Day 2 of Substance was significant to me for it’s stylistic pivot, balancing between enough genre similarity and variation to keep the long day fresh, and delivering surprises all the way through. The festival managed to get the scheduling right for all three days but day 2 really packed it all in for me.
_Houses of Heaven_ were yet again another strong start for the day. Live drumming and dark pulsing synths are always on my wishlist.
Seeing _Second Skin_ on the mainstage was absolute perfection, and it was still so early! The impeccably performed synth wavey goth was dead on for the day. Somehow across all the instrumentation they manage to embody every sound from the era as if they invented it.
_Fearing_ brought the lush moody guitar driven goth that I had been looking for. I could feel the direction of the day taking hold.
Sidenote from the bands for a moment to recognise the brilliance of the scheduling for the entire festival. I was able to walk directly out of the room after Fearing and into the main stage area for VR SEX exactly as the started. The scheduling “non overlaps” for this festival was unreal considering how much they had going on.
And that gets us to _VR SEX_. Just, how? How were they so good live, straight out of the pandemic? I mean, they were like “4 months into a world tour” incredible. They also seemed to have changed their sound a bit (I could be wrong about that.) They were thoroughly impressive and fresh to my ears.
For me, a little bit of 80’s kitsch can go a long way and then it often goes too far. In a past life I would have looked away from _Nuovo Testamento_ and that would have been a mistake.
This brings us to the single greatest moment of genius of the entire festival. _Eyedress_ didn’t just play a show, they dropped performance art. I was instantly reminded of the infamous first Sex Pistols show in 1976. You know, the one everyone of consequence in the British music scene swears they were at?
Never have I seen a band show such glorious disregard for their own material and as a result, their own fans. The precious inclinations of most bands to perform their songs in a recognizable and satisfying way wasn’t just disregarded, it was demolished. At one point lead singer _Idris Vicuña_ took to the electronics controlling the show and began switching wildly from song to song. Just seconds into some of them he’d randomly switch to another, giving no warning to the band. The resulting chaos erupted into a guitar smashing frenzy. The shrapnel of a dead vintage Teisco (or was it a Fujigen?) blasted into the photography pit sending most of the photographers to the ground as if the second battle of Fallujah had come to greet them. The ensuing mayhem prompted house lights and the end of the performance at what seemed to be about 12 minutes in. Years from now I look forward to the ability to say “I swear, I was there.”
_Twin Tribes_ provided none of that fluff. They were an absolute crowd pleaser with one of the most packed shows in the upstairs room. More goth electro deliciousness with guitars and we were back to “normal.”
Now down into the basement for _Shanghai Beach_ and their perfect sound for the moment. This is when I came to appreciate the basement stage for it’s raw Berlin bunker aesthetic.
_Provoker_ brought more grimey bass than anyone has the right to. I’m not sure how to talk about them yet, probably best if everybody gets to listening. They were mesmerizing, fresh, and cool. They’ve definitely figured something out.
This was probably my 5th time seeing _Nitzer Ebb_ so obviously I could gush about them. Consider it done then… What was an obvious disappointment though was the unfortunate hospitalization of front man Douglas McCarthy prior to the show. Bon Harris was great and his dedication to keep it all going was obvious, well appreciated and well executed. Lets all “Join in the chant” wishing McCarthy a full recovery.
Sorry, I had to…
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