Times New Viking &

Crystal Antlers

@ west germany 31.3.10

Times New Viking started off the show at west germany with an ironic mix of noisy maniacal energy and disinterested nonchalance. Adam Elliot and Beth Murphy (on drums and keyboard, respectively) became totally absorbed in the music, singing on top of and around each other while smashing out quick and noisy rhythms. On the other hand, Jared Phillips on guitar plucked out each song's melody while inspecting the loose wires hanging from the half-renovated ceiling above him, while smoking a cigarette, while staring off into space... The disinterested air about him directly contrasted the amount of energy with which Elliot pounded life into the drums.

Put together, though, the band gathered and packaged a mass of sound, which they thrust into the audience with hardly a pause between each song. The atmosphere of west germany provided the perfect venue for TNV's lo-fi punk noise, the halfway bulldozed sight of the club was a natural balance to their basic and de-constructed and in-your-face songs.

After a short pause, Crystal Antlers took over the stage. The baton of experimental noise, with which Times New Viking carried in the first sprint of the night, was passed without flaw to Crystal Antlers. However, as the final act of the night, they went further and faster: expanding the musical soundscape to prog rock intertwined with tidbits of psychedelia. The group took up the entire stage with keys, drums, bass, guitar, and extra percussion (played by a man apparently nicknamed Sexual Chocolate, for reasons that became obvious later).

Immediately as the music flooded the stage you could hear the complexity of it; while loud and powerful, the contribution from each musician was not lost.

The group mixed and mashed aggressive noise with far-out psychedelia and then brought the set down to earth with the bittersweet voice of the Blues. All the while each member completely rocked out, though their efforts were slightly overshadowed by the eye-catching maneuvers of Sexual Chocolate.

The percussionist was beyond fascinating, dancing around with his shirt pulled around his head. By the end of the show he had managed to keep the rhythm going while thrusting his pelvis in all directions, groping himself, and eventually undressing to his boxers. In all Crystal Antlers followed through with an impressive performance, both sonically and visually.

Written and photographed by Brit-Maren Schjeide

Setlists:

Times New Viking

Post Teen Drama
Slayer Heat
Imagine
MLK day
Drop-aüt
City on Drugs
Call
the early 80s
Apt
Dance
2-11 don't forget
Natural
MTC
LUV. NT, NH
High Holidays
Sick
Hook
H83X