Inertia/Project X
May 4, Hex/The Mutiny, Chicago
Photos available in
I went to this show having very little knowledge of either band. A couple songs and
a good recommendation from a friend was all I had to go on, but I'd enjoyed what little
I'd heard. I was very glad that I went, despite the venue being such a tiny space.
The show had originally been scheduled for Morseland, but was moved to The Mutiny
(the club I frequent on Friday nights), due to the fact that Morseland closed down.
First up was the Swedish electronic band, Project X. People weren't facing the stage
when they started in on their set.....the vocalist was well into his act by the time everyone
turned around. There was the typical 2 man lineup: one guy on machinery, one vocalist.
While this set-up is often detrimental to a live show, the caffeine inspired leapings and
rolickings of the singer were amusing and kept my attention.
He was writhing, dancing, pointing a caulk gun at his head and the keyboardist's head
(who was totally unphased),dumping water on himself, punting beachballs into the crowd,
making angsty faces and charging offstage into the audience. Anyone who wasn't paying
attention to him after a while must have been legally dead.
The most memorable trick it seems was his Ronan impression: he stuffed a beachball
under his shirt and put his hands over his head saying "VNV NATION". What a charmer.
Aside from the obvious excess of energy and sense of humor, Project X put on a very
good show.The music was an extremely harsh, danceable electro industrial in the vein of
some other bands like Flesh Field (inception records) and Funker Vogt.
The vocals didn't have much range, rather monotone, and there was constant use of a voice
filter but it really didn't hinder my enjoyment of the group. The rhythms were fast, catchy
and wicked. Everyone was dancing by the end of their set. Project X puts out some of the best
new, dance-quality, angry electronic music I've heard so far. I recommend picking up an
album and giving your local DJ paper cuts with the inlay cover until they play it.