Tonight was going to be fun. The one thing with Combichrist that can be guaranteed is that they bring the most eclectic mix of support acts. The last time I saw them headline was back in 2012 at the now-closed Arches venue, and I recall the support being… variable in terms of quality. With three bands on the slate before them, how would they compare?
Due to the guest list being delayed in arriving at the front door, I didn’t get in until Oklahoman two-piece Esoterik were nearing the end of their set. What little I saw impressed, with vocalist Allison Eckfeldt throwing down the screams and growls and Brady Bledsoe backing her on guitar, along with sampled / recorded drums and so forth. They brand themselves as pagan synth or dark pop and I can see that either of those badges would work.
Frustratingly I was just getting into them when they finished the one song I got to see. With a “Thank you Glasgow!” they were walking off stage when a lone voice called back “Thank you, Esoterik!”. Allison’s reaction was priceless – obviously very pleasantly taken aback!
As Crimson Veil set up their stage it was obvious that this was going to be something a little different. Twigs and roses on the mic stand, various instruments being set up that weren’t guitars or drums, and the band themselves not all dressed in black. What kind of act was this at a metal show?! Short answer: a good one.
Crimson Veil are one of those bands who don’t perform songs, they put on a performance based on those songs. They also know how to ensure that all of the band are noticed, so that nobody is front and centre, dragging attention from anyone else. In many other bands, Mishkin Fitzgerald would be the only person you remembered at the end of the show but she’s partnered with the equally charismatic Hana Piranha on vocals, harp, cello and violin (electric versions of them all). Loitering onstage in a menacing fashion is bassist Garry Mitchell, while Anna Mylee is clearly visible in a tight bodysuit as she bangs away on the drums. This is a band in the true sense, and they’re as entertaining to watch as they are to listen to.
Synchronised poses and dance moves, some nice props and so forth really help set them apart, but what I really liked was the lack of pretentiousness. It would be easy to take the arty attitude too far and talk down to the audience, but Mishkin didn’t fall into this trap with a nice level of chat between songs.
Oh the songs! As is so often the case recently, I wasn’t familiar with the music beforehand but I liked it. In many places quite dreamy and folky, there were some interesting trips into the heavier end of things such as in “Flinch” which earned a few validly banging heads. Very much a band I went home to check out more of, Crimson Veil are one you do want to catch if you see them on an upcoming bill.
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Main support were another mystery act to me, Germanic/French duo Extize. As they set up, I realised it was a DJ act so I was expecting a bit of “umph umph” crap like we got from the rather dreadful Surgyn back in 2012.
I was wrong. They were fucking brilliant. Completely madcap mental dance lunacy with some great visuals, banging tunes and oodles of humour. Halfway through their set I was 100% set to head to a rave. I’ve never been to one. If it’s anything like an Extize set then sign me the fuck up right now.
It wasn’t just me either, the now fairly full venue was totally wrapped up in the performance. The music being a heady mix of cybergoth, metal and pumping dance rhythms I almost expected the doors to seal, necks to be bitten and Wesley Snipes to appear. Instead people just… went nuts. Towards the end of the set frontman Rapha Hell was walking through the audience with his microphone, earlier he almost had his cowbell stolen by an impressively-dressed individual in the front row, everyone was smiling and they left to a huge cheer and a room full of new fans.
I am saddened that they’ve been going since 2009 and this is the first I’ve heard of them. Would I listen to their stuff in the car? Actually don’t know. I’ll find out when our stupidly large “bands we have seen live in 2025” playlist catches up to late May, but I would absolutely without a doubt queue up to see them perform live again.
Combichrist are another act that’s been going for many years, starting as a solo act back in 2003 now fairly constant as a 5-piece. Purveyors of the finest aggrotech that money can buy, their music is – like Extize – a mixture of dance beats and metal but with the ratios switched. Funnily enough, one of the things I realised I loved during the show was that all those sampled beats that the previous act had been using simply sound better if they’re performed on an actual drum kit being battered in front of you… and when I looked back at that old review from thirteen years ago I’d said much the same thing.
Alongside the drums you have a great collection of musicians who look and act the part as well as rattle off some nicely catchy tunes. Jamie Cronander is mesmerising stood on stage left, like a slightly more creepy Cenobite, while Eric13 reaches out to touch one pointed fingertip with audience members. Weirdly cute.
Frontman Andy LaPlegua, though, is the one constant in the band having been there since its virgin-like solo conception. Tattooed and angry he barks out the repetitive lyrics in a style that perfectly mimics classic hypnotic dance music, up against the hard industrial backing. Combichrist songs aren’t deep, but you can damn well rock the hell out to them. With song titles like “Throat Full of Glass”, “Follow the Trail of Blood” and “Violence Solves Everything” you know you’re not in for a gently ride, and such was proven by the pit that opened up in the middle of the floor a couple of songs in.
A full evening’s entertainment from four very different but very enjoyable acts, and probably the best value ticket in town this month.
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Photos by Skull Lens Photography
