Android Lust: Hollywood, CA 11-26-05

Android Lust haven’t had much luck on their first West Coast tour. On their first day on the road, the tour van broke down. A week later, lead singer/songwriter Shikhee lost her voice from a throat infection and had to cancel the Thanksgiving show in Las Vegas. By the time the weekend rolled around and they were due to play Los Angeles, she had regained at least some of her voice, and instead of canceling the event or sticking with either instrumental tracks or pieces like “Sex And Mutilation” that rely mostly on vocal processing to achieve their desired effects, she soldiered on, much to the benefit of the packed house at Bar Sinister. Despite strained vocal cords and a sound problem several songs into their set, Android Lust were in fine form, and Shikhee’s voice was surprisingly clear on such songs as “Fall To Fragments” and crowd favorite “Stained.” In addition to classic tracks like “Heathen” and “The Want,” the band also played “Dragonfly” and “Hole Solution,” two tracks from their latest single that highlight Android Lust’s more rock-oriented side. “Kingdom Of One” finished the set, with Shikhee’s raw-throated vocals – painful in the best of times – made all the more intense by the amount of effort she must’ve been going through to sing at all, let alone scream at the top of her lungs. Nonetheless, she seemed to draw energy from her own performance, grinning widely as she stomped around the stage and deliberately crashing into keyboardist Mars. An excellent performance by any standard, but rendered all the more impressive by the sheer willpower it must’ve taken to sing through the pain of infected vocal cords. Kick yourself if you missed this one, and keep your fingers crossed that they tour again next year to support the new album coming out in January.

Visit www.androidlust.com for more information and tour schedules.