Subsistant release, John Dee
Location:
John Dee, Oslo
Lineup:
Mandylion, Zensor
Duration:
58 min.
Audience:
160
Setlist:
Nothing
Epikris
Strict +
Intimat
Wither
I Wish
Sick Puppy
Residuum
Saliroman
---------
Anaemic
Stasis
Glenn reports:
"Releaseconcerts are always special and this one was no exception. Totally exhausted after recording the Subsistant EP in seven days, including mixing, mastering and making of cover-art, we headed out once again to our beloved rehearsal space in Lodalen to make sure that we would please the crowd. A couple of days later, after even more coffee and an even greater lack of sleep, we were ready to correct John Dee.
The heavy drones on Nothing kickstarts the gig at 23.15pm and the feel of the concert is one of the strangest I´ve had in a while. It really seemed like the crowd was deeply into the music all the way through the set, even the more quiet and ambient parts. This is usually when (some) people rush to buy beer. Of course it´s cool to see people headbanging and going crazy in front of the stage, but it has always been one of our goals to be able to touch a wider range of emotions within the audience, something I think we did this evening. The athmosphere and vibe coming from the crowd was just unbelievable. The only regretful thing was that the hour the set lasted seemed way too short, from our stage point of view.
If I´m not incorrect this was the first time we´ve ever given enchores on audience demand, because we´ve always tried to leave the crowd wanting more, but this particular time we at least gave them the opportunity to disallow an extended presence. People still wanted more anyway. Anaemic, being the first enchore, seemed to hit really well, a beautiful piano based piece of music where people get to hear what great and diverse vocalist Sakari really is. It´s also one of the songs we are most proud of on Subsistant. Stasis finally ended the show with its sonic mayhem and pure aggression, it´s an easy choise as the finishing song.
To us, playing at John Dee feels pretty much like playing at home. We know most of the people there and our lights and sound technicians work there on a regular basis. This makes us feel extremely comfortable, knowing that all the technical aspect will be taken care of in the liking of Zensors strict regime. The crew did an amazing job as usual, we are worthy, thanks!"
Further comments, in retrospect (12.05.04):
An odd night all in all, as it turned out. At five in the morning the first complaints arrived from fans having bought the fresh EP and found it devoid of sound. This turned out to be a printing error from the press plant, and the entire party had to be destroyed, replaced 10 days later by the ones in stores now.
Apologies to our additional guest crew with the video backdrop we opted not to use due to space and lighting issues, and to those who waited for this report to arrive from the archive. We've had a lingering ambivalent feeling around this gig, probably due to the severe strain we encoutered recording "Subsistant", as various technical difficulties that compensated the production. This has long since passed, and the machinery is back in polished shape.
And, again, thanks to those offering last minute help with lights, makeup and merchandize. No thanks to the cab driver who failed to make a tired band attentive to equipment remaining in his car on unload.