I was more than excited to finally see Throbbing Gristle perform live and in Brooklyn! It was their first US show in 28 years and they started things off with a live soundtrack to Derek Jarman’s In The Shadow of the Sun. After some time and some beer I became infused with the visual and sonic mesh and enjoyed many of the sequences in the film.
Then after a very lengthy and shameless attempt of self-promotion and merchandise pushing the band set up a table to autograph 1 item from the audience. Note to manager: Do this AFTER the show.
Then what followed was a 40 minute audio video art installation of 2 throbbing lines pulsating in and out of sync, It reminded me of the sound performances of one of my favorite electronic duos Pan Sonic. Although I enjoyed the experience it seemed out of place for the timing of the entire night and went on excruciatingly too long. Note to manager: Don’t have your unannounced opening act play in the middle of a show people have been waiting decades to see.
Then after another long delay with a noticeably thinner crowd, Throbbing Gristle finally took the stage after 11 PM for a show that was supposed to start at 7 PM. Although the lights were off for the intermission they decided to turn them ON for the main act! Actually, they turned on ALL the fucking lights including the stage lights and venue lights. Now I can understand leaving the stage lights on for the first song or two for the press to take pictures, but for the entire evening including the auditorium? It was a weird experience to see such a band like TG in such an awkward setting. Needless to say, they still came out and gave us a difficult but rewarding music experience playing a range of songs. The crappy sound system at the Masonic Temple and drinking too much of the shittiest polish beer imaginable may have added to the musical experience, but I was just too darn tired and pissed off at the way the venue handled such a unique and important night of music. A huge disappointment. Note to manager: 1) Don’t leave on the lights for the entire duration of the show. 2) When the band asks you to turn off the lights, you should listen to them. We don’t want to see Genesis’ face that clearly anyway. 3) You should discourage the bouncers from ruining a good time. 4) Please kill yourself.
Pictures from the show.