Karohemd's World

I made it to the Forum about 10 to 7 and found a rather short queue (just to the bottom of the sideroad, not winding around the block a couple of times as with Lordi despite it being sold out, too) consisting of a very diverse crowd, from young indie-trendies (you know the sort I mean) via (old) goths and rockers to intellectuals in their 50s. Things started moving at about 7:10 and I got in rather quickly. I had a balcony ticket and found a really good seat in the center, second row with perfect view of the stage.

At 7:45, things started happening and I first assumed it was a soundcheck but then Seasick Steve appeared. I couldn't remember his name but immediately recognised him as he was on Later... with Jools Holland about a year ago and I was already content that my money had been well spent. If you don't know him, imagine a hobo complete with straggly beard wearing denim dungarees (the hobo, not the beard) sitting on a red plastic chair with one booted foot stomping the rhythmn on his Mississippi Drum Machine (a wooden box with a licence plate and a piece of carpet) and playing dirty, distorted but utterly wonderful Mississippi Delta Blues on one of three guitars (including the one with only three strings in the wrong order from the dumpster - "We know about you, Sherman!"). I loved it and the rest of the audience did, too. Considering this was rather removed from the musical style of the main act, a fantastic response and well deserved.

A short stage change later, two blokes appeared, one manning the large synth with an array of sequencers, the other the, er, vocalist who moved and acted both as if they were on something (and they most likely were). I wasn't sure what to make of it first as it lacked any kind of coherence but the music soon grew on me and I really liked them. It turned out they were Suicide and had been going for some considerable time but always under my radar (okay, (post) punk isn't exactly my line and apparently it's called No-Wave, anyway). This time, the audience was split a bit and there were a few grumbles and the occasional boo. Still, not bad at all, even if the tracks were a bit long and samey.

A longer break and lots of fiddling with equipment on stage later and Grinderman finally appeared at almost 9:45. Quite amazing what cacaphony of sound only four people with an impressive range of (non-) instruments can make. ;o) It's loud, dirty, irreverent, vulgar, raw and very passionate music. Watching them on stage was wonderful. Well, excpet the bass player, who looked a bit indifferent and didn't move much.
The audience downstairs was going for it, too, with random moshpits erupting now and then and the whole gig had a really good vibe.
I chickened out at a quarter to 11 after the main set as I wanted to catch the sem-fast train so I don't know what the encores were but I certainly had my fill in terms of music that evening.

Yay for new music from established artists!
For those of you who don't yet know, Grinderman is a new project by Nick Cave (with members of the Bad Seeds) and was described somewhere as "Foul-mouthed, noisy, hairy, and damn well old enough to know better" and that's exactly what it sounds like. You can hear the smoke and smell of booze in the air. This is music for a dark, smoky, sleazy club for the discerning professional who needs time out from the stresses of everyday life just as for the down-and-out from the street.
Pretty much like Tom Waits, it's raw poetry wrapped in raw, spontaneous music. Yum.
9 out of 10 on the Ozzometer.

N.B.: thanks to raggedy_man for bringing this to my attention.