Review by Alan Mabe
Sex, Drugs, and Rock n’ Roll isn’t just some overused cliche to fans of Dead Love Club, and after their show at Stubbs on February 25th in Austin, Texas, I can see why. Dead Love Club’s performance on Thursday night lived up to the sexually charged expectations firmly set by their previous releases (Chronic Electronic and Looking For Some Action, respectively). Thick, pumping dance grooves set a strong foundation for a whirlwind of synthesizers, raw guitar riffing, and sharp leads; a package that’s tied perfectly together by a flamboyantly energetic duo known as Ferocious E and Johnny X.
Sex, Drugs, and Rock n’ Roll isn’t just some overused cliche to fans of Dead Love Club, and after their show at Stubbs on February 25th in Austin, Texas, I can see why. Dead Love Club’s performance on Thursday night lived up to the sexually charged expectations firmly set by their previous releases (Chronic Electronic and Looking For Some Action, respectively). Thick, pumping dance grooves set a strong foundation for a whirlwind of synthesizers, raw guitar riffing, and sharp leads; a package that’s tied perfectly together by a flamboyantly energetic duo known as Ferocious E and Johnny X.
The show looked like a masquerade hosted by Rob Halford in the Australian deserts of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome; the positive energy was infectious. There wasn’t a single still body in the crowd of smiles and high fives. It was hard to stand still with Rona Rougeheart’s driving groove. Her straight forward drumming approach allows space for kick heavy analog kit sampling, while maintaining zero fluctuation in timing. A feat she made look effortless with the smile that remained on her face for the majority of the show. The meat of the music was a marriage of buzz-saw guitar riffing and heavy dual synthesizers straight out of the 80’s. Guitarist Kriss St. Kriss’s catchy power chord riffing was reminiscent of Broken era Nine Inch Nails, but with the lightning fast leads you’d expect out of a Les Paul-wielding axeman with three-inch spikes shooting from his sunglasses. DJ Freakula and a second keyboardist rounded off the far sides of the stage with midi-controlled synths hosted by laptops, allowing for an arsenal of sounds—from classic analog synthesizers to punchy drum sampling. The two covered a lot sonically and captured the essence of the 80’s vibe we all know and love. With rumbling sub—frequencies and oscillating leads, their focus was to get your body moving. At front and center of this goth rave was the spectacle otherwise known as Johnny X and Ferocious E. The necessity of an energetic frontman/woman is common knowledge, but to have a pair whose presence and voices complement one another so well constitutes a definite hit. The seductively spoken call-and-response configurations, Ferocious E’s full blown soulful belting, and Johnny X’s searing screams command complete and full attention. That is, whatever attention that has not been claimed by the leather, fishnets, and raw sexuality of the dirty synth-based grooves that sent both of the vocalists into what can only be described as an orgy of the senses… almost literally.
Regardless of the potent sexual atmosphere, it was quite clear that they were all having a blast. Even when Johnny was screaming at the top of his lungs about the craziest of crazy ex girlfriends, there were smiles all around. Neither Johnny nor E are afraid to give it all they’ve got to get your ass shaking rather than parked. The entire band was up for anything; hugs for the front liners, group sing alongs in a single shared mic, Rona even got off of the drum kit to take a picture at the front of the stage with the entire crowd. The bottom line was the mission: to have a great time. They’ve got something for just about everyone. As catchy and groovy as their original’s are they do cover’s as well; Billy Idol, Human League (Don’t You Want Me), Salt-N-Pepa (did I hear Push it, guys?), and one hell of a cover of “I Know There’s Something Going On” by Frida. The entire show was an erotic, gothic, 80’s style dance party. So if you’re looking for an original and fun experience, want to keep up with what’s new in the Live Music capital of the World, or love radical music that stays true to catchy upbeat hooks, a Dead Love Club show is a perfect way to start or end your evening. They are currently in the studio wrapping up the upcoming release, “Looking For Some Action,” which has a title track and accompanying video that you can check out now on www.deadloveclub.com. While a video can’t match the sheer fun of seeing the band live, their new title track is solid and catchy, an most definitely worth a listen. As for the rest of the album, if the live show is any indication, it looks as though “Looking For Some Action” will be just as much of a kinky dance extravaganza as Chronic Electronic; if not kinkier.
Get more kinky here: http://deadloveclub.com/
Get more kinky here: http://deadloveclub.com/