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| (Photos by Shannon Aliza) |
The lights go out and we hear the opening beat to "Black
Flags," a track off of Atari Teenage Riot’s newest album Is this Hyperreal? out earlier this year. Vocals, but no band members on stage. The
whole song plays through. Ummm…what? People are headbanging, but is this really
just an elaborate listening party? Finally the band enters to officially open
with "Activate," accompanied by a hyperstrobe. It wasn’t a huge turnout for the
German digital hardcore punks, but it was enough for Alec Empire to fall onto
the front rows in a Christ-like pose, supported by fists in the air. The
intensity continues with "The Only Slight Glimmer of Hope," posing the
hyperpolitical (ok, last use of that prefix) question “how much blood will it
take?” The band used the live setting to remain contemporary, chanting “Occupy
Chicago” (for those who are unfamiliar, read about the movement that is currently happening--yes, right now!--in our city here) and the ever-insightful
“Fuck the Police.”
Continuing the raw energy, the group launched into a “live”
rendition of "Black Flags," “live” being in quotations as it sounded almost
exactly like the recorded version that preceded the performance minutes before.
No, there were no musicians with guitars, bass, or drums. It was recordings,
three vocalists and a couple processors that added minimal difference to the
pre-recorded material. Likewise, with such a politically charged group, it’s
more about the lyrics, the meaning, the message, the mobilization of a crowd
than any technical musical ability. Pretty much take the leftist politics of
Anti-Flag and apply to Sham 69 discovering '90s techno music and you have the
live show. Alec Empire and Nic Endo provided the interweaving male/female
sing/screaming with newest member MC CX KiDTRONiK rapping during verses. It was a
bombastic assault of all confrontational music combined into a sweaty trio of
energy.
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