Incubus, ANTEMASQUE, Le Butcherettes @ The Forum, Melbourne (25/02/2015)
It is difficult to know how to feel about Le Butcherettes as they play. Frontwoman
Teri Gender Bender alternates between Spanish and English, as well as whispering,
singing, and screaming, as the band play their dark, yet at times danceable, experimental
music. In lieu of a more apt description, I would describe the band as a far
more eccentric Soundwave equivalent of Zooey Deschanel’s band Munchausen by Proxy in Yes Man.
There is no doubt that Le Butcherettes are talented. Teri’s vocal versatility is incredible, and she does so many interesting things with sound. But she is also like a person possessed as she traverses on-stage (and off-stage for a while), screaming in Spanish and flailing her limbs around. The performance is, at the very least, a bit confronting. The audience, however, are thoroughly entertained and grow more and more enthused as the set goes on. Next up is Antemasque, who appear to have far more fans present but come off as a bit underwhelming following Le Butcherettes. The recently formed band, which contains former members of At the Drive-In and The Mars Volta, play their mostly fast-paced, fairly heavy music with great intensity. While the audience response is decent, perhaps even more than that at times, Antemasque’s set blends together, with only a few deviations in sound to make things more interesting. Before Incubus begin playing a countdown is displayed on the screen behind the stage. While the element of surprise is lost, the countdown, in combination with the increasingly dramatic music, builds suspense for the band’s entrance. At this point the venue for the sold out show is full, and when the countdown reaches zero and the band enter, the crowd erupts with applause. |
Incubus are super relaxed on stage and gradually
get more and more into their set as they go. As is expected after the many
years as a band, their playing is also especially tight.
The house lights are turned on while the crowd sings along during opener ‘Wish You Were Here’, setting the mood for the night. After around two songs, Brandon Boyd announces “we're only gonna breakdance for the rest of the show”, then shortly after launches into a rendition of ‘Hello’ by Lionel Richie.
Plenty of crowd pleasers are scattered throughout the band's set, including many of the expected suspects. The greatest response is received during songs ‘Circles’, ‘A Kiss to Send Us Off’, ‘Sick Sad Little World’, ‘Drive’, ‘Pardon Me’, and ‘Megalomaniac’. As well as this, there are a few other moments worthy of a mention. The first being a new song called ‘Trust Fall’ that is very well received, and the second a version of ‘Promises, Promises’ beginning with only piano and vocals, then moving on to include the full band.
As we begin to leave the venue at the night’s end, some people sweaty, some still wearing pleased grins unaware, it seems everyone got what they wanted (expect the guy who kept yelling out “stellar”, likely resulting in it being ruled out from the set list entirely)
Nathan Fioritti
The house lights are turned on while the crowd sings along during opener ‘Wish You Were Here’, setting the mood for the night. After around two songs, Brandon Boyd announces “we're only gonna breakdance for the rest of the show”, then shortly after launches into a rendition of ‘Hello’ by Lionel Richie.
Plenty of crowd pleasers are scattered throughout the band's set, including many of the expected suspects. The greatest response is received during songs ‘Circles’, ‘A Kiss to Send Us Off’, ‘Sick Sad Little World’, ‘Drive’, ‘Pardon Me’, and ‘Megalomaniac’. As well as this, there are a few other moments worthy of a mention. The first being a new song called ‘Trust Fall’ that is very well received, and the second a version of ‘Promises, Promises’ beginning with only piano and vocals, then moving on to include the full band.
As we begin to leave the venue at the night’s end, some people sweaty, some still wearing pleased grins unaware, it seems everyone got what they wanted (expect the guy who kept yelling out “stellar”, likely resulting in it being ruled out from the set list entirely)
Nathan Fioritti