If you live in Chicago and were ever part of or into the industrial/Wax Trax scene then can you think of a better way to spend Halloween than seeing My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult headline a show at a really good venue? The answer is no, you can’t! The Windy City got a real treat on the night of Trick Or Treat. The club filled up with fans, many of whom were dressed up for the occasion so the people watching was every bit as fun as watching the bands.
First up was Devora. She’s a solo artist that was joined by two additional musicians for the live performances. Devora played an interesting blend of country and dark pop. She has a really great singing voice and a good stage presences and the songs were really catchy. Devora and her band played for a half hour and everyone seemed to enjoy it.
Next up was Die Sexual. This two piece played heavy and dark EBM under mostly low red lights. The singer danced around the stage as she was singing and her vocals were seductive. Their music was quite good but they did lean pretty heavy on a Nitzer Ebb influence in some of those songs. It’s hard to be upset at that though, I mean who doesn’t love Nitzer Ebb’s music? They were fun overall and had people in the audience dancing along.
My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult soon followed. The crowd was more than ready for them and this band has a long history here as they were based out of Chicago for more than the first half of their career and were such a staple of the Wax Trax scene. Their first two albums, along with the singles that surrounded them were among the finest records in the Wax Trax catalog and those singles were club and dance floor staples for years at places like Medusa’s, Neo, and many others. People wanted the hits, and boy did Thrill Kill Kult deliver!
The band billed this show as playing classics and other material, and we pretty much got a set of Thrill Kill Kult’s greatest hits and what a treat that was. Being in the heart of Wax Trax country, it made perfect sense that the band would focus so heavily on that material and it is highly doubtful anyone was disappointed in the song selection this evening, unless you wanted to hear “These Remains” which was the only glaring omission in my eyes simply because it’s my favorite song of theirs. That song wasn’t a single, or a dance floor hit, so it made sense why they wouldn’t play it, and what they did play was so damn good that it didn’t matter that they left out my personal favorite as they touched on everyone else’s favorites.
Groovie Mann and Buzz McCoy were joined on stage by Mimi Star (bass) and Justin Bennett (drums) for this live version of the band. This lineup has been touring for at least the past few years fairly regularly and they were playing like a well oiled machine. Groovie was front and center, delivering his processed raspy vocals while flanked by Buzz and Mimi. The band belted out hit after hit and the crowd was dancing along the whole time and singing along to the songs, and the samples, much of the time. Highlights (and there were many) included “And This Is What The Devil Does”, “Kooler Than Jesus”, “Burning Dirt”, “Do You Fear For Your Child”, “Nervous Xians”, and “The Days Of Swine And Roses” among others. After more than an hour of non stop dance hits, the band left the stage briefly and then came back for a three song encore that consisted of “Shock Of Point 6” (another personal favorite!), “A Daisy Chain 4 Satan” and then closed the night out with an amazing version of “Ride The Mindway” that sent everyone home (0r out for more Halloween shenanigans) happy!
You couldn’t have asked for a better performance out of My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult this evening, it was absolutely so much fun and what a great way to celebrate Halloween. If you get a chance to see them on this tour, don’t hesitate, you’ll have such a great time it will be well worth the time and ticket price!
