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Seabound and Iris at the Rock and Roll Hotel, Washington D.C.
In terms of futurepop acts, few have the name recognition in the States to the level of Iris and Seabound. Though neither have the status of some the genre's founding fathers - VNV Nation, Covenant, Apoptygma Berzerk - both are considered by many critics and fans alike as rising stars, mastheads of a new generation of synth maestros. While it's only been a few short years since Iris graced Washington, D.C. with a live appearance, it seems like eons since Seabound played America. The last time they were in our nation's capital, that beacon of a warehouse called Nation still gave the city countrywide club status. Dr. Frank Spinath and his partner Martin Vorbrodt were still a fledgling band on Dependent in Europe and only a minor blip on the Metropolis Records radar.
Nowadays, D.C. finds itself with a lack of "scene" club venues, thus this double-bill found itself switched from the quickly-dispatched Thursday night event, Arcadia, over to a new venue across town - The Rock and Rock Hotel. Fortunately for the bands and the promotion crew, the turnout proved that the locals were aware of the situation, and by the time Seabound struck the stage, the floor was quite full. With Dependent head Stephan Herwig at the helm of the soundboard and light show, it was clear that this affair would register to some as a proper wake for the now-defunct hit label. Also, if the hint of a new live album wasn't enough, Seabound boasted a live drummer, which quickly made it clear that they had grown quite a bit as a talent since their rather meek appearance some years ago. Backed by Martin's synths and live percussionist Daniel Wehmeier's steady beat, Frank Spinath bounded onstage a fountain of energy, fully prepared to egg the crowd on with a lexicon of party-starting battle cries. Hands were asked to clap, and statements like "are you ready?" were a constant; it may be a page out of the handbook of Ronan Harris, but it worked like a charm. Though some somber moments crept into the set list, like the Ulysses-like quest for love ballad "Avalost," Seabound concentrated on their energetic works. While an attention-grabbing emerald laser swirled through the club air like a hologram set-piece from Tron, the trio worked through each of their three albums, picking out such savory stompers as "Domination," "Torn," and "Scorch the Ground." Finally, the set drew to a close as a peal of applause signaled their top shelf hit, the bittersweet synthpop single of "Hooked." However, Seabound opted with their encore to close out this performance with something more intimate: the ballad "Watching Over You."
As synths comforted the crowd with their lush hums, Frank prompted the audience into a mass sing-a-long, which provided a perfect segue into the more intimate landscapes of the night's headliner, Iris. Though Iris' live formation was similar when they last visited D.C., this incarnation boasted a nice live surprise as Ned Kirby of Stromkern fame was on-hand to handle their guitar duties. Though their audience seemed quite enraptured, singing along to tracks predominantly from their recent works like "It Generates" from Wrath, it was quite clear that their synthpop days are over. Still, despite the fact that a portion of their audience could be caught muttering disappointment over Iris opting not to play such club staples as their mega-hit, "Annie, Would I Lie to You?," the majority were quite content with Iris' modern rock-influenced sound. Compared to Spinath's invigorated performance, Reagan Jones came off as quite somber, even when commanding such numbers as "Hell's Coming With Me." With its weighty power chord riffs handled by Kirby, Jones haunted the mic like an anemic ghost, making the whole presence look effortless and almost akin to late '80s era shoegazer rock.
Despite it not being a performance to invoke one to dance, Iris' set was nicely book-ended by a reappearance by the energetic Spinath to round out the night with a duet. Though overall the night seemed like the positions of Iris and Seabound should have been swapped, it was a double-header bill, and clearly both camps not only worked well together, but their sounds complemented one another as well. While this tour still pushes on across the States, one thing's clear - even though this might be a pause between tours and albums for the heavyweights, this is the tour to catch this year if one's a futurepop fanatic.
Nowadays, D.C. finds itself with a lack of "scene" club venues, thus this double-bill found itself switched from the quickly-dispatched Thursday night event, Arcadia, over to a new venue across town - The Rock and Rock Hotel. Fortunately for the bands and the promotion crew, the turnout proved that the locals were aware of the situation, and by the time Seabound struck the stage, the floor was quite full. With Dependent head Stephan Herwig at the helm of the soundboard and light show, it was clear that this affair would register to some as a proper wake for the now-defunct hit label. Also, if the hint of a new live album wasn't enough, Seabound boasted a live drummer, which quickly made it clear that they had grown quite a bit as a talent since their rather meek appearance some years ago. Backed by Martin's synths and live percussionist Daniel Wehmeier's steady beat, Frank Spinath bounded onstage a fountain of energy, fully prepared to egg the crowd on with a lexicon of party-starting battle cries. Hands were asked to clap, and statements like "are you ready?" were a constant; it may be a page out of the handbook of Ronan Harris, but it worked like a charm. Though some somber moments crept into the set list, like the Ulysses-like quest for love ballad "Avalost," Seabound concentrated on their energetic works. While an attention-grabbing emerald laser swirled through the club air like a hologram set-piece from Tron, the trio worked through each of their three albums, picking out such savory stompers as "Domination," "Torn," and "Scorch the Ground." Finally, the set drew to a close as a peal of applause signaled their top shelf hit, the bittersweet synthpop single of "Hooked." However, Seabound opted with their encore to close out this performance with something more intimate: the ballad "Watching Over You."
As synths comforted the crowd with their lush hums, Frank prompted the audience into a mass sing-a-long, which provided a perfect segue into the more intimate landscapes of the night's headliner, Iris. Though Iris' live formation was similar when they last visited D.C., this incarnation boasted a nice live surprise as Ned Kirby of Stromkern fame was on-hand to handle their guitar duties. Though their audience seemed quite enraptured, singing along to tracks predominantly from their recent works like "It Generates" from Wrath, it was quite clear that their synthpop days are over. Still, despite the fact that a portion of their audience could be caught muttering disappointment over Iris opting not to play such club staples as their mega-hit, "Annie, Would I Lie to You?," the majority were quite content with Iris' modern rock-influenced sound. Compared to Spinath's invigorated performance, Reagan Jones came off as quite somber, even when commanding such numbers as "Hell's Coming With Me." With its weighty power chord riffs handled by Kirby, Jones haunted the mic like an anemic ghost, making the whole presence look effortless and almost akin to late '80s era shoegazer rock.
Despite it not being a performance to invoke one to dance, Iris' set was nicely book-ended by a reappearance by the energetic Spinath to round out the night with a duet. Though overall the night seemed like the positions of Iris and Seabound should have been swapped, it was a double-header bill, and clearly both camps not only worked well together, but their sounds complemented one another as well. While this tour still pushes on across the States, one thing's clear - even though this might be a pause between tours and albums for the heavyweights, this is the tour to catch this year if one's a futurepop fanatic.
Seabound, Washington, D.C., March 13, 2008
Iris, Washington, D.C., March 13, 2008
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