Live Review: Kinski at Club Europa [11.30.07]

I haven't had a chance to see a show at Club Europa, so when a friend mentioned Kinski was playing there, I finally decided to go. I love Club Exit and even Studio B, but they aren't meant for shows like this, and as much as I like the junk/loft spaces, it's fun to be in this weird Polish night club. Sebadoh even played there recently and it seems like they are regularly booking indie shows here now. That's great, they have a castle motif going on with faux windows painted next to the booths along the wall, and random footstools littering the dancefloor.

I don't even mind that the shows are over early, I saw Kinski and Oneida play 50 minute sets each, got a slice and still was home before 11:30. Thanks to some earplugs I still had my hearing. It was sacrificed to Kinski, who opened but after just one of Oneida's songs I was reaching around in my bag for the last set.

This brings me to my first point of contention, Oneida: if the band is all wearing earplugs, then the first 5 rows or so should think about bringing them also, or be warned or something... either that or can we all just agree to turn it down? This isn't a huge venue. I'm all for rocking loud, God knows this wall of sound can't be created with anything less than 11, but there are limits. I want to hear again someday.



Kinski had an insane array of pedals, Chris Martin had at least 10, I stepped up to take a closer look, and it was a good mix of MXR, line 6, and an electro harmonix's. That was no exception for Lucy on Bass and Matthew on guitar. They formed arcs around each musician on stage. This is what makes Kinski so great. No not the sounds, not the boxes of electronics. Kinski can do things with a guitars' sound that takes serious time and familiarity with the instrument. It's amazing to see someone really know how to manipulate guitar sound, and that goes for the bass as well. At points Lucy bows the instrument, it's like we all forgot there are other ways to make noise. Watch the pro's at work. To see someone really manipulate guitar effects, to stand in front of an amp and force feedback into something recognizable... it's a struggle. You can see the fight in the body language, the guitar is fighting to break free and he had to just hold on.

I was also impressed by the sounds coming out of a flute with a pickup, I honestly never guessed that would be the object making that noise, there is a confidence in Kinski's playing, like watching Thurston Moore, it's not that they are going through the motions, it's very comfortable, they are in their environment.

"This shit is mostly from our new album."

"It's not shit."

What a crowd.

Kinski has a range that is unpredictable, one minute a song starts quietly with loops of melody and others are stoner jams that can border on southern rock. Some are marathons, some have lyrics and are over. They have a lot of tricks up their sleeves, for the past 7 or 8 years they have been showing off quite a few, but it's far from exhausted, they are still going to surprise us in the field of instrumental epic ear splitting rock.

Oneida was amazing too, but I had to wear earplugs so I withhold judgement.


[Photos by Jason Dean]