Messed!Up
PRESIDENT have built a lot of mystery around the band and the person behind the mask. If you’ve followed them and done even minimal research, you probably have a good idea who is supposedly underneath it. I’m not going to pretend that takes away from the fun; if anything, it makes me enjoy the whole thing more because I get to stan an OG pop-punk king. The entire tour is sold out, and Kesselhaus is no exception.
Dreamwake and vianova open the night, then PRESIDENT make their entrance at a glacial pace. There’s no bursting onto the stage, no big reveal: the band simply walks on slowly and in control before ripping into “Fearless” from their first EP, King of Terrors. Staying with the EP, they move into “Dionysus”, with my favourite clean vocals on the record, followed by “Destroy Me” and “RAGE”. “Angel Wings”, the opener of Blood Of Your Empire, sounds nothing short of majestic live, accompanied by the Berlin crowd singing along.
This is my second time seeing PRESIDENT, but my first time seeing them headline. The first was earlier this year at Hurricane Festival, when temperatures hit 36 degrees or so. Every time The President bent down, sweat came pouring from under the mask. It’s hot at Kesselhaus too, and I can’t help wondering about the logistics of performing in it night after night: breathing, visibility, and staying hydrated.
The performance itself is minimal and clean. The band don’t distract with big gestures or elaborate stage moves, though The President occasionally flashes peace signs to the crowd. The lighting and songs do the work. A podium stands at the centre of the stage, while the lighting throws shadows across the wall. The whole setup brings to mind a church altar, which feels especially apt for an album born from its singer’s questions about faith, mortality and humanity.
The set moves through “dark heaven”, “Conclave” and “Mercy”. The last references the album title and beautifully combines clean pop vocals with screams, as the crowd chants, “It’s not enough / Can you feel the rush?”. After “Mercy”, the band leave the stage for a break. Following the “Parable of the Cave” interlude, The President returns alone for “This Will Divide Us”, standing between two beams of light as a backing track gives the song an almost acoustic feel.
Then comes “Pink Noise”, apparently performed live for the first time after fans had been requesting it online. With its almost drum-and-bass beat and plenty of pace changes, it sparks a mosh pit; the rest of the band rejoin, and the crowd screams along to “Do you feel alive?” “DOOM LOOP” and the unbelievably groovy “White Devil” follow, before a Deftones cover of “Change (In the House of Flies)”.
PRESIDENT close with “In the Name of the Father”, the song where it all started for the band. The President calls for a wall of death, and the crowd obliges. It’s a fitting finish to a show that looks controlled while still letting the songs hit hard.
Some people may prefer a show that’s rougher around the edges, but I love how tight PRESIDENT sound and how clean the vocal performance is. Blood Of Your Empire is probably one of my most-listened-to albums of the year (Spotify Wrapped is coming soon…), and it hits exactly the spot I want: perfect production with grit, strong melodies, and heaviness. For me, that balance works beautifully live.
******
Photos: Amy Haghebaert
