This weekend Dark City had two days of concerts, as an official club scene for the PStereo festival in Trondheim.
The bands represented a mixture of genres, but all of them had some elements of electronic sounds to them.
Starting off on Friday was We Are Monsters (NO). A highly electronic and funky duo, which also incorporates guitar in their music. They kicked off the whole mini festival with a really nice sound, and set a really good mood for what was coming.
Not the most interesting band to photograph, but they were not in any way bad, and I believe I got a couple of good shots at least.
It always helps to like the music, and in this case I did. I had seen a couple of youtube-videos before, but they did in no way justice to how the band sounded. I will keep my ears open to what is to come from We Are Monsters.
Next up was Designer Substance (NO). They were also a duo at this time, and also a local band, but they were, however, purely and electronic band. From what I heard, they used to have vocals, but to be able to do a bit more improvisation to their set, and not just play off backing tracks, they had instead opted to use samples for the vocal parts.
The set they delivered was hard kicking, and had the crowd really warmed up. The floor in front of the stage was nicely packed, and constantly moving to the beats.
It was also very easy to see that there were a lot of friends in the audience, something that is to be expected with local bands, but which also is one of the good things about having them play.
The sound was great, and it really seemed like they worked well together on stage, though the live set would probably have been better as an act with a dance floor, more than a regular stage. Nothing wrong with that, since it really is not easy to have a great live show when all members are standing behind their laptops. Of course it can be compensated for with some visual elements on a big screen, or amazing lights or lasers or anything, but that is something that I do not expect in a club like this.
It was great to see them, never the less, and I will also have them on my “to watch out for”-list in the future.
Last band on Friday was also the band I was looking most forward to, Code 64 (SE/NO). This was also the only band I had seen play live before. Both times at Elektrostat, but with two different singers.
And having a singer really adds to the act when playing live.
This band filled the floor.
Being this was the third time I’d see them live, and remembering the previous concert well, and as a great one, my expectations were high. And also since this would be the smallest stage, it would be interesting.
I was NOT disappointed.
From the first song the mood was up to the roof, and it never slowed down during their one hour set.
Bjørn (singer) really gave what he had, and worked the crowd. And the size of the venue really didn’t matter. Everyone was moving, and people were singing along. And the whole thing was super fun when Hasse and Cricke joined Bjørn at the front of the stage, dancing to the second to last song, before they kicked off an unplanned extra number. I think everyone in the crowd was happy with that performance, and the end of the first day.
The first off the four bands that played Saturday was a local band called Spring Collection. A very energetic experimental duo, that played really loud. I don’t think that the small stage did them justice, though, and would probably have worked a lot better with a lot more room. The sound was much bigger than the small basement of Café 3B. The crowd on Saturday was also a bit more sparse than the day before, and I think that also softened the impression you got. Not that it seemed to slow the band down in anyway. They were fun, and I will see them again if I get the opportunity. Something I have no doubt I will have, if I am to consider their playing schedule on myspace.
Taking on the crowd next was the weekends biggest band, at least in numbers. The Maladronia Institute filled the stage to the max with their five person line-up.
This band was my biggest surprise this weekend, as I had no knowledge of their sound, but hearing them was most pleasing, as I felt like it was a mixture of Tool, Motorpsycho and Seigmenn, which all are bands I really enjoy.
But even though they had were large in numbers, on a small stage, they did not seem out of place. They delivered a fantastic set, and they sounded great. Really looking forward to hear more from this band, and see them again.
Everfear was the one band for the weekend that I was really skeptical about, and also the one band I probably won’t listen to after. Not at all fitting with my taste.
There is, however, nothing bad to say about their stage performance. The energy was top notch, and they really looked like they had played live before. And they probably know what they are doing, but I really can’t tell, since their style of music sound more like a joke to me, than anything else. But then again, so does many genres.
Finishing off the second and last day off our little festival, was the Swedish band Violent Work of Art. The only band that had that had a female member.
As with Code 64, my expectations were high, even though I didn’t know much about them from before, but I had heard they were great, and so they were.
Their image really fit their great synth/industrial sound. And the had great energy on stage. The only sad thing was that there could have been more people seeing them.
They had driven over a thousand kilometers from south in Sweden, to play in our little club in Trondheim, and those who weren’t there for the show really missed out.
Together with Code 64 and The Maladronia Institue, Violent Work of Art was among my favorites this weekend.
As for the pictures from the weekend I must say I am still not a very good friend with LED stage lighting, but I think that a lot of the problems is with the setup, and that the lighting guys aren’t working that full time. Not that they in any way were bad, but I guess stage lights aren’t made for photographers, and so I am not prioritized.
I do feel I did get some good shots, and the bands I’ve heard from seems like they were satisfied, so I will just keep at it.You can see all the photos that made the cut over at flickr.
From a festival organizers point of view, I would really like to thank all the bands that came and played for us, delivering great shows. I would also like to thank the people that came, and witness the performances. I really hope everyone had a great time. And, of course, a big thanks to the rest of the Dark City crew, and to Café 3B for making the whole weekend what it turned out to be.