Crystal Castles
25th May 2017
Powerstation, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Matt Henry Mendonca.
It is always pleasing when a support band complements the main act of the night so well; it’s like the perfect entrée leading you into the tantalizing main course of the evening. And that is exactly what Australian 3 piece Crooked Colours were tonight. The ideal accompaniment to lead the audience down the dark path and deliver them at the feet of Ethan and Edith like sacrificial but well cared for lambs.
Comprising of Philip Slabber, Leon De Baughn and Liam Merret-Park, Crooked Colours first began in Perth but over time have splintered into separate cities, each member slowly drifting across the country towards Sydney. Self-described as Australian Electro, (not surprisingly one of their biggest influences is another Australian Electro act The Presets) Crooked Colours have a sound quite unlike most others. Combining guitars, drums as well as synths allowed for a concoction that was shaken not stirred and frankly tasted like a dream.
By the second song of the set, the recently released ‘Flow’ they had enticed many an audience member towards the front. “It’s our first time in New Zealand, New Zealanders are so friendly – everyone is so beautiful” the love was certainly pouring forth from the band and was being equally returned by the many in attendance. The group has often been compared to acts such as Alt-J and Crystal Castles and it is easy to see why, their combination of blissed out beats easily bounce into the indie camp while at the same time holding hands with those in the more industrial style electronic realm, and yet it works beautifully.
Tracks such as ‘Come Down’ and the darker bass driven ‘Capricious’ that prowled around the room while whispering the warning of ‘Baby, don’t go with him, he’s bad news, can’t you see?’ were deeply compelling and certainly left you wanting more. Finishing on ‘Perfect Run’ the trio once again thanked both the audience and Crystal Castles for the opportunity to play and quietly slipped off stage. Their debut album Vera is to be released on June 23rd – and will definitely be one to add to the list of future purchases.
As the clock hands moved ever so slowly towards the hour of 10pm, it was heartwarming to look out over the crowd and note the wide range of ages attending the show. Audience members slowly moving into any small gap in front of the barrier, itching to be just that little bit closer to the duo that was about to rain hell from above.
Strobe lights atop stands suddenly sputtered into life and began to hammer out Morse code style patterns to the crowd as operatic music played over the speakers announcing the arrival of the Crystal Castles. Ethan Kath is the first to walk out; with his large black beard and jacket pulled up around his neck he cuts a formidable figure as his hands began to work their magic on the keys. Edith Frances dressed in what can only be described as a pair of men’s brown thermal underwear, which she has paired with bright orange socks and heavy kick-you-in-the-face-with-no-regrets black boots follows. Frances purveys the audience as the strobe lights flash and the sounds of the (possible new/yet to be released) track ‘Antiquate’ pierce through the speakers. Then as they break into ‘Intimate’ Frances is possessed by the music itself, grasping the microphone she begins to sing hypnotically as drummer Christopher Chartrand keeps in perfect time. Towards the end of the song Frances grabs a bottle of water and pours it over her head the droplets glistening in the stage lights through her lime green tinged hair. She picks up another bottle and begins to pour that over her head as well before shaking it wildly over the front row and hurling the empty carcass towards the back of the room. Dropping to her knees, her fingerless gloved hands claw at the stage floor as she slides her forehead against the solid surface; she looks up and stares at the audience with heavy rimmed eyes and mouth. And for a split second it was if everyone stopped breathing, collectively realising at this exact moment that for the next hour, Crystal Castles and in particular Frances herself would be taking us on a journey to the other side and we will never be the same again.
And that’s exactly what the Canadian duo did.
Originally formed in 2006 in Toronto, Ontario by Ethan Kath and Alice Glass, Crystal Castles quickly earned a reputation for their high energy and frenzied live shows. When Glass announced her departure in 2014 many feared it would be the end of CC. Instead thanks to a chance meeting where Frances basically knocked Kath over in the pit at a Negative Approach show; Crystal Castles were back up and releasing new music in 2015. Now standing on the stage of the Powerstation it was hard to believe that the duo of Kath and Frances had only been working together for the last couple of years. In perfect harmony with each other, Frances the wild creature, crawling, scratching, climbing and at some points of the show wielding a microphone stand or two above her head, was in complete contrast to the passive Kath who continued to conduct from his mini fortress of keyboards and synths.
‘Baptism’ and ‘Suffocation’ took the audience to dizzying heights, everyone transfixed by not only the music, but the sheer sensory overload occurring before them. Frances continued to pour water over herself and the front row becoming more and more animated as she did so. Not once but twice during the set, Frances would join Kath by his side and together they would create music, almost oblivious to the fact that there was even an audience eagerly watching them. The first instrumental break building into such a crescendo it felt as if the earth itself would crack open and swallow us whole once it broke.
The second section of the show contained tracks such as ‘Enth’ and ‘Fleece’ from their latest release Amnesty (I), Frances at one point wrapping herself in white tape while simultaneously battling with her microphone cord like it was living breathing creature intent on binding itself to her. Meanwhile the machine that is Chartrand has barely paused to take a breath, his stamina to continue playing at such high intensity levels spectacular.
You have no comprehension of time when watching Crystal Castles live, the set filled with such dense bass beats and soundscapes that you are lost to its power. At one point Frances is momentarily seen to be standing still, small wisps of smoke from the cigarette between her fingers rising up lazily towards the ceiling, before she once again lunges and lurches in time to the industrial rhythms. Finishing with the huge crowd favourite ‘Not in Love’ Frances reaches deep inside and spills forth her contents as she literally hurls herself against the front barrier, allowing the fans an extremely up close and personal encounter before returning to the stage. There, as the lights illuminated her from on high, she crossed her arms across her chest and slowly bowed her head, signalling to the audience her gratitude; Kath nodding his head in agreement. The duo left, the sounds of “more” echoing in their ears as the crowd begged for just another taste. And tonight it would appear that the gods on the other side were listening as Crystal Castles returned for one last track – ‘Concrete’. They may not have spoken a single word to the audience the entire night, but none was needed.
We had emerged from the other side, breathless but enlightened.
Crystal Castles:
Crooked Colours:
Were you there at the Powerstation for this intense electronic performance? Or have you seen Crystal Castles live somewhere else? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- Antiquate
- Intimate
- Baptism
- Suffocation
- Char
- Kerosene
- — // —
- Enth
- Crimewave
- Fleece
- Frail
- Telepath
- Kept / Untrust Us
- Celestica
- — // —
- Femen
- Wrath Of God
- Not In Love
- Concrete [encore]
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