Hate Dept/OGHR
June 6, Metro, Chicago
Spiky, blonde haired Tim Skold came out to play bass. A very bald cEVIN KEY settled in at the keyboards amidst a haze of adoring screams. We speculated as to whether or not Dwayne would be present in urn form. Finally, Ogre himself appeared- looking vaguely like a refugee from a greasy, post christian planet of the apes apocalypse. No, really. Wearing a large..hairy ape-like mask, a scapular and wielding an almost egyptian looking sculpture of his own head on a stick, he appeared and the crowd went nuts.
Here was a legend at work. He amused the crowd in a way that could only be classic Ogre, then growled a sandpapery hello that would have made babies cry. The audience was captivated.Ogre started into his set with the mask on, then removed it to reveal another mask beneath.. he cast off the scapular, then the second mask and stood there in his axel grease smeared green vest in all his creepy glory...grinning like the cheshire cat on mescaline...and probably some other things.
He stared out with wild eyes at the crowd from beneath a scraggly head of shoulder length dreads. OHGR is one skinny, icky guy...but at the same time strangely attractive and absolutely fascinating to watch.. His awkward and utterly creepy presence, spooky hand gestures, and crazy facial expressions are like nothing I'd ever seen.
He and his talented-and well known-line up performed every song off the CD with the exception of my favorite, Pore. A little disaapointing, but in my book it was still an excellent show. The band played at least 3 songs that weren't on the CD. Whether they were very old Skinny Puppy tracks, or new OGHR tracks, or from side projects, I can't say. they were all very enjoyable and full of energy. can only give names to 2 of them..."I'm feeling like a dog" and "Are you high are you low"...these were words from the choruses...my best guess at names.
Also, Frozen Sky, a song from cEVIN's solo album was also performed. Among the audience favorites were Cracker - where the twistedly amusing video featuring plastic skeletons and toy soldiers played on the TV's behind. OGHR's music is not Skinny Puppy at all...Ogre's familar voice guides us through a more organized landscape of sound. While not all songs are danceable, many are infectiously so. The feel goes from Industrial, to almost Jazzy and even Hip-Hop-ish in some songs.
The OGHR disc is a must have for any fan of Skinny Puppy or Ogre. Even people who wouldn't normally like Skinny puppy would appreciate this disc, I believe. OGHR takes experimental and gives it a fresh face...as always the lyrics are laden with polysyllabic words and cunning thought, the music impossibly catchy. If you didn't see this concert you missed out on a legend. I'm looking forward to future releases.