Samstag, 17. Mär 2007, 4:52
It may only be March but I truly believe I will not see a worse band (unless for some inexplicable reason I attend a Fratellis gig) than Prinzhorn Dance School, who supported LCD Soundsytem on Tuesday 14th.
Not only is James Murphy, top man of LCD, letting them play on the same bill as him he has also signed them to his DFA record label. Murphy is largely responsible for the resurgence in indie-dance music through his work with Radio 4 and The Rapture which in turn has led to the glow stick shifting craze of "new rave". If Prinzhorn Dance School are to be the forerunners of a new musical scene then very dark times await.
The band enters dressed totally in the obligatory cool black outfit (Prinzhorn are so cool they don't even have a myspace – woo edgy) and the first song begins. Consisting of a simple repeated base line, repetitive pounding drumming and the occasional repeated nonsensical lyric and scream…..and this process continues for half an hour. Nothing else happens.
The band sounded like a poor version of The Kills but without any of the claustrophobic intensity or tension that they posses. Now, I have no musical talent at all, so maybe I can't criticise, but I do have ears and they were offended by this drivel. The drumming technique consisted of a man hitting the drum as hard as possible over and over and abusing musical instruments in this way frequently resulted in me being rebuked by my music teacher Ms Emptage, which culminated in me being called a "prat". According to an interview in Fact Magazine the band "went hunting for someone who could play drums, but not play drums.", well they sure found who they were looking for.
And the lyrics, well there weren't many. Some shouting of something about "Hamworthy Sports and Social Club" (eh??), something about there being "no air in Hampshire" and I also heard a mention of Mansfield. I was confused.
Occasionally there are pauses in the racket and the bemused audience make their own noise in response, usually this is known as "clapping" and is to communicate appreciation for the work of the bands. However, I believe that this noise was not clapping but the sound of an entire audience ripping their ears off and stamping them on the floor so as to avoid another aural assault from Prinzhorn Dance School. After half an hour or so they slope off and the Bristol Academy breathes a collective sigh of relief.
Thankfully LCD, including Al from Hot Chip, are infinitely better. Although their appeals for round of applause for Prinzhorn Dance School are met with a particularly muted response, which caused a hay bale sized tumbleweed to blow across the stage and saw 3 people run from the Academy screaming at the mere mention of their name.