I should probably have written
the title the other way round given that Adult. were the headliners and are
also legendary electrosynth types, Brooklyn duo Light Asylum are relatively new
but they’re who I really came to see having forgotten how good Adult. were. When I say Adult. are legendary what I really
mean is they’ve been around since 1998 and were modestly famous in the early
2000s, but if you remember when the term ‘electroclash’ was used zealously by
every music journalist and trendy scenester then you’ll undoubtedly remember
the female/male, analog-loving, Detroit synthpunk duo. Nicola Kuperus’s
electronically-altered vocals and the banging synth beats and bleeps of songs
such as ‘Hand to Phone’ certainly bring back memories for me of dancing in grimy
Leeds clubs ten years ago when I couldn’t leave the house without hearing Fischerspooner
and Ladytron. But whilst the word ‘electroclash’ may have been an NME-coined
buzzword, most of the bands that fell victim to such media manufactured
categorisation had a lot more staying power than the word itself.
I was surprised how much of a joy it was to see Adult. play live. They’ve been steadily making albums all these years and whilst the old hits get everyone the most excited the whole gig is that rarest of anomalies in North East London - a dance party that’s actually fun. And what dance party at XOYO would be complete without slightly too much dry ice? My friend comments that it feels like swallowing washing up liquid but we dance undeterred. Adult. are very fond of darkness, Nichola constantly asks for there to be less light. Whilst she is extremely charismatic between songs and sounds overjoyed to be back in London after six years, she and the other Adult, Adam, erase their own image whilst they play, all you can make out are their blurry shapes through the darkness/strobe lights/dry ice mist, but that’s because they want you to enjoy their music not their faces.
I was surprised how much of a joy it was to see Adult. play live. They’ve been steadily making albums all these years and whilst the old hits get everyone the most excited the whole gig is that rarest of anomalies in North East London - a dance party that’s actually fun. And what dance party at XOYO would be complete without slightly too much dry ice? My friend comments that it feels like swallowing washing up liquid but we dance undeterred. Adult. are very fond of darkness, Nichola constantly asks for there to be less light. Whilst she is extremely charismatic between songs and sounds overjoyed to be back in London after six years, she and the other Adult, Adam, erase their own image whilst they play, all you can make out are their blurry shapes through the darkness/strobe lights/dry ice mist, but that’s because they want you to enjoy their music not their faces.
It’s
all about the duos tonight, something I approve of. Prior to Adult. I get into
the venue just in time for the dark post punk dance sounds of Light Asylum.
Shannon Funchess of the band is thrilling to watch, her stage presence full of
energy as she beats her synth pad whilst singing with vocals that grip and
shake you with their power and depth, the effect is entrancing. Shannon works
the crowd, gets us singing along and shouts encouraging things at us. Beside
her is silent, blank-faced, long-haired muscle-boy Bruno Coviello on synth. I couldn’t take my eyes off the combination of
the two of them. Yes, they are both super hot, but there also is some unspoken
(literally) onstage connection which makes them look and sound like they were
meant to be together. Light Asylum are probably best known for the atmospheric,
mind-dominating song ‘Dark Allies’ which of course was spectacular but it’s the
pop-synthed, horse-sampling ‘A Certain Person’ which was their final song and
the highlight of highlights for me.
On a side note – I don’t really
need to comment on the above videos but I will anyway. Light Asylum’s ‘Heart of
Dust’ is epically ominous but Adult’s ‘Inside’ wins it for me on account of
camp low budget splatter gore.
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