April 18, 2003
Kansas City, MO
The Uptown Theatre
Pigface
My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult
Zeromancer
Bile
The Follow
For a small town band from Columbia, MO, The Follow did well to hold their own with the likes of such great industrial acts. Their 15-minute set impressed not only the crowd, but the other bands as well. I was also rumored that Martin, of Pigface, was going to sign them to Invisible Records.
We waited in the dark silence, anticipating the New York City trio calling themselves BILE. They played their 30-minute set against the backdrop of a video screen, offering a rather cool effect. The Toxic Industrial band ripped through a set of crowd favorites, including You’re a Fucking Looser and Love Stinks. The air was thick with violent riffs and a heavy blanket of smog. BILE was only the beginning of an intense night.
Zeromancer, currently one of the top European acts, had fought each night of their first American tour to prove themselves. NEED YOU LIKE A DRUG opened the set with their brand of EBM-Industrial music. Come NEO GEISHA, Alex experienced microphone problems, which forced Kim & the crowd to provide vocals for much of the song. CHROME BITCH became the sing along song of the evening. Filth … Kiss … Chrome … Bitch … was chanted and screamed by fans that knew the tune. CLONE YOUR LOVER, their first No. 1 hit, was only one of two tracks performed off of their first release by the same name. DR. ONLINE, the initial single off of EUROTRASH followed, and sent the crowd into a bouncing frenzy. SEND ME AN ANGEL, Zeromancer’s cover of the 80’s hit was a crowd favorite. It showed just how old the fans were, and i personally don’t like feeling old. FADE TO BLACK closed the show, and left us only wanting more. Zeromancer proved they are one band with enough force to headline a major US tour and pull it off.
My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult took the stage around 10 o’clock. TKK consisted of a drummer, a vocalist and a keyboards/sampler. With only three members on stage, they put forth an effort that many bands severely lack. “For a moment, let’s forget about the war,” the vocalist pleaded with us. We were even blessed by the presence of Lacey, from Nocturne, for a few songs.
This was my second time seeing PIGFACE live, and they beat every expectation i had initially made. The Uptown Theatre supported an excellent, well-defined sound. The night featured several line-up changes as well as featured members. Martin was seated in his drum cage, behind a wall of “Hazard/Construction” fencing, supposedly to keep him from injuring not only himself but also other members of the band. To put it simply, Chris Connley is amazing. Martin mercilessly beat his drums like a psycho trying to free himself from a straightjacket. This album’s line up could possibly be the best to date. The crowd did not stand still once the first note was sung. A backdrop of nuns glared at us through glowing-green eyes. Several Mirror Balls, hanging from the ceiling and Martin’s drum kit, were utilized throughout the entire set. (And you thought Sarah McLachlan was the only musician to successfully use Mirror Balls.) Pigface offered up a sound and stage presence that cannot be compared to anyone in the industry today. The entire band seemed to be enjoying themselves and their music, feeding off of the crowds energy. Lacey of Nocturne, Michelle of VOODOU and Justin of Professional Murder Music through out the set joined PIGFACE. “The human demolition starts with you,” screamed a vocalist and set the entire crowd into a moshing frenzy. Few were spared from the aural assault. During a brief intermission, Martin announced that he had somehow injured his leg and commented on a possible hospital trip. “Never underestimate the difference you as an individual can make to any situation,” he told us, and it became the motto for the evening. Joined by members of TKK, Nocturne and Voodou, Pigface returned for an encore. “Have you had enough? You’re starting to show signs of fatigue.” That generally happens when a band plays for two hours. “If you want more music, you’re going to have to make more noise.” That was all anyone needed to say. The final song of the evening was a cover of NINE INCH NAILS’ SUCK. The light draped across the nuns now read SUK instead of FUK. Members of VOODOU, BOZO PORNO CIRCUS, NOCTURNE and ZEROMANCER for their rendition of the NIN classic joined PIGFACE. The night started loud, reached a pinnacle and only surpassed that point. Kansas City would never be the same.
