Having been at the 24th WGT in Leipzig on May 2015, when Luis Vasquez last visited London, I jumped at the opportunity to see The Soft Moon so soon again in London. I was prepared for a memorable gig, following the success of the band since the release of the debut homonymous album in 2010. This was the first time I was seeing the band performing live and the experience was better than I expected, but let me take things from the beginning.
The Soft Moon live at Electrowerkz
Posted: 9th November 2015 by blaue-rosen in Live reviews,InterviewsTags: Ellll live at Electrowerkz 2015, The Soft Moon live at Electrowerkz 2015
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The Damned live at The Roundhouse
Posted: 18th October 2015 by blaue-rosen in Live reviews,InterviewsTags: Johnny Moped band live at Roundhouse 2015, The Damned live at The Roundhouse 2015, The Damned live in London 2015, The Roundhouse gigs 2015
Punk gigs of the late 1970s were synonymous with notorious fights whose cause was the rough everyday lives of the people in that era where heavy industry (along with communities that were based on this industry) was beginning to be des
troyed in Europe. Looking back, some people might say that, these were good times for both the communities and the culture that was produced. Today 4 decades after the 1970s, punk gigs contain some moments of heavy head banging, many stage divings and lengthy moments of contemplation from the previous generation. The bands now don’t usually have to ‘fear’ of suffering bodily harm or of the possibility of having to leave the venue in the middle of a gig. On the other hand punk, as an attitude couldn’t be more relevant today where neoliberalism has spread its ”claws” once again attacking and redefining not only the established modes of work but also the form of our cities making a prototype out of the metropolis.
SNOG/Black Lung/Soma interview
Posted: 13th October 2015 by blaue-rosen in Live reviews,InterviewsTags: Black Lung interview, Black Lung interview 2015, David Thrussell interview, SNOG Compliance 2015, SNOG Compliance album 2015 interview, SNOG interview, SNOG interview2015, SNOG new album 2015, Soma interview
SNOG, Black Lung, Soma, an experimental movie that has only been screened in Italy (i.e. ‘The Andronechron Incident‘) and a crime film (i.e. ‘The Hard Word‘). If you are wondering what is the thread that holds all these elements together, it takes the form of musician who answers to the name of David Thrussell. This is a musician with an acute social perceptiveness who has the ability to mix a myriad of ideas in such a similar way that a painter mixes colours to create a new one. It is interesting that where an idea is hinted in the music of Black Lung, it is quite clearly revealed through a song by 
SNOG. So in the end one should listen to the music of both projects in order to get a grasp of the intended message. At the same time if you think that each song by SNOG deals with only one issue at a time, then you must prepare yourself for a serious ‘roller coaster’. One could say that David Thrussell through all his projects, ‘copies’ the way media are bombarding us with information, in order to raise our awareness about the (intentionally?) hidden aspects of this information and the complexity of our lives. The trigger for developing an interest in a musical project can either be the richness of references in the music and lyrics or perhaps equally a seemingly absence of such richness. I managed to somehow crystallize all the hints that have been offered by David Thrussell, since 1992, when I saw both SNOG and Black Lung perform live at the 24th WGT in Leipzig. Ahead of the release of yet another exciting SNOG album called ‘Compliance’ in three days’ time (October 16, 2015) David Thrussell (DT) talked to Blauerosen about the cynicism of the word ‘compliance’, Noam Chomsky, eastern philosophy, what time is best to listen to a Black Lung album, Jello Biafra, the upcoming album and of course so many other things. So pick your favourite album by Black Lung or SNOG and as you listen to it make sure that you read carefully what is contained within the lines as well as what is between them! It was a great pleasure to talk to David Thrussell and we can’t be more impatient to listen to ‘Compliance’ later this week.
Agent Side Grinder-K.I.D- Minny Pops live at The Lexington
Posted: 31st July 2015 by blaue-rosen in Live reviews,InterviewsTags: Agent Side Grinder Alkimia tour 2015, Agent Side Grinder Live at The Lexington London 2015, Agent Side Grinder live in London 2015, K.I.D Live at The Lexington, K.I.D live in London 2015, Minny Pops live at The Lexington 2015, Minny Pops live in London 2015, The Lexington gigs 2015
This gig happened three days before the 24th Wave Gotik Treffen and Gothic Pogo festivals in Leipzig where both Agent Side Grinder and Minny Pops appeared live, so naturally we regarded this as a predecessor of these festivals and the beginning of a period full of interesting gigs by great bands from all over the world!
From the early Japanese Korg drum machines to the minimal music of the 1980s
A few hours before this mini festival started, Minny Pops announced at Twitter their exact stage time and if 
you think it would be 30′ past the hour or at the hour, well … think again. Minny Pops assured their followers and fans that they would play the first note of their setlist at exactly 8.28pm! …and strangely enough they were punctual indeed, starting exactly at that time. This was not the first time I was seeing Minny Pops perform live, as in 2012, 31 years after their last live back in 1981, they performed upstairs at The Garage. However that gig in 2012 was far less impressive and less theatrical in terms of stage appearance and performance than this one at The Lexington. This is a cold wave/minimal electro band that released its first album en
titled ‘Drastic measures, Drastic Movement’ in Plurex Records in 1979 and has released several EPs and the album ‘Sparks In A Dark Room’ in Factory Records and Factory Benelux (the Belgian sister label to Factory Records that was set up by Michel Duval and Annik Honore). The band has opened gigs of Joy D
ivision, has worked with the notorious Martin Hannett and has shared the stage with A Certain Ratio. Minny Pops have been inspired by early drum machines produced by Korg, called Minipops which were widely used in the 1960s and 1970s. The band disbanded in 1986 and it was not until 2011 that they started performing live again. Minny Pops nowadays are based in the UK, consist of 11 more members apart from Wally van Middendorp, Wim Dekker , Pieter Mulder and Gerard Walhof and since 2011 have reissued their first two albums through Factory Benelux. In 2012, Minny Pops released the 7” entitled ” Waiting for this to happen/Glistering” through O Genesis Recordings, a label owned by Tim Burgess of Charlatans, James Spencer, Nikki Colk and Nick Fraser.I enjoyed their show very much and I kept three elements, the engaging, theatrical and dynamic performance of Wally van Middendorp, the dexterous and admiring performance of Iona Tanguay at the clarinet especially at the
second half of their setlist and the pluralistic impression that the band created in terms of aesthetics. But let me take things from the beginning.
Stendeck_ESA_Vieon live at Slimelight
Posted: 23rd July 2015 by blaue-rosen in Live reviews,InterviewsTags: ESA live at Slimelight 2015, Stendeck live at Slimelight2015, Tympanik Audio gigs in London 2015
…or else music for the citizens of metropolises
At the beginning there was the local, underground electronic music of Jamaica and the Carribean which around the 1990s entered the realm of mainstream music after passing through Bronx, Detroit and Chicago. This music trip that started around the middle of 1970s, in the decade of the 90s through various DJs, took different forms such as rave, techno, psychedelic trance, downtempo and many more. A different version of those genres, more melodic and enriched with elements from all of them, has emerged during the last few years, IDM or else Intelligent Dance Music. The audience of IDM music is wider, appreciates the spirituality of this music and has different characteristics th
an the audience of e.g. trance music. Responding to this growing number of IDM bands and to the appreciation of this music, since 2007, Tympanik Audio has embraced most of the musicians of this style by releasing some of their albums. Gigs of IDM musicians are rare therefore fans of this music style would rarely miss the opportunity to attend a show by any of the artists. IDM music is a rather lonely and personal endeavour with most bands being comprised of one or two members. Gigs by IDM music bands tend to create unique experiences as almost all of the bands, are inspired by the ambience of everyday stimuli which they translate to a complex yet very interesting soundscape and a lot of bands complement their music with visuals. By listening to IDM music one accesses multiple fields of consciousness that lead to different and personal spiritual universes.
Interview: Agent Side Grinder
Posted: 22nd May 2015 by blaue-rosen in Live reviews,InterviewsTags: Agent Side Grinder interview
After the release of their best album to date ‘Alkimia‘ and just before their forthcoming live appearance at the Wave Gotik Treffen in Leipzig, Agent Side Grinder performed live at The Lexington on May 20, 2015. This interview took place after this mindblowing live appearance of Agent Side Grinder. Johan Lange (JL) and Kristoffer Grip(KG) took the time to discuss with Blauerosen about their music, the past and the future of electro/synth/experimental music, art and many more!
The Dresden Dolls live at Rough Trade, Brooklyn
Posted: 25th April 2015 by blaue-rosen in Live reviews,InterviewsTags: Record Sotre Day special live The Dresden Dolls, The Dresden Dolls live 2015, The Dresden Dolls live at Rough Trade in Brooklyn 2015
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lauerosen is not usually covering live gigs in other countries unless they are special appearances or important festivals. This time it was Record Store Day that brought together the Dresden Dolls for a special one off live appearance at Rough Trade in Brooklyn and ‘patreon’ that made it possible for people outside America but also for those that couldn’t be present at Rough Trade, to participate in this event. But let’s take things from the beginning.
Frozen Autumn live at Deliquium
Posted: 1st March 2015 by blaue-rosen in Live reviews,InterviewsTags: The Frozen Autumn live at Deliquium festival in London 2015, The Frozen Autumn live in London 2015
Four years have passed since the release of ‘Chirality’ the latest full length album by Frozen Autumn in 2011 while in 2014 the band released a 12” EP call
ed ‘Lie In Wait’ in 500 numbered copies. This EP is, I suppose, a ‘teaser’ for their next upcoming album and it sounds like it’s going to be yet another great one! It’s been almost ten years since the last time I saw the band perform live. In the meantime, the darkwave scene that was flourishing at the end of 1990s and the beginning of 2000 is facing a crisis especially because the pioneers of the genre release albums which are not equally appealing as in the past not to mention that the releases are less frequent. Some might think that this music style is limited and doesn’t have much more to offer but bands such as The Frozen Autumn mean to prove people wrong as Diego Merletto and Froxeanne seem to know very well that good music transcends temporary music trends and is appreciated even more as time passes.
Chris&Cosey,Nisennenmondai live at Heaven
Posted: 17th February 2015 by blaue-rosen in Live reviews,InterviewsTags: Chris&Cosey live at Heaven 2015, club Heaven live gigs 2015, Nisennenmondai live at Heaven 2015
…Carter Tutti plays the ‘final’ live show of Chris&Cosey at Heaven
Before saying anything more about this gig I have to admit that even though I had every intention in the world to attend this last (as I realized) gig of Chris& Cosey at club Heaven, I didn’t have the necessary decisiveness to book a ticket on time! So it was due to a happy and welcomed coincidence that I purchased the last ticket for this sold out gig by a complete stranger 30’ before a record store closed for the day. But let’s take things from the beginning. I happened to pass by a record shop in Soho this past dark and cloudy Sunday, when I noticed on the window an announcement stating that in store one could buy ONE last ticket for this gig. Ignoring my certainty that this ticket would have been sold hours ago, I asked the staff and to my surprise it was still available at its face value!
Two hours later, I entered the notorious Heaven for the first time in the eight years I live in London. The space reminded me of my fascination for vaulted underground clubs and soon I was contemplating the closure of a favourite such club near London Bridge station. Respecting the announced stage times, Nisennenmondai appeared on stage and the first sequence of notes and rhythms, put all of us in trance. The playlist by the djs of Quietus had warmed up the atmosphere ideally with excellent choices of tracks, so the band’s music felt like a natural continuation of sounds. (more…)
Josef van Wissem+ Rough Fields live at Café Oto
Posted: 10th February 2015 by blaue-rosen in Live reviews,InterviewsTags: Cafe Oto gigs 2015, Josef van Wissem live at Cafe Oto 2015, Rough Fields live at Cafe Oto 2015
‘The system of concert halls will disappear. The future of live music is house shows’ (Josef van Wissem, extract from a recent interview)
I always enjoy gigs at Café Oto, which is a favourite place for a lot of people who live close to Dalston. Even though this is a relatively small place, it has built a reputation over the years, by organising performances by alternative artists/musicians. Café Oto has a dedicated crowd that shows great respect towards the musicians and enjoys every gig. Because this is a venue that creates an intimate communication between audience and performer(s) in every gig I have the impression that I have been invited to the musicians’ own house. This time was no exception! This was the first live gig for me for 2015 and what a better way to kickstart a year than with mesmerising melodies. (more…)