Information Society's Kurt Harland and "Running" writer/singer Murat
Konar
Since I was excited about the show
I got to the DNA Lounge early in the hopes of hearing a few
electronic songs
to dance to. The first hour I wasn't disappointed with flashbacks
from:
Microchip League, Killing Joke, The Art of Noise, Kraftwerk,
Fake, Kon Kan, and a few others I hadn't heard in ages. The
night would prove to be an interesting mix of Goth, electronic and
pop styles.
The
first opening act was a Siouxsie and the Banshees tribute band
called
Spellbound. The lead singer looked a bit like a second cousin to
Siouxsie, but her vocal range wasn’t the same and she doesn't have
much of a presence. Deep in my loins I longed to see the real
Siouxsie who is currently touring and will be playing at the
Fillmore in SF this February.
After about an hour the second
band, The
Telltale Heartbreakers came out. The lead singer reminded me of
a Kelly Osborne/Clarkson fusion. They played their hearts out, but
similar to Romero's undead, the crowd was barely moving. The band's
music was such murder to my ears I wanted to look under the
floorboards for a beating heart. I personally was more fascinated by
the female volunteer sitting on the side stairs battling a fog
machine while clicking switches to operate what I believed to be a
spinning light on stage.
Around 11:30 Information Society
took to the stage and knew how to get the crowd going. The lead
singer Kurt Harland didn’t take himself too seriously and instantly
erased the memory of having to sit through the two opening acts.
They played a variety of their best songs from old and new albums
and the previously inanimate audience began dancing and enjoying
themselves.
As the band played video clips were
projected on multiple screens and ranged from old cold war footage
to vintage Star Trek. We were even treated to hearing "Running"
performed by its original writer and singer, Murat Konar and the
song "Run Away" utilizing the vocals of Kurt and guest singer
Marisa
Lenhardt who has an incredible voice. Towards the end the group
sang "What’s on your mind/Pure Energy" and a small fight broke out,
but they never missed a beat. Their encore performance was a rousing
cover of Gary Numan’s "Are Friends Electric".
It REALLY is worth seeing
Information Society in concert. The live show is a multimedia
extravaganza. After all these years their music is still played in
clubs, on the radio, and remixes come out all the time. The music on
their new album is great and I'm especially fond of the duet "Run
Away" which you can hear on their myspace page or the live
version with the more talented singer Marisa Lenhardt at the
DNA
Lounge link below. Perhaps with future shows instead of
mismatched opening bands they'll continue with a little more old
school electronic dance music to get people in the mood or tour with
synth/electronic groups. Overall, the band’s showmanship with
multiple outfit changes & Kurt's quirky sense of humor and witty
banter make for a fun time.
If you're in Austin,
Texas on January 18th check out their next show at: The Elysium
Special thanks to Photographer
John Adams who allowed us to use his photos for this feature.
Other recent retroCONCERTS I’ve
gone to:
The English Beat STILL rocks the
house! Dave Wakeling LOVES playing music and when I saw him he sang
for nearly 2½ hours. If they’re anywhere near you go see them NOW!!!
From recent TV performances and
videos I thought Deborah Harry's voice might be shot, but her vocal
range at a performance at the Fillmore in SF recently surprised the
heck out of me.
