Last Saturday, Club Control in Bucharest hosted a very interesting Spiritual Front show. The Italian trio played 2 dates in this part of Europe, one on Friday in Sofia, Bulgaria and the other the next day in Bucharest. For the Romanian date, the promoter ( Final Step Productions ) selected the young band Alice Null to open the hostilities.
The concert was supposed to start at 20.00 sharp, but it was delayed a bit because of the soundcheck both bands had to perform. For Alice Null this was the most important concert so far so before the show the tension was sky high. Once on stage the Bucharest based duo immediately felt at ease and immersed themselves and the audience into an atmosphere worthy of a Twin Peaks episode.
Since the band had a limited time to play, they went through the 7 songs from the set list with very little talking, thus creating a depressive feeling. Alice Null‘s ethereal voice and the Alex Void‘s guitar parts, both enhanced by some space-like effects, filled the cozy Control hall with an impeding sense of melancholy.
The reactions coming from the audience were encouraging and for a relatively unknown band they came out pretty well from their first and true baptism of fire. The sound was very good and there were some very interesting visuals projected on the bare walls which completed the music in a very inspired way. The blend of neo/urban folk with bluesy elements which are contained in their music perfectly paved the way for what was soon to come on stage.
Alice Null is becoming more and more a real promise in the local underground, where not many bands have the courage to play such a music style. I wish them good luck and for who’s interested, their future live appearance will be next Friday, the 2nd of June, at Cobra Fest in Fabrica Club.
After the traditional change over, the Italian trio that is Spiritual Front walked on stage and the crowd went insane. Even though they have visited Bucharest before, my first time seeing them was last year at Dark Bombastic Evening and I immediately fell in love with their music. This concert in Bucharest was the perfect reason to come and see them again, so after Alice Null prepared the atmosphere, Spiritual Front’s music was more than welcome.
The charismatic Simone Salvatori bonded instantly with the audience and created a friendly vibe which lasted until the end of the show (and for some even after). The set list was long (13 tracks) and comprised songs from various albums which the Italian band released over the years: Armageddon Gigolo, Rotten Roma Casino or Open Wounds.
I have to admit that seeing them live is much more interesting than listening to their music in the coziness of your home, first of all because of the show and then because of the atmosphere. Three men dressed in black suites, three elegant grave diggers who carry you on your last journey home, with a front-man who dances and waltzes and drinks red wine while singing about murder and sex and violence and love. This is the essence of Spiritual Front, a sinful religious experience. And believe me, it’s worth every minute of your miserable life.
The Bucharest show was such a superb blend of sadness, melancholy, decadence and lust and I felt like living in a black and white Italian movie from the ’60s (hence the visuals displayed during the show). The use of the accordion and violin bring to the music both a depressive and joyful feeling at the same time – the best examples are Bastard Angel, Vladimir Central and Disaffection (one of my favorites track which could not miss from the set list). The dark side of life was brought to the spotlights by songs like Darkroom Friendship, Jesus Died in Las Vegas (changed to fit the location to Jesus Died in Bucharest), Children of the Black Light and Bastard Angel.
After an hour or so, the band walked off the stage and even if the frantic audience begged for more, they did not come back. The black curtain fell and a very intense show ended there. But not for long, because Simone promised that they will be back someday soon, to play again their songs about death, sex and religion. A small part of the holy trinity which Spiritual Front‘s music is based on.
I cannot end this short review without mentioning the almost perfect conditions in which this concert took place, thanks to Final Step Productions and Control Club, who once again proved to be the best location for events such as this one.
“Nothing is more contagious than sin.”
Playlist Alice Null:
1. Reminiscence
2. Everything Stops
3. Eclipse
4. In My Dreams
5. You
6. Beating
7. Lullaby
Playlist Spiritual Front:
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