Mondo Bizarre Magazine

words: Raquel Pinheiro: photos: José Belém

Some things are well worth waiting for. Einstürzende Neubauten are one of those. After a two years delay – for reasons sadly too well-known of all – the band is back on the road. Finally, presenting Alles in Allem their latest album, along with songs from other eras. The Year of the Rat tour became The Year of the Tiger tour and they do mighty roar.

Einstürzende Neubauten are a band both oiled, like an orchestra of wonders with standard and custom-build instruments that plays with perfect ease, as well as still infused by all the special creativeness and boldness that makes them unique.

From Alexander Hacker’s bass, that leads, punctuates, grooves, halts with mastery, to those purpose-build or repurposed instruments, like the supermarket cart, the bin, the pump, the many special percussion objects, rhythm, flow, melody spring from. Blixa Bargeld ’s voice stands clear, among all that. The singer’s Sprechgesang often, if not most times, adding to the cadence of the music.

In good spirits Blixa addresses the audience a few times, explaining song titles and the story or details behind those and the lyrics. He is particularly humorous when the metal bow that Alexander Hacker plays suffers a malfunction. Will it be possible to play the song (Ten Grand Goldie)? Will it not? While Blixa engages the audience, the engineers manage to solve the matter and the band re-starts the song.

From Wedding, the opening song, conducted by Alexander’s bass tones, to Susej, right before the Neubauten leave the stage, we are guided in a room-road-trip of sound and words landscapes from loving and warm to chilled and catastrophic. Sound intensity is expertly managed by Neubauten. They drive us to musical heights, just to leave us at the edge of the abyss, if not truly inside it, even if briefly, in a constant display of creativeness and how to keep an audience on its toes.

The sound crescendos are astonishing, the stops, the silences, silence really is sexy, and troubling and, like percussion, groove and tremble sounds, can run through our spine and leave us shaken, amazed, in love.

Alles in Allem was played in its entirety, its ten songs making for nearly half the concert with Grazer Damm being sung in English and Taschen and Tempelhof being left for the encore. When Neubauten left, after Susej, the end was not the end. It was just a pause, filled with a clapping standing audience, as they would return, not once, but twice.

The usage of different languages, offers another level of dynamics, inflections, textures. I recall, a good while ago, when interviewing Blixa, that, at the time, he was interested in how a person voice changes depending of spoken language. It is so, our voice does mutate depending of the language we’re speaking/singing in.

Aside from Alles in Allem songs there was Nagorby Karabach and the aforementioned Susej fom Alles wieder offen (2007); Die Befindlichkeit des Landes and Sonnenbarke from Silence is Sexy (2000) in which Alexander’s bass shines deep; How Did I Die? from Lament (2014), Rampe from 2005-05-28: 25th Anniversary Tour and the ultimate finale with Redukt also from Silence Is Sexy.

In the beginning there was rhythm could be applied to Einstürzende Neubauten. To many, they are still known, and seen, as a noisy, industrial, groveless band. However, rhythm was always there. Yes, sharper, much more crude and harsh early on, nevertheless, rhythm. Now, the ensemble – currently six on stage – is more polished, but don’t overtrust, you may still be blasted with some very acute frequencies and outbursts of frantic percussion, and rhythm, gentle, furious, mellow, vibrant, maniac, romantic, is everywhere. On those full, ever present bass lines, on the thousand percussion ways Neubauten use, on the voice and lyrics. It may even be present on the guitar. Of course, there is also melody. And melancholy. Rhythm, percussion, melody, melancholy were all perfectly expressed in the beautiful Redukt. A more poetic and emotional closing must be hard to find.

As for the blue in, it really should have been yellow, bold and blunt, Herr Blixa. Not only is yellow my favourite colour it would have looked amazing on the stage.

Willkommen zurück, meine Herren. Es war mir wieder eine Freude, Ihnen zuzuhören!

words: Paulo Carmona (freely translated by Raquel Pinheiro); photos: Hiliana Silva Melo

If someone really wants to know what indie alternative rock’n’roll is, in its purest and most direct state, without subterfuge and blunt, it’s simple! go see a White Lies concert and all your doubts will be dispelled.

On the 17th of May, Sala 1 of Hard Club was properly prepared to receive the British band that presented themselves to their, it most be said, faithful and dedicated audience. And with all the energy and dedication that can be demanded of professionals in the field, White Lies did not disappoint the expectations of their followers.

They started with Fairgraound leading the room to delirium. What a nice way to start a concert. If its to enjoy , lets go! In order not to lose the rhythm, the following followed: There Goes Our love Again, Am I Really Going to Die and to set the room on fire To Lose My Life. I also couldn’t hold it either and, what else was left for me to do, start shaking my head to the super rhythmic sound of this wonderful song. The entire room was singing the chorus in unison. How cool!

The band plays well with a strong and cohesive rhythm section, on a bed made by the synthesizers, and mainly, with the spaces and silences. The vocals navigate comfortably and resounding in the stanzas well marked by the bass and drums and fires in the strong and melodic choruses with the guitar very present. It’s a foolproof recipe. However, it is also extremely well-done by the White Lies.

To calm the horde Hurt My Heart, Time to Give followed. This song has a beautiful and ravishing keyboard, very nostalgic. If you have has ears, listen to it.

They fired again not forgetting Tokyo and Mars. They left the stage without much space to breath because the audience simply wouldn’t let it happen. To end in beauty, the encore brought Death, As I Try Not To Fall Apart and finally, Bigger Than Us.

Could more be asked? Maybe yes, but it wouldn’t be fair! Great band.

texto: Paulo Carmona; fotos: Hiliana Silva Melo

Quando alguém quiser saber o que é, de facto, Alternative Indie Rock’n’Roll de qualidade, no seu estado mais puro e direto, sem subterfúgios e sem rodeios, é simples! Vá ver um concerto dos White Lies e todas as dúvidas se dissiparão.

No passado dia 17 de maio a sala 1 do hard club estava bem preparada para receber os britânicos que se apresentaram ao seu público, fiel e dedicado, diga-se em abono da verdade. E com toda a energia e dedicação que se pode exigir a profissionais do ramo, os White Lies não defraudaram as expectativas do seu séquito.

Começam logo abrir com Fairgraound levando a sala ao delírio. Que bela maneira de iniciar um espetáculo. Se é para curtir, siga! Para não perder o ritmo, seguiu-se logo: There Goes Our love Again, Am I Really Going to Die e para pegar logo fogo à sala, To Lose My Life. Também eu não me aguentei à bronca e, que remédio, toca a abanar a cabeça ao som super ritmado deste maravilhoso tema. Toda a sala cantava o refrão em uníssono. Que cool!

Esta banda joga bem com a secção rítmica, forte e coesa, com a cama feita pelos sintetizadores, e principalmente, com os espaços e silêncios. A voz navega confortável e sonante nas estrofes bem marcadas pelo baixo e bateria e dispara nos refrões fortes e melódicos com a guitarra bem presente. É uma receita infalível. Só que também muitíssimo bem feita pelos White Lies.

Seguiram-se Hurt My Heart, Time to Give para acalmar as hostes. Este tema tem um teclado lindíssimo e arrebatador, muito nostálgico. Quem tiver ouvidos, oiça.

Voltaram à carga sem esquecer Tokyo e Mars. Saem do palco sem grande espaço para descansar porque o público simplemente, não deixou. O encore trouxe Death, As I Try Not To Fall Apart e por fim, Bigger Than Us, para acabar em beleza.

Podia-se pedir mais? Se calhar sim, mas não seria justo! Grande banda.