Messed!Up
There are bands and there are experiences. Bands happen all the time, experiencing those that connect with their audience, is a whole different spectrum, it’s realizing it is more than just music, it is a forged bond between the two.
Chris Corner, aka IAMX, has delivered captivating performances since his days in 90s trip hop act Sneaker Pimps and he has always been that one of a kind artist you’re used to see at the very top level of artists. But that’s the level where artists are (financially) supported by one of the major players in the music industry; Chris Corner does it without that support and just by being creative and an amazing performer by nature. It’s a performance that balances between good and evil and light and darkness, coated in raw sexual hedonism. And if that isn’t enough, Corner’s biggest selling point is his undeniably impressive vocals. His lyrics complement odd sonic landscapes in a way that is at once beautiful and dark, that he translates into poetry of sex, violence, death, but also hope. And watching it live is a sensorial treat.
People at Markthalle tonight are not doing their IAMX debut gig either, it’s the people counting double figures on their IAMX gig list (let’s say the average age was between 40 and 50 as well), and that demonstrates the bond, and loyalty, between IAMX and the fans.
The gig starts off with his Hafdís Huld collab off the latest album Fault Lines², ‘The Ocean’, and Chris, his long-time bandmate, the brilliant Janine Gezang, amazing keyboardist Careellee, and every industrial project’s drummer the last years, Jon Siren, bounces onto the stage. What distinguishes IAMX from other electronic acts is the fusion of theatricality and emotional depth. Corner flailed, crouched, writhed; his body as much an instrument as his voice. The minimalist stage setup – mostly synths, projections, and mood lighting – only amplified the intimacy, drawing focus to the passion radiating from every pore.
After the second song, off the Fault Lines¹ album, called ‘Disciple’, it went down memory lane with ‘Sailor’, ‘Aphrodisiac’, and ‘After Every Party I Die, a quick return to the latest album before returning to the classics with the outstanding song ‘I Come With Knives’. It’s impossible to listen to these banger songs without letting one’s body flow to the beat as Corner’s experimental vocal styles are sure to send shivers up the listener’s spine.
The level of emotional attachment from the audience and band alike was boldly present throughout the whole set, and up to this point, there’s just one drawback: people don’t really like the songs off the Fault Lines albums (which by the way is some of his best albums if you ask me). I asked people around me – complete strangers by the way – and they thought they were too slow or too experimental. My thought was ‘Germans, ey?’ (I’m not), but a after two more classic songs, ‘Spit It Out’ and ‘The Great Shipwreck of Life’, it was time for a break.
After Janine had her own meet-and-greet with the fans in the frontline the band returned to the stage and thrust themselves into the superhit ‘The Alternative’, a real piece of work that requires quite a vocal range, followed by the awesome ‘No Maker Made Me’, which forces Chris to belt out the lyrics at the top of his voice. The carnevale-esque ‘Bernadette’ ends the night – we thought – but they’re back just a few minutes later to play the fan favorite ‘Mercy’.
It was not just all emotions that made the evening so unique, seeing Chris this relaxed and having fun with the fans was something new and comforting considering the tough years he’s been through at a personal level. IAMX is a fantastic live experience and now it also comes with stage banter – love it!
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Photos Richard Bloom
