L.A. Industrial Music Fest: Hollywood, CA 7-17-05

Always expanding to bigger and better things, southern California’s Das Bunker put together a killer line-up for their first festival-sized event. On the main stage, Inure and Glis started things off with hard-hitting EBM before electronic junk punks Babyland took the stage. This duo – consisting of programmer/vocalist Dan Gatto and junkyard percussionist Smith – has amassed a devoted fan base over the years with their blend of perky electronics, hoarsely screamed vocals and scrap-metal rhythms, but it was definitely special to see them perform in such an expansive venue. Although over-zealous security personnel prevented things from getting as crazy as a Babyland show really ought to be, the audience appreciated old hits like “Youth Choke” and new favorites like “Past Lives,” while Gatto appreciated the extra room for his hyperactive stage antics. Synapscape were up next, performing their first show in the United States in five years, and while the crowd was definitely enjoying itself, it was a strangely sedate show for such a hard-hitting act. Then again, Synapscape always has been one of the power noise scene’s more hypnotic groups; even the screamed vocals seem somehow subliminal. CombiChrist headlined the event, and as always Andy LaPlegua put on an energetic show, especially considering that a CombiChrist “concert” is essentially Andy running around the stage and belting out the samples. Fortunately, his set list tended towards pieces like “Rain of Blood” and “Feed Your Anger” that are more geared toward his vocals in the first place. This was my third time seeing CombiChrist, and I continue to be impressed by how much mileage Andy can get out of performing what are essentially straight-up techno tracks; logically, it should be the most boring thing on earth to watch, but he’s got so much personality he whips the crowd into a frenzy every time without fail.

Despite all the talent on the main stage, it was the smaller noise area upstairs that featured the Industrial Festival’s most stunning assemblage of underground superstars. Manufactura had been scheduled to headline the second stage after sets by Nurzery Rhymes, Caustic, and Endif, but due to personal circumstances, front man Karloz M. wasn’t expected to perform. Instead, the promoters at Das Bunker arranged a special “Remanufactured” set of other noise artists doing Manufactura songs. The event went as planned, with members of Caustic, Endif, Databomb, C/A/T, and STG sharing the stage, but in a surprise twist of fate Karloz showed up after all and completely tore things up, pushing his way into the crowd to perform vocals and manipulating beats on borrowed equipment. It was an incredibly intense, once-in-a-lifetime performance for those of us lucky enough to be there. To everyone else outside of southern California, I can only urge that if you’re checking out CombiChrist’s U.S. tour, make sure you arrive early enough to see the Glis vs. Manufactura set; you won’t regret it.

For more information, please visit Das Bunker at www.dasbunker.org as well as the individual bands:

MAIN STAGE:

CombiChrist: www.combichrist.com

Synapscape: www.ant-zen.com/synapscape

Babyland: www.babyland.info

Glis: www.myspace.com/glis

Inure: www.inure.net

NOISE STAGE:

Manufactura: www.myspace.com/manufactura

Nurzery Rhymes: www.nurzery-rhymes.de

Caustic: www.myspace.com/causticmusic

Endif: www.endif.org