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Sun 7 Oct – Covenant, Client, Mechanical Cabaret

Another night of Electro for me. The second in the same weekend!

After another frustrating day of work, I got to the venue just after the start of Mechanical Cabaret's set, so I caught all but about 5 mins of their show. The material was more familiar this time and I enjoyed their set. Their singer was 'camp', but in an amusing, playful way. He didn't involve the audience quite so much as he had when I saw them support Frontline Assembly, but the annoying woman who was in the crowd for that gig wasn't there to play up to him. The set was quite enjoyable and I almost purchased one of their CDs.

Next up was Client. Once again their was a minimum of actual equipment on stage. In this case we had someone (Client m) playing a 'real' instrument! A bass! as well as the obligatory sequencer/keyboard, played by Client a. The 3 ladies were kitted out in nice dresses (which looked like they were made from real leather) and huge stillettos. They started with their signature tune and then next up was their big 'hit' Radio. From there on, they had the crowd eating out of their hands. The majority of the songs appear to have come either from the new album Heartland (Zerox Machine, Get Your Man) or from 2004's City (Down to the Underground, Don't Call Me Baby). Just nice, poppy electro that made me want to boogie down! Top Stuff. Kinda wish I'd watched them at Summer Darkness rather than just listening to them from the bar of the Tivoli de Helling. [BTW didn't realise that the singer used to sing in Dubstar or that the keyboard player was the missus of Alan Mcgee (OASIS/Creation records).]

Setlist:
Client
Radio
Down to the Underground
Pornography
Zerox Machine
Lights Go Out
Monkey on My Back
Get Your Man
It's Not Over

Watch the video for their current single, here


After what seemed like an interminable wait, the headliners Covenant appeared. By this stage the crowd had thinned a little as all the hanger-oners, who only came to support their mates in the support bands had pissed off to the bar. Having found myself a place with a god view, I was looking forward to the show only for a group of much taller people to plonk themselves right in front of me, completely blocking my view of the stage. Bastards!

Anyway after a couple of fairly slow burning opening numbers they moved on to play a new tune from their 'arty' (according to Lysander) new album. However it was when they reached further back into their catalogue - first to an album they released 10 years ago ('Anyone here into Computer Games?') and then to 2002's Northern Light, that the crowd really got into the music and the vibe improved. Invisible and Silent and We Stand Alone were probably the tunes that I enjoyed the most (along with the crowd) and the crowd got their light sticks out for both tunes. Listening to Northern Light on the way home it struck me that they may have also played Monochrome, Bullet and Rising Sun from that album, but I can't be sure.

The supposed encore (which I think was Der Leiermann) was also excellent. Big and beaty is seemed like the perfect, upbeat ending to the set, but then, finding that they had a few minutes left, they decided to torture us with another tune from the new album. 'Here's a treat for you' the singer declared - but it was anything but, as far as I was concerned. It was an appropriate time to leave anyway as it was almost 11:30PM.

All in all quite an enjoyable evening - much more fun than the show at Elektrowerks the night before. If Covenant were to drop the 50% of their tunes that are the dullest, electro/industrial possible and to concentrate on the good, poppy stuff, then I'd enjoy them a lot more.