{"id":3091,"date":"2018-12-05T19:37:06","date_gmt":"2018-12-05T19:37:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/doktorjohn.com\/?p=3091"},"modified":"2018-12-07T14:05:28","modified_gmt":"2018-12-07T14:05:28","slug":"december-2018-new-dark-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/doktorjohn.com\/?p=3091","title":{"rendered":"December 2018 New Dark Age"},"content":{"rendered":"

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VNV Nation at Irving Plaza<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Nov 24, 2018
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Hamburg Germany-based electronic music project VNV Nation (\u201cVictory Not Vengeance\u201d) fronted by Dublin-born singer-songwriter Ronan Harris continued their 2018 tour with a performance to a packed and enthusiastic audience at NYC\u2019s Irving Plaza in support of their latest album, \u201cNoire.\u201d They are famous for idealistic themes bordering on the sentimental and for passionate anthems.<\/p>\n

New Dark Age doesn’t attend VNV shows because of Ronan\u2019s unwarranted and incessant talking instead of singing, but we interviewed scene celebrity and event promoter, Lady Zombie, a big fan, who was attending her third VNV concert. She found the synth-wavers openers, The Rain Within, to be an awesome stand-alone act, capable of pulling off an amusing cover of Rihanna\u2019s \u201cUmbrella.\u201d They were followed by Holygram, updated post-punks from Cologne, Germany whom she described as having \u201can 80s goth sound.\u201d<\/p>\n

VNV opened with the ominous-sounding \u201cA Million\u201d from their new album followed by \u201cRetaliate\u201d from their \u201cTransnational\u201d (2013) album, then went back to the new album with \u201cArmour\u201d which features soaring, heartening melody and lyrics. <\/p>\n

Ronan was loquacious as always, expressing his love of New York and imploring the crowd to put their phones down and to sing along.<\/p>\n

They hit a couple more tracks from the \u201cNoire\u201d album, concentrating their set on their fans\u2019 beloved favorites from their historic body of work. Thus, \u201cSpace and Time,\u201d \u201cFarthest Star,\u201d \u201cChrome\u201d \u2014 Lady Zombie\u2019s favorite \u2014 and \u201cResolution\u201d were included in the regular set. After nineteen songs they took a break and the crowd chanted \u201cVNV! VNV!\u201d prompting a return, starting with \u201cNova,\u201d the first of the three encores which concluded the show with \u201cAll Our Sins\u201d from \u201cNoire.\u201d <\/p>\n

An official afterparty was held at the Pyramid club at which Ronan and the opening bands socialized with the fans.
\nVNV Nation at Irving Plaza
\nNov 24, 2018<\/p>\n

Light Asylum at Synthicide<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Brooklyn Bazaar
\nNov 29 2018<\/p>\n

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And Harriman\u2019s club night Synthicide hosted a performance by Brooklyn-based electro-darkwave band Light Asylum on Thursday night, Nov 29. Normally residing monthly at the Bossa Nova Civic Club, Synthicide was held this time in the underground space of Brooklyn Bazaar to a packed, sold-out audience. <\/p>\n

The focus of Synthicide is on electronic music with frequent live acts, as on this occasion. The opening group was Ghost Cop, a spacey duo consisting of Lucy Swope and Sean Dack. Early in their performance they were joined by some technical and musical assistants who worked multiple sound boards and keyboards producing compellingly rhythmic, sometimes brutal noise, with some pre-recorded samples as well as, pleasurable, echoic, sung vocals. <\/p>\n

Next up, androgynous synth wave duo Korine, from Philadelphia, now frequent flyers in the NY\/NJ metropolitan area and coming off their well-received shows at Stimulate the week before as well as the Human Music Synthwave Festival in May of this year, put on an excellent example of that style. This was my fourth time seeing Korine and I had an impression that the they came across like New Order might have sounded if Ian Curtis had survived to sing for them.<\/p>\n

Between the acts, hostess Andi Harriman manned the turntables with powerful, danceable tracks, but the packed crowd had little space to move other than to sway side-to-side or bob up and down. precisely because no one was giving up their place for viewing the upcoming, headline act, Light Asylum.<\/p>\n

Led by female vocalist Shannon Funchness and accompanied by pre-recorded electro-industrial tracks, Light Asylum burst right on with the first five tracks from their eponymous album. \u201cHour Fortress\u201d was followed by he funky \u201cPope Will Roll,\u201d then \u201cIPC.\u201d The next song, \u201cHeart of Dust\u201d has a discordant and erratic vocal quality with a harshness reminiscent of Nitzer Ebb. So did the next track, \u201cAt Will,\u201d also from the album. <\/p>\n

A couple more tracks from that album were performed, and attention was turned to the \u201cIn Tension\u201d EP, concluding with the overwhelming favorite \u201cDark Allies.\u201d This masterpiece features bizarre minimalism combined with perverse gospel vocals that highlight Shannon\u2019s frenzied, baritonal voice. The crowd of twenty-something Brooklyn goths and hipsters went wild.<\/p>\n

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The Red Party<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Mercury Lounge
\nSat Nov 10 <\/p>\n

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The Red Party hosted the dark rock duo the Long Losts who performed selections from their album \u201cScary Songs to Play in the Dark.\u201d Guest DJ Valefar Malefic joined regulars Jarek Zelazny and Sean Templar playing goth, death rock, post punk and cold wave.<\/p>\n

QXT\u2019s in Newark
\nNov 16, 2018<\/p>\n

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\nThe mid-November weekend was eventful at the premier alternative club in the metropolitan area, QXT\u2019s in Newark. Friday Nov 16 saw an early evening presentation of Diva Burlesque, produced by Lady J in an effort at reproducing the atmosphere of early 20th Century strip tease in the tradition of Newark\u2019s Empire live vaudeville theater. <\/p>\n

At 10 pm, the dance area took off with a night dubbed \u201cCure\/Mode\u201d with emphasis on the repertoire of those two iconic post-punk bands and other 80s standards in the deejays\u2019 sets. In Area 51 the theme was \u201cShelter\u201d where one could hear German Industrial Techno, Danish Electro, French Industrial and more new contemporary artists.<\/p>\n

Nov 17, 2018 saw Green Jello headline a list of live bands which included the Gothsicles, Singaya and the Broken Co., following which noted DJ Aengel joined forces with QXT\u2019s regular DJ Mindsolvent for an edition of Blasphemy, the original goth and dark dance party on the main floor with the likes of Peter Murphy\u2019s dance-conducive \u201cIndigo Eyes.\u201d Downstairs in Area 51 there was a variety of music with the likes of And One and Project Pitchfork, while DJ Victrola played 80s synth pop and Wave in the Crypt.<\/p>\n

On Sunday Nov 18 Sunday Brave rattled the rafters in support of the release of their EP \u201cTaking Over,\u201d alongside noted soloist Constantine Maroulis and two of the hottest local bands, The Randy Haze Trio and Our Fears.<\/p>\n

Dec 1, 2018 Q\u2019s also hosted a performance by 80s superstars Anything Box to a packed audience with opening band, Philadelphia duo, Korine.<\/p>\n

Stimulate<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Drom
\nNov 23, 2018<\/p>\n

Producer and DJ Xris SMack presented an exceptional edition of the recurring dance and entertainment party Stimulate on Nov 23, Black Friday at the East Village nightclub, Drom., Featured were a synth wave-style original band and two renowned tribute bands as well as hours of ambient, alternative dance tracks curated by well-known metropolitan area deejays including DJs Paradox, Phoenixxx, Cyclonus and Xris himself. <\/p>\n

The night was dedicated to facing industrial giant, NIN against PostPunk icons, Joy Division cover bands. The crowd\u2019s choice was to be determined at the end of the show. <\/p>\n

Philadelphia duo Korine opened at around 11:30 with catchy, electronic numbers and a pleasingly androgynous, New Romantic stage persona. They had just made a big splash at NJ\u2019s Human Music Synthwave festival this past Spring and were performing in support of their debut full length album, \u201cNew Arrangements.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the PA and between band performances we heard \u201cBetter Be There\u201d by FunkyGreen Dogs and \u201cCold\u201d by the Cure. Hot, live go-go action provided visuals through the night, spot-lighting at least three sexily-clad ladies who took turns on stage as the crowd of attendees danced to the likes of Marilyn Manson and Icon of Coil.<\/p>\n

Next up, Nine Inch Nails tribute band SIN opened their set with \u201cPinion\u201d in a 30-second intro, then quickly launched into \u201cTerrible Lie\u201d off \u201cPretty Hate Machine.\u201d Frontman Byron did justice to the frantic style of early NIN with an uncontrolled performance that saw him strip to the waist and wrap his torso in strands of black tape as he sang and gyrated convulsively on stage. \u201cMarch of the Pigs,\u201d \u201cThe Hand That Feeds\u201d and five more hits followed, for a total of eight songs. Included of course was the once-shockingly explicit \u201cCloser\u201d and concluding the act was \u201cHead Like a Hole,\u201d the milestone entry that brought industrial into the alternative mainstream back in 1989. <\/p>\n

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Finally, renowned Joy Division tribute band Disorder started their set with archival radio announcements of JD\u2019s historic recognition in the U.K media, then fired up their performance with \u201cNo Love Lost\u201d off their \u201cSubstance\u201d collection. They moved steadily through eleven songs from the band\u2019s body of work with such beloved selections as \u201cDead Souls,\u201d \u201cCeremony\u201d and the mega-hit \u201cLove Will Tear Us Apart.\u201d Even \u201cBlue Monday\u201d by the successor band, New Order, got featured toward the end of the set. Approval from the audience was overwhelming. <\/p>\n

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Art Exhibit and Lecture \u2013 \u201cMetaphysics in Everyday Life\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Center for Italian Modern Art
\nAntonio David Fiore & Paul Stiron
\nNov 28, 2018<\/p>\n

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The Center for Italian Modern Art has been exhibiting and educating those interested in the peculiar, seminal school of Metaphysical Art for the past year and a half. The standard-bearer of that school is of course Giorgio de Chirico (1888 \u2013 1978), whose works were on display early last year, followed by exhibitions of, first, Alberto Savinio, and \u2013 now, currently – collected works of Morandi, Sironi and Carra, all recognized exemplars of the style.<\/p>\n

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Having always been fascinated by the concept, I attended a lecture and slide show on a Wednesday evening at the Center lower Manhattan, hoping to get a grasp on what this artistic genre is really about and how to distinguish it from Surrealism, to which it is ancestral. <\/p>\n

Rare and stunning works by the three above-mentioned artists are on display as well as one iconic piece by de Chirico which helps orient the viewer to the precise core of the artistic movement that arose in and around Italy in the very early 20th century. <\/p>\n

A lecture by two scholars of art appreciation delved into the influence of Metaphysical art on realms of d\u00e9cor and architecture beyond the narrow field of painting. What I found most satisfying was coming to learn the philosophical and psychological substratum that inspired the movement, and it is \u2013 as I understand – as follows: <\/p>\n

With the decline of religion at the end of the 19th century, the Western world \u2013 as often the case, led by Italy \u2013 was seeking a deeper, mystical meaning in the everyday world, something spiritual in the forms and objects of the real world. Thus, an abandoned piazza, a lonesome statue, an anthropomorphic mannequin, stark earthenware vessels with cast shadows might all evoke an otherworldly feeling that religious experience might have provided in the past or simply as a rebellion against Renaissance high art. Another source of such rebellion was found in ancient and medieval symbols, which got reworked by Metaphysical artists into decorative architecture and interiors for the same effect.<\/p>\n

This erudite presentation and repeatedly viewing these artworks provided me with immense help in understanding an art movement with dark undertones that was, for me, previously a mystery.<\/p>\n

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Stan Lee (1922 \u2013 2018)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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By now everyone has read that Stan Lee died Nov 12 of this year at the venerable age of 95. Born Stanley Martin Lieber, he was the editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, its publisher and chairman. Collaborating with Steve Ditko, he helped create the immensely popular Spiderman; and with the late Jack Kirby, with whom he shared the prestigious \u201cDisney Legends\u201d award, Lee helped create a whole stable of comic book legends including Fantastic Four, X-Men, and the Hulk.<\/p>\n

Noted for having brought the genre of comic book art to a more complex level that featured flawed heros, burdened with ambivalence and existential issues, Stan Lee is thought to have elevated the category to the level of 20th and 21st Century literature.<\/p>\n

Alex von Nihil aka Oleksander Fushtey (1988 – 2018)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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The No Return Post Punk Society, a twice monthly dance club night will now be without one of its resident deejays and co-founders, Alex von Nihil who died suddenly and unexpectedly a few days short of his 30th birthday. Partner and close collaborator of founder Ryan Walker, Alex was known and beloved of the NYC underground post punk scene for his sense of humor, warmth, openness and hospitality. <\/p>\n

Alex welcomed all to the events he hosted, from die-hard Goths to casual clubbers, tourists, street people and even yuppies who often made their way down the steep staircase to the Pyramid\u2019s basement level on the first and third Friday of the month where he served up the sounds of classic goth, death rock and synth.<\/p>\n

In 2012 Alex won the Eklectik Poetry Contest with his poem \u201cWe the Villains,\u201d reproduced here. He was remembered at various commemorative events held around town and in a eulogy written by Luna Pallida.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

VNV Nation at Irving Plaza Nov 24, 2018 Hamburg Germany-based electronic music project VNV Nation (\u201cVictory Not Vengeance\u201d) fronted by Dublin-born singer-songwriter Ronan Harris continued their 2018 tour with a performance to a packed and enthusiastic audience at NYC\u2019s Irving Plaza in support of their latest album, \u201cNoire.\u201d They are famous for idealistic themes bordering […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,12,15,18,5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/doktorjohn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3091"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/doktorjohn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/doktorjohn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/doktorjohn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/doktorjohn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3091"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"http:\/\/doktorjohn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3091\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3137,"href":"http:\/\/doktorjohn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3091\/revisions\/3137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/doktorjohn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/doktorjohn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/doktorjohn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}