Tonight at Tivoli Oudegracht in Utrecht we get treated to one of the more controversial bands in the current heavy scene, namely Ghost (b.c.). The anonymous band are known for their Blue Oyster Cult-y sound with more of a danceable disco feel in the bass, their satanic lyrics and their exceptional show theatrics. They’re also known for not disappointing sound-wise and doing near perfect renditions of their recorded work, and tonight proves no exception. Opening for them is the much-anticipated new project of Selim Lemouchi, ex Devil’s Blood, named Selim Lemouchi & His Enemies, which doesn’t disappoint, but expectations were very high and not quite met because of the muddy sound.
After the very sudden demise of the Devil’s Blood earlier this year, we’re very excited to see what the new project of the creative heart of said band will bring. What little recordings can be found of this project sound very promising. There’s a dark undercurrent layered into looped guitars and not quite major chords, dragging you into its reverie. On record pretty much every instrument was recorded by Selim himself, but live he of course cannot play everything himself. The live line-up is as surprising, as it isn’t. Basically all members from the Devil’s Blood, excepting his sister, Farida. Only the keyboardist isn’t a former member of Selim’s previous outfit and there is an extra guitarist, Robby Geerings, bringing the total up to a whopping four guitars. Sadly this and the venues tendency to create muddy sound means it’s difficult to appreciate the intricacy of the music Selim & co create. They keys drown out completely in choppy guitars, and the vocals that on record sound a bit floating, live don’t really shine. It’s hard to understand any of the words, and Selim is obviously distracted from focusing n his vocals by playing guitar and conducting the band. This makes the winding instrumental jams in each song an absolute highlight and pleasure to listen to, and get lost in. All in all a great first gig that really sucked you in, but a little less than what I expected from a musician of Selim’s caliber. There is some definite potential though, and probably very nice in a venue with less muddy sound.
After a brief changeover the room starts to fill up a lot more. The gig isn’t sold out but, while decently filled for the opening act, it’s now starting to feel quite cozy as people stream in to see Ghost. They opened their show with the same intro they used at Roadburn 2011 and then launched into the combined songs ‘Infestissumam’ and ‘Per Aspera Ad Inferi’ during which Papa made his entrance under loud whistles and whoops of the crowd. The band is known for their super showmanship and doesn’t disappoint. And even though the theatrics are very much over the top, they’re not stale or overly choreographed. The band genuinely seems to enjoy themselves as much as the crowd, for as far as you can tell under the masks and wardrobe. Papa takes plenty of time to share some dignified handshakes with his flock, and even the ghouls get some shining moments when papa retreats to the back of the stage to let them do their instrumental thing. The gig consisted of quite a good mix of songs from the first and second album, interspaced at equal intervals. Especially ‘Ritual’, ‘Secular Haze’ and ‘Year Zero’ got a massive response from the exhilarated crowd. The playing was exceptional, where almost everything that’s on the record, excluding the choir chants and some intro’s, is played live in near perfect rendition. It sometimes almost felt like the band was lip syncing, but they definitely were not. Sadly Ghost also suffers from the muddy sound the venue has, but their less complex songs suffer less than their opening act did. We got treated to ‘Ghuleh’ and ‘Monstrous Clock’ as an encore, leaving the whole room singing in unison “get together as one” while Papa retreated blowing kisses to the crowd, a marvelous conclusion to a brilliant evening of musical excellence. It’s a pity about the muddy sound in the venue though, next time get a better sound engineer in?
Ghost & Selim Lemouchi
Tivoli, Utrecht
June 11, 2013
Susanne Maathuis
Photos: Susanne Maathuis & Laura Caffrey
Selim Lemouchi – Facebook
Ghost – Facebook