It’s certainly brilliant to see that there is no sign of the influx of international music acts coming to Melbourne slowing down. We’ve been treated to so many artists, covering a plethora of genres.
Back in 2009, Deathstars graced the stage at The Corner Hotel. For some who witnessed that show, this year’s Melbourne tour date was a little like Groundhog Day.
Punters who were perhaps at that previous gig, crowded around The Corner‘s stage to see the same band at the same venue performing almost all the same songs as they did back then.
This is not to say that the Deathstars were in any way disappointing or predictable. Anyone who has followed a band for a period of time will know that every show is different because the human factor makes it so. It seems too that the longer a band has been around, the more they are able to stray from formulaic, unvaried playing.
Deathstars released their first LP Synthetic Generation in 2002, so they’ve been a public entity for a good while now. It was with the release of Termination Bliss (2006) that the band began to get some serious airplay on alternative radio stations, though the exposure has waned since then.
The show was far from a sell-out, which was good from the perspective of the party faithful as everyone could get close to the action. Perhaps the band could have drawn a bigger audience if they’d released something new before leaving the Swedish shores but it was the tried and true songs that brought the strongest responses.
The crowd surged forward as Deathstars’ theatrical and musical orgy pulsated from the stage. The band’s death-glam style means that all the big, hard moments that make up life these days, are thrown out there in the band’s lyrics.
The sexual innuendo and quips from the stage lighten the mood as frontman Whiplasher threatens some cunnilingus and the first strains of “Tongues” ring out. The band works the crowd well. With precise commands Whiplasher yells “silence…scream”, and the followers comply with what’s likely to be the only command they’ve submitted to in a very long time.
An excited roar emanates as “Cyanide” begins and images of all things dark swim in our heads. Tall, gothic windows, windswept graveyards, and creatures of the night dance in the cranial space like visions of sugarplums. The punters know the lyrics so well, and loudly sing “On these plains there’s a burning ruin that must be found. On these plains there’s a demon that sleeps; it must be unbound. RUN!”
The rest of the band assist Whiplasher in permeating our souls with darkness. “Blitzkrieg”, “Death Dies Hard”, and “Night, Electric Night” get the fists pumping and the lead singer’s groin air humping.
They play the image up. Smirking almost secretly at each other, the band members try to shock those with a puritan streak. Not one person found any offence, and, in fact, many discovered at outlet for frustrations caused by the hypocrisy that is inherent in our world. Deathstars and bands like them empower and allow us to realise that a lot of things we encounter are absurd to the point of being amusing.
Deathstars really ramp it up. They don’t compromise, don’t do things by halves and in being overstated, highlight the ridiculous. They also perform a bloody awesome show. It’s no wonder fans can’t wait to hear more from these masters of all things glamly dark and erotic.
