By: Amber Schadewald
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| Crystal Castles -photo by Oliver J. Lopena: oliverlopena.com |
When the strobe light first pierced the pitch dark of the Triple Rock, I thought everything was cool, creepy and all things Crystal Castles. By the end of the show, I seriously wondered if I had just come down from an intense drugs-made-in-a-bathtub binge. Everything moved in slow motion. My head throbbed. My vision consisted of black and white dots. When the lights came on the place cleared instantly, fleeing vampires disappearing into the dark streets. Looking around—it was if nothing had ever happened.
The show itself was basically a smaller version of what I had seen when Crystal Castles opened for Metric in the Fall of 2007. The room was pitch dark, only lit by vox/front woman Alice Glass’ strobe light box, which she occasionally carried around like a purse or held in my face. Ethan Kath, could only be seen momentarily, due to shimmers in his leather jacket and fast moving hands.
I love this band both live and recorded, but there is quite a difference between the two. Live, Glass’s vocals are easily lost or just left out, and the electronic details I love hearing through my headphones are overshadowed by low tones. The melodies in general start to blend together in a humping collection of musical spasms. The benefit to seeing them on stage: throwing a physical fit and calling it interpretive dance.
Pulsating bass beeps, Atari glitches and yipping tasers stoned all willing, convulsing bodies in range. Glass kept all dilated eyes on her as she quivered and shook at the front of the stage, occasionally rolling around on the floor, standing on the drum set or lying upside down on the speakers. Glass also jumped into the crowd multiple times, dancing and screaming amidst the sea of sloshed fans.
I tried to take notes like usual, but due to the lack of lighting and the repeated instances where Glass stepped on my notepad while hopping off stage, I’m writing more from memory.
The show ended short and abrupt; Glass just walked off in her cheetah tights without looking back. The music stopped like the cord was pulled from the wall. No encore.
Location Info:
Triple Rock Social Club
Artist Info: Crystal Castles
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