Clan of Xymox, Provision Numbers May 7, 2011
Rocks Off would like to thank Erica O'Brien for saving our tushies and providing these pics when ye old camera when kaput.
Is it really possible that we've been hanging around Numbers for almost a decade and somehow never seen Provision live? It must be, because we're pretty sure we'd have remembered a show like the one that they provided in opening for Clan of Xymox on Saturday.
One of the things we know about Breye 7x and his crew is that they hold their equipment to very high standards, and pride themselves on being a completely self-contained unit that can unleash an electronic show pretty much anywhere at any time. When the stellar work they are putting out in the studio is backed by the classical-goth ambiance of Numbers and their towering sound system, you really get a chance to see what the band can do.
From the moment they took the stage, Breye commanded attention, blending the mannerisms of Simon Le Bon with the endless EBM energy of Ronan Harris.
The performance was certainly helped by the return of bassist Carlos Covarubbias for a guest appearance. As the only other member of Provision not chained to a synth and a lap top, the brotherly dynamic between he and Breye's antics bring the warmth of improvisation that is sometimes the victim of an electronica concert.
It was also exciting to see Jen Kiser take a turn on vocals with Breye. Though still not up to the practiced frontmanship of her husband, she shows a great deal of promise as a singer with a clear, ethereal voice that lends a high depth to the songs. Matt Willis also ventured from his beepity station to duet with Breye on "Paradox" in an adrenaline-packed buddy flick of a disco bloodbath.
Truth be told, they set the bar pretty high even for a band like Xymox that's been a revolutionary pillar of darkwave for as long as your humble narrator has been alive. However, if there is one thing Ronny Moorings, Morjca, and Mario de Ray can be said to have in common with their younger, Houston counterparts it is definitely the sheer unholy yet somehow childlike innocent love of what they do.
We were expecting somber after a week perusing bootleg live performances on YouTube. We expected to see Moorings' pale face breaking through a colored fog as he droned his angst to the assembled below.
Don't get us wrong, the songs that Clan of Xymox unleash upon the world are dark and depressing as all get-out, and get moreso with each album. But that darkness is delivered through grins of pure enjoyment as they perform, and the result is... not unique at all, now that we think about it.
