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| Douglas McCarthy of Nitzer Ebb @ Slim's (Photo: Kevin Keating) |
It's been 10 years since we've seen EBM pioneers,
Nitzer Ebb, visit San Francisco, but the duo featuring Douglas McCarthy and Bon Harris launched a limited run of dates this summer that found the band playing a sold out
Slim's this past Friday night. In fact, the show sold out so quick, a second date was added to Slim's sister venue, the Great American Music Hall for Wednesday, October 3rd. Limited tickets may still be available
here. And for those of you who missed it, we had a chance to speak with both Douglas & Bon several weeks ago and you can find our full interview with the duo
here.
Show opener,
Surachai, led things off at 9:15pm with a 45-minute set that featured the solo artist behind a table of gear to the right of the stage where he mixed a sound palette that blended the synths of early Aphex Twin with the fragile side of Nine Inch Nails. The sounds complemented his projected visuals on a video screen along the back of the stage that switched between trippy computerized graphics to a multi-part video of a red-cloaked woman on a rocky coastline. I can only guess what the overall storyline of the movie was, but it felt like the woman was breaking free from the expectations or service she was subjected to. Local power-noise goth DJ Unit 77 kept the crowd engaged during the 30-minute break with Nitzer Ebb gracing the stage at precisely 10:30pm.
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| Nitzer Ebb's Douglas McCarthy, Simon Granger, and Bon Harris (L-R) (Photo: Kevin Keating) |
For this tour, Douglas & Bon invited David Gooday back to the fold. David was the founding drummer who left the band back in 1987 after the band had been the opener on Depeche Mode's
Music for the Masses tour. Also joining the band onstage was Simon Granger, their long-time creative director who's been behind most of the band's iconic logos and album covers. Both David & Simon commanded sequencers on either side of the stage, with Bon positioned at the center of the stage with a set of drum pads, and the three of them offered the full front of stage for Douglas to command throughout the night.
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| Douglas McCarthy of Nitzer Ebb @ Slim's (Photo: Kevin Keating) |
As you'll see below, the setlist was truly a greatest hits, with only one 'new' track ("Down on Your Knees") being performed from their 2010 album,
Industrial Complex; their latest release. Although Douglas handled the majority of vocals, Bon stepped down from his drum pad perch to join him on vocals for a few songs including "Getting Closer" and "Join in the Chant," and to show off what 'Electronic Body Music' (EBM) should represent with his industrial dance moves. Even David Gooday got a chance to sing lead vocals on
That Total Age's "Alarm."
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| David Gooday of Nitzer Ebb @ Slim's (Photo: Kevin Keating) |
Although more than 30 years have passed since their first major label release, both Douglas & Bon sounded and looked great, and with the addition of David & Simon, this may have been the first time we've been able to witness the original DNA of Nitzer Ebb live and onstage -- unless of course you were lucky enough to catch them live on the Music for the Masses tour in '87!
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| Bon Harris of Nitzer Ebb @ Slim's (Photo: Kevin Keating) |
The show was so good. The band's high energy and authentic reproduction of their album hits resonated broadly throughout the crowd. And the setlist did an admirable job of mixing high-tempo hits against some of the slower tracks in a way that didn't interrupt the overall flow and energy of the night. Douglas' voice still sounds great and you'd be hard pressed to hear any differences between the 20 year old vs the 53 year old McCarthy. If you don't already have tickets, I'd highly recommend you catch their Wednesday performance at the Great American Music Hall, so act fast before
tickets sell out.
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| Nitzer Ebb @ Slim's - David Gooday, Bon Harris, Douglas McCarthy, and Simon Granger (Photo: Kevin Keating) |
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