Five Knuckle Shuffle
Throbbing Gristle are not a band. They are a force of interruption to your consciousness. They also happen to be the grandparents of Industrial music, which if you are playing the above track* while reading this review you will understand to be either a lot of noise or the genius merging of the sounds of industry/factories and non-chordal music without traditional boundaries. Now of course today’s industrial music is more melodic than much of this, but it owes a debt of gratitude to Throbbing Gristle. *(The picture on the left is from the single, released in 1979, the tag on the mp3 above is from D.o.A. The Third And Final Report released in 1991, and that is track 14, accredited to be from that 1979 single)
Last night I experienced the reunion of this force, I’m still a little shell-shocked, I’ll admit. so please go over here to this review…. it so accurately sums up the visceral experience, right down to the flutter of loose clothing that the reverberations of noise caused from the tremendous sound emitted by this band. Loud does not begin to describe the thing I felt.
But loud was not all. This is what it was like when Genesis P-Orridge wasn’t singing/chanting/reciting. Only you have to imagine that you’re standing in the large, moving crowd and you can’t really see them doing this (and had been standing for 4+ hours, already through the first part of the show – a viewing of Derek Jarman’s 60min alchemical film ‘In The Shadow of The Sun’ with live soundtrack performed by the band and an hour and a half break.) You feel them doing this and it’s art and it’s an experience and it’s something you don’t understand, but you think you might want to. And this song is 7 minutes long.
Throbbing Gristle @ Brooklyn’s Masonic Temple from Patrick Duffy on Vimeo.
Most blog reports bitch and complain about how it wasn’t a “concert,” meaning that you couldn’t dance all the way through, that the security worked the crowd aggressively, that the house lights were blazing bright throughout the show and that killed their buzz. Throbbing Gristle aren’t in the show business business as Genesis declared when a man in the audience yelled loudly “turn the fucking lights down.” This was always about making a statement that said the current music scene, the entertainment industry of music was the enemy.
Lots of people last night got that, knew that, were there for that. It was a memorable experience, I don’t think I will ever be affected by music in that way again. Even with earplugs (very necessary, believe me) the incredible force of sound produced and the intentional barrage of confusion of it all was depleting and twisted. That’s not to say that it was all chaotic, many parts were rhythmic and very melodic, and had the room dancing and sweaty. Cosey Fanni-Tutti, on a very hyped up guitar slid and plucked and yes, made it screech at times throughout.
Towards the end, Genesis approached the microphone, pulled up the sleeve of his right arm and kissed the tattoo on the inside of it. I knew immediately that this would be his new song, “Almost A Kiss,” an homage to his recently departed wife and it had me standing still for the first time that night, tears streaming down my cheeks. I was not alone in this reaction. As with all of the US shows I’ve heard about, Throbbing Gristle ended with an amazing performance of “Discipline” and then grasped hands, took a bow and left the stage. The night was over, and the ending was simply perfect in it’s simplicity.
I leave you with this statement by Industrial Records, the DIY label founded in 1978 by Throbbing Gristle. It’s thought provoking and something I want to return to and dissect, but you can’t hear their “music” without knowing this theory behind it.
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Oooooooo!
aye, indeedy!, wish I could have taken a friend along who would have appreciated it! Where were you, Anthony! xoxo
I’d a liked to have been there – sounds familiar from my older band-mates describing a gig about 30yrs ago, where they swore you could ‘see’ the sound moving (smoky room, maybe?)
Andy, I have NEVER in my life felt the hairs on my body actually rise to the sound of the bass tones in any music as I stood in the back and to the side of a crowded hall. It was that intense an experience. At times my insides literally reverberated the beat, a bit ill feeling and uncomfortable and it was just as it should be. I was wearing the kind of earplugs with a NPR (noise protection rating) of 32 which is very high, I hate wearing them actually, but I knew ahead of time that it would be necessary. And I still left the building with my ears ringing. And that was integral to the experience, it wasn’t loudness for the sake of loudness. Thanks for stopping by, sweets xoxo
Great review.
Indeed, you were not the only one affected that deeply by “Almost A Kiss”.
The “house lights”, and foregoing en encore were consistent with the philosophy behing the work of TG.
The continued integrity of the reunited collective could not be a disappointment to anyone who understood their message in the first place.
Thank you for your praise, ammutbite… I was too young/sheltered to catch TG the first time around but not stupid enough to miss their impact on the music I love now, nor the effect their message left us and continues to impart, xoxox
Genesis came to Phoenix a few years back to perform at a little bar with Psychic TV. In attendance was a transgendered person who chose to use the women’s restroom. When several women in attendance decided to get their heads stuck up their own arseholes and complained, the bar told the individual they could either use the men’s restroom or leave. The individual got on the evening news with the complaint, and the gay community went into a mild uproar. Flash forward 2 months, and that same bar owner re-opens his place as a gay bar. It is an incredible success and apparently all is forgiven.
This has nothing to do with Throbbing Gristle, really, it’s just a story I find amusing.
hehehe, thanks Sean, the world continues to spin regardless of those who want to hold it still xx
This is very true.