Depeche Mode, Peter Hook and The Light, A Place To Bury Strangers: Reviewed

Depeche Mode brought their music to the masses and gave us a black celebration (whatever, sue me.) On the road promoting their 14^th studio album, Spirit, the iconic British electronic band presented their mega successful Global Spirit Tour May 27 one last time to American audiences with a sold-out appearance at the AT&T Center, flawlessly banging out their biggest hits and album-oriented material to an enthusiastic crowd of 15,000. The band, comprised of vocalist Dave Gahan, guitarist Martin Gore, keyboardists Andy Fletcher and Peter Gordeno and drummer Christian Eigner impeccably delivered song after song as they cataloged their entire career into an energetic two-hour set, proving why four decades after their debut they remain a vital presence. With deep running roots in San Antonio’s music scene, audiences excitedly sang and danced through the night. If their show and fan response was any strong indicator, they surely have another album and one final world tour left under their belts before calling it a day. San Francisco alternative band Black Rebel Motorcycle Club opened the show.

Former Joy Division and New Order bassist Peter Hook, along with his band The Light, presented the twin compilation Substance, a collection of JD/NO material at the Paper Tiger May 30. The sold-out crowd of roughly 800 went wild as familiar tunes like “Bizarre Love Triangle”, “Blue Monday” and “Love Will Tear Us Apart” filled the sweaty club for a near two and half hours. San Antonio is a solid new wave town and many in attendance were present at the Depeche Mode show earlier in the week. The city’s keen and eager embrace of new wave is the reason Joy Division and New Order still resonate decades after their formation. This performance was the closest to a proper JD set we’ll get from a surviving founding member. Peter Hook and The Light played like a band half their age to an animated crowd, ensuring the legacy of each band will continue to live on.

Brooklyn noise band A Place To Bury Strangers brought their Pinned Tour to Austin June 1 at Barracuda with a strong 11. Known for playing not so quiet sets, the trio delivered their brand of gazey “wall of sound” punk to ear-splitting volumes complete with heavy fog and frenetic, seizure-inducing strobe lighting that was not for faint of heart. On the road promoting their fifth album, the surprisingly quiet (to band standards) Pinned, APTBS is band not to be missed if your flavors fall in line with post-punk psychedelic shoegaze.

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The Grim Folk: As Grim as It Gets

San Antonio dark country/psychobilly band The Grim Folks have been taking the San Antonio music scene by storm, albeit in their own way. Not one to mix in with the rest, The Grim Folks deliver a fresh and exciting sound in a city obsessed with metal and Mexican regional music. It’s not to say they don’t fit the bill; simply, they aren’t the typical band you would expect to come across. That, however, is a damn good thing. At home with the punk and goth crowds, The Grim Folks play macabre songs inspired from “roots” Americana full of dark humor and superstitious folklore with an undisguised energy. They aren’t exclusive to particular crowds; they have a loose and inviting vibe anyone can enjoy. “When it comes to writing lyrics, my influence is inspired by horror movies I watched as a kid or stories of the supernatural, “said Nathan Quintanilla, the band’s vocalist and rhythm guitarist. “That enticing feeling I get when seeing or hearing these things is what I try to shape i

She Past Away and their Anxiety Disco

Turkish goths She Past Away are back with their third and long-awaited new album, Disko Anksiyete , a masterfully crafted blend of post-punk, dark wave and gothic rock (obviously). On Disko Anksiyete (Anxiety Disco in English), the duo comprised of guitarist/vocalist Volkan Caner and producer/keyboardist Doruk Ozturkan switch gears a bit and go into more pop structured/disco-y territory, but the band doesn’t completely abandon their typical sound. Easily their more accessible album, Disko is full of 80s cold wave/post-punk influence, alluding to the classic sounds of Joy Division and New Order. Caner displays unique musicianship and his singing is reminiscent of the Sisters of Mercy’s Andrew Eldritch, while Ozturkan’s keyboard washes and production are crisp, polished and solid. photo: rockallphotography.com In comparison to their previous releases, debut Belirdi Gece and the sophomoric Narin Yalnızlık , both phenomenal albums, Disko is certainly the standout

Chelsea Wolfe Births Violence

If the American Gothic movement had a sound, Chelsea Wolfe perfectly captures it. Wolfe’s latest album (and sixth overall), Birth of Violence , brings her back to her gloomy folk roots. It’s a goth-tinged acoustic album, a departure from her harder, heavier and sludgy doom-metal heard in her previous releases, Abyss and Hiss Spun , two albums that followed the more accessible Pain is Beauty , whose title sounds like an art school kid’s expressionist project. Acoustic offerings are nothing new for Wolfe. Her catalogue features a few here and there, and Unknown Rooms: A Collection of Acoustic Songs is as stated: a collection of acoustic songs from her earlier days. Acoustic music has a tendency to be skipped over, but Wolfe’s should not. No matter how they’re performed, they are desolate, raw and impassioned. If her studio recordings can move you to the deepest bowels of a dark place, they are a whole other entity live with even more depth.

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