October 12, 2009 was a lesson in how to raise the temperature in a drafty theatre quickly; it was the night when industrial music icons KMFDM, along with local Seattle goth rock superstars Legion Within and cutting-edge dark electro act Angelspit, all paid a visit to the Moore Theatre in Seattle, WA and brought their own heat. And to be honest, at first, the theatre needed additional heating. Attendance during the opening act, Legion Within was low, maybe 50 at best, and the theatre air was frigid. However, this didn't prevent William Wilson and band members Shannon Cole, Erica Butler, Aaron Nicholes, and Jasyn Byrum from presenting boundless energy and a powerful pounding goth rock sound to the audience. One might find a goth act to be a strange choice to open for the harsher electronic and metal sounds of the headliners, but given the band's placement on KMFDM Records and the way in which Legion Within incorporates grating synthesizers into what could easily have been an orthodox goth sound, the band fit in rather nicely with its riveting stage presence. The temperature continued to rise when Australian innovators Angelspit hit the stage. The crowd had grown exponentially and Angelspit's set was a twisted, but thrilling marriage of both visual and aural anomalies. The fluorescent X lighting, tight PVC and latex clothing, and oddly shaped synthesizers were disorienting, but the energy filled the room quickly as crowd favorites like "Vena Cava" and "100%," as well as newer tracks like "Fuck the Revolution" seemed to drive the audience into a frenzy. Fists launched into the air in time with ZooG and DestroyX's angry and captivating performance.

By this point of the night, I had removed my outer jacket, removed my next layer of clothing, and could feel beads of excited sweat starting to form on my brow. But it was industrial music legends KMFDM who brought the real heatwave. From the beginning to the end of the band's set, chaos gripped the atmosphere. Lucia Cifarelli and Sascha Konietzko injected new electricity into a set list of several crowd-pleasers including "Hau Ruck," "Son of a Gun," "Free Your Hate," and "A Drug Against War." Jules Hodgson moved his fingers along the guitar effortlessly and, along with Andy Selway's percussion and Steve White's rhythmic guitar accompaniment, provided the powerful beating backbone for the evening's music. But it is the group's idiosyncrasies that remind us all why KMFDM is so fun to watch. Sascha's interaction with the crowd, stopping only to light a cigarette in a cool "rock star" way, and wielding the microphone with such power and fierceness while sporting his trademark dark sunglasses; Lucia's movements across the stage in a sexy, intriguing way, keeping each song fresh and exciting with her commanding, sometimes growling, vocals; it is these things and the music combined that make KMFDM a timeless, unique act - a show that you never grow tired of and that leaves you wanting more. The crowd drummed loudly for encores and KMFDM performed each song as if it was the opening tune.

By the end of evening, the Moore Theatre had been transformed into a sweltering room of animalistic energy and thrills thanks to KMFDM, Angelspit, and Legion Within.

KMFDM, Seattle, WA, October 12, 2009

Angelspit, Seattle, WA, October 12, 2009

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