Covenant + Analog Angel + Naked Lunch @ The Institute, 6th March 2015
Flag Promotions have always been at the forefront when it comes to supporting artists who occupy the darker side of the music scene. Tonight is no exception as they bring Swedish eclectic Goth act Covenant to The Institute in Birmingham.
Tonight’s openers for Covenant are Naked Lunch, a band who formed way back in 1979 when vocalist Tony Mayo advertised in Melody Maker. One of the original synth bands they had a hiatus from the late 90s but thankfully they’ve been together since around 2010 to make music again. We Are makes a potent start to their set. This track has a brooding ambience to it with Mayo’s sombre vocals making it a potent set opener. Alone is a synth-drenched haunting track that speaks of desolation, with Jet Noir’s whispered backing vocals adding to the sense of forbidding isolation.
Le Femme is as relevant today as it was all those years ago, when it first appeared on the Some Bizarre compilation album. It’s hard to believe that this song was banned from day-time radio. This excellent track certainly stands the test of time. Weekend Behaviour has echoes of early OMD and the seminal Visage album. Naked Lunch bring their 40 minute set to a close with Fade Away (~Horror Shock Horror).
Next up are Glasgow trio Analog Angel who have Tracy Cox accompanying lead vocalist John Brown for tonight’s set. I first saw these guys late last year and was very impressed with how good they are. If you like early Depeche Mode then you’ll likeAnalog Angel. John’s voice is quite similar to Dave Gahan’s in many aspects. Drive makes good use of the stand-out harmonies between John and Tracy. The latest single “Breath” sounds great live as does my personal favourite When You Call My Name” Analog Angel make seriously good music but they don’t take themselves too seriously; it’s good to see them having a laugh and a joke onstage and with the audience too.
For the main event the house lights dim and the smoke slowly billows out across the stage. Two silhouetted figures appear and crouch over the keyboards. A wall of sound and interference drifts from the machines. The intro for” Leaving Babylon” seems to last at least 10 minutes then vocalist Eskil Simonsson appears through the haze. ” Bullet” pounds out and the front row start dancing immediately. Simonsson looks elegant and has the voice to match. The set continues with all you might expect ” Figurehead, Go Film and 20hz.
Eskil interacts well with the crowd and is appreciative of people coming out to see them live. The Dark melodies continue with “Ritual Noise” and the brilliant “Like Tears In Rain”. Even though the support bands were quality earlier, it’s quite evident why the crowd are here and the people love Covenant in The Institute tonight. When Eskil asked ” we can play one more song what do you want to hear?” The whole of the crowd shout back “Dead Stars”. This rendition of their single from 2000 closes a fantastic set. The three elegant guys created a great atmosphere and got the crowd dancing along tonight.
Thanks to John Brown and Frank Drake for making this review possible.
Review and photographs: Ian Dunn