. The fans partied like there was no tomorrow with the kind of energy that it’s often hard to get out of a New York crowd. Credit Jared Louche, a natural performer and the kind of frontman you can’t take your eyes off of.

4. Skinny Puppy – June 22, 2004 – 9:30 Club / Washington, D.C.

Reunion tours generally have a 50/50 chance of being amazing or horrible, but luckily this one fell into the former category. It seemed the guys had moved on from the low-budget experimental shows they did in the early days, having put together an amazingly designed theatrical show, that still felt like Skinny Puppy. Plus, I was just thrilled to get to see one of reasons industrial music exists.

3. Arctic Monkeys – March 27, 2006 – 9:30 Club / Washington, D.C.

Never in my life have I come home from a show with more cuts and bruises. I was crammed right up in the front for this sold out show, and these were the real, hardcore fans at this one – this actually took place before the album was even released in America and well before the Arctic Monkeys hype machine made its way across the pond. No pretenders here, this was just a lot of Britpop kids for whom this was their new favorite band, and these were the songs that saved their lives. Can’t say the Monkeys have the best stage presence ever — they kind of have that Oasis “I’m up here playing for you and that’s all you deserve to get from me” attitude – but that wasn’t what made this amazing. The crowd made this something special.

My aftershow pass for KMFDM. Yes,
those letters actually do say KMFDM.

2. KMFDM – November 6, 2003 – 9:30 Club / Washington, D.C.

Way back in the day, KMFDM was my gateway drug to the world of industrial music. However, I never got to see them live thanks to problems like being too young to get into clubs, or not having a car, or not having friends that liked weird bands nobody had heard of, or a myriad of other things that stop teenagers from going to shows. But in 2003, after interviewing band founder Sascha K (my first real band interview) – I got to attend their WWIII tour and give him the issue of the paper the interview was published in. I just remember being so excited to be there, and really could not have asked for more out of this show. Plus I’m glad to have made it to the last KMFDM tour that resident singer/troublemaker Raymond Watts would be part of.

The Morrissey setlist, still with stage tape
on top. Now hanging on my wall.

1. Morrissey – September 29, 2004 – DAR Constitution Hall / Washington, D.C.

Morrissey. Moz. What can you say? Love him or hate him, the man’s a legend, and one that I never thought I would get to see live. I’m not one for “favorite bands” lists, simply because I like so many different genres, it’s too hard to compare. But, if I had to name my top 3, I’m certain The Smiths would be in there. Being too young to have ever had the opportunity to see them live – and also too young to have seen any of Morrissey’s solo tours prior to his hiatus from music – I didn’t really think this one was possible.

But in 2004 the impossible happened – Morrissey put out the phenomenal “You Are the Quarry” and toured to support it. I was attending this show with one of the most obsessed Smiths fans you could ever know, and I think we devoted the entire month prior to this show to Morrissey. Usually when you look forward to something that much, there is no way it can live up to expectations, but somehow this did. Morrissey has every bit the stage presence of a legend, and we were completely blown away. In fact, during “I Like You,” he actually reached down and grabbed my friend’s hand, and the boy nearly fainted — I literally had to catch him. The entire night was the very definition of magic, capped off with an encore of “There is a Light that Never Goes Out.” It gets no better.

Krissy’s picks:

10. Lollapalooza 1997 - Nissan Pavilion / Bristow, VA
This show was just fun. I got to see James, Tricky, Orbital, Snoop Dogg, Korn and Tool all in one day. Despite being surrounded by ton of stinky, sweaty kids wearing striped Adidas pants, it was a good show. Oh yeah, and the Korn kids shouting “Korn, Korn, Korn…” while James was playing almost made Tim Booth cry. They didn’t finish their set.

9. Rolling Stones – World Tour 2002 – FedEx Field / Landover, MD
I had more fun at this concert than any other that I’ve attended. It started with tailgating in the parking lot with some dude named “Johnny” who claimed to be a representative from Budweiser. In reality, he was just wearing a Budweiser NASCAR jacket and had drunk a lot of beer. He was nice though. He literally gave me the shirt off of his back. I went to the show with just enough money to park, and ended up drinking, eating, and getting a ’78 tour shirt – sweet deal! The show itself was really good, even though Keith Richards missed all of his leads. Thank god for them that Ronnie Wood was on his game that day!

8. Buckcherry – Time Bomb Tour 2001 – Recher Theatre / Towson, MD
This was the first time I had the chance to see Buckcherry live. After their amazing show, my friends and I got the opportunity to hang out with the band since we knew their label rep. Josh Todd walked over to me, pulled up my shirt a little and jokingly said “wow, you’re skinny too” and rubbed my stomach. It was funny after the fact, but it scared the shit out of me while it was happening. Everyone in the band was incredibly nice and friendly, not scary at all.

7. Coldplay – World Tour 2002 – Pier 6 Pavilion / Baltimore, MD
One of the biggest perks of working for a music store was definitely free tickets and backstage passes. My friends and I got to see a wonderful performance and then hang out with the band. Sitting in the pavilion, drinking Heineken, chitchatting, and signing autographs – the guys from Coldplay are the nicest band people I’ve ever met!

6. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – Summer Tour 2001 - Nissan Pavilion / Bristow, VA
I’ve always known that Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers are under appreciated as musicians. I just didn’t realize how much they were underrated until I saw them live. I had really bad comp. seats for the show, but the music made it worth the ride to Virginia. I can say hands down that Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers are the most talented live act I’ve ever seen in person.

5. Oasis – World Tour 2005 – Merriweather Post Pavilion / Columbia, MD
I thought I missed the chance to see Oasis (and the Black Crows!) when I failed to get tickets for 2001’s Tour of Brotherly Love since they broke up after the tour. Thankfully for me, they reunited, released and toured for “Don’t Believe the Truth”. Liam Gallagher was incredibly rude to the audience and to the band – it was exactly what I had expected and it was awesome.

4. Aerosmith – Just Push Play Tour 2001 – Nissan Pavilion / Bristow, VA
I’ve loved Aerosmith ever since I was a child, but never got the opportunity to see them in their “hay day”. Seeing them live from a few rows from the stage was amazing.

3. Paul McCartney – US Tour 2005 – MCI Center / Washington DC
Ok, I was so excited about this one, I have almost no recollection of the experience – and I wasn’t drinking! My friend Kitty and I managed to score 10th row center tickets. At first, I thought that I was crazy for paying $250+ for the each ticket… But after hearing “Maybe I’m Amazed” and “Hey Jude”, I knew it was worth it - it was a once in a lifetime experience! I’m still very happy that I got a chance to see a Beatle!

2. U2 - Elevation Tour 2001 – Baltimore Arena / Baltimore, MD
This was my first U2 concert, ever. It was amazing! The air in the arena was electric that night. I was positioned at the tip of the heart shaped runway where I got a ton of great pictures. I also got a feel of Bono’s leg…

1. U2 - Vertigo Tour 2005 - Washington DC / MCI Center
Probably the coolest concert experience of my life! It started with Bono waving to me from the window of his Escalade. After the wave, I ran inside the building to get as close to the runway as possible since I had general admission tickets. When my ticket was scanned, the usher informed me that my friend and I had been randomly selected to stand inside the runway! We were up against the stage for the entire show. Bono even said hi to me, and at some point, he splashed me with water – it was pretty awesome. I still have the tank top I was wearing. It’s hanging in my office, unwashed since the event : ]