By: Jim Brunzell III
Since the Faint released their new CD Wet From Birth over a month ago, it’s been hard to take out of my CD player. Each time I listen to it, I find something new. But I had no idea what kind of a show these five flamboyant fellas from Omaha, NE, would put on at First Avenue Tuesday night.
Tired from seeing fellow Saddle Creek label mates, Bright Eyes the night before, I made it through the work day by listening to the Faint’s entire catalog of CD’s to refresh my memory on how their music has changed since their first release, Media in 1998. (My favorite Faint album BTW is Blank-Wave Arcade.)
When the screen went up in the First Avenue Main Room, the near capacity crowd cheered in hopes the Faint would deliver their trademark sound of dance/techno/punk rock. Their songs range from discussions of politics, dancing, death and relationships. But mainly, their songs are about sex.
During their opening song, “Birth,” lead singer, Dapose (what the hell kind of name is that?) did his best imitation of Scott Weiland. First he tried to seduce the microphone stand, then he looked directly at the younger audience on the main floor who’d already begun swaying back and forth to the music. When Dapose’s stimulating vocals were finally heard, the audience roared. Arms were pumped into the air, people jumped up and down, cigarettes were tossed to the slimy concrete floor. This song struck me as a bit odd to open with since the song is the last track on their disc, but it somehow made sense, since everything starts with “Birth.” But then why is it the last song on their CD?
Next they dove into “Symptom Finger.” Then, “Erection.” Then, “Desperate Guys.” I hardly had time to sneak a sip of my drink as the Faint kept me dancing around our table for twenty straight minutes. It wasn’t until their fifth song, “Drop Kick the Punks” that the Faint took a minute to introduce themselves and acknowledge the audience, ”It’s great to be back in Minneapolis,” said Dapose. Needless to say, I took this brief opportunity to finish my drink.
As the show progressed, the air inside the club became dense and saturated and began to rise like steam in a sauna. Not only was I getting tired and dehydrated by their energetic songs, but my eyes became glued to several videos playing behind the band that were as disjointed and trippy as any videos I’ve seen Chris Cunningham (director of videos by Bjork, Tool and Aphex Twin.) The images were in sync with the music and began to give the show an almost rave like atmosphere. It was pure ecstasy.
The Faint’s set was mostly newer material, but they did throw in older favorites such as; “Worked Up So Sexual”, “Take Me to the Hospital”, “Glass Danse World”, and the set’s closer, “Agenda Suicide.” The surprise song of the evening was a spastic cover of the Talking Heads classic, “Psycho Killer” toward the end of their set. Dapose cranked out the lyrics in a faux-David Byrne vocal style while the other band members danced in robotic movements with their instruments (excluding the drummer, of course) during the song.
The Faint delivered a stellar show and my expectations were met, especially from hearing “Take Me to the Hospital.” As we walked out of the club I saw numerous kids in damp t-shirts with messy, sweaty hair. The dance party might’ve been over for the night but I could tell there will be many more to come from The Faint.
Location Info:
First Avenue
Artist Info: The Faint
Share this story:
Article comments powered by Disqus