Audio By Carbonatix
Control: A Tribute to Ian Curtis
With Armada!, Daysleeper, Ian Michael, Xela Zaid, DJ Dracula’s Daughter, and DJ Nayra
Churchill’s Pub
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Better than: Watching the movie Control on repeat.
The Review:
Last night, at the beginning of the evening at Churchill’s, there were a few more people than usual wearing some semblance of a Union Jack. Was it a silent ode to Ian Curtis, frontman for Joy Division and the (late) man of the evening? We’d soon find out.
The tribute night, which was to feature a number of local acts playing Joy Division material, drew a mixture of hipsters, goth Robert Smith look-alikes, and Churchill’s regulars. The cheap booze, DJ spinning everything Joy Division-infused, and thumping walls from next-door neighbor Sweat Records distracted many patrons from even realizing the show started over an hour late. Actually, live music at Sweat confused some into thinking that was where the Ian Curtis tribute was taking place, but we knew better.
Finally, the show commenced with Armada! taking the stage. Though
the band’s lead vocalist sounded nothing like Curtis, the bassist was
dead-on with imitating Peter Hook’s high-necked bass lines. The stage’s bright, strobe-heavy lighting, though, made me wonder if the singer would break into a Curtis-style seizure, and the band’s lack of a drummer left me wanting more. One
thing that really bothered me about their set was that they admittedly
threw a New Order cover into the mix. Wait, wasn’t this an Ian Curtis tribute?
Daysleeper was up next, and the moment they started playing, their
Joy Division influences were made extremely apparent. The vocals sounded
akin to what Ian Curtis’ offspring might sing like if he’d had a boy in
the ’80s, but the keyboard and synths almost overpowered the
baritone lead vocalist. The group has modernized the Joy Division sound, and
it was an interesting glimpse into what Curtis might have sounded like in 2010. The amps
and sound system were a bit off, but that seemed to be more the fault
of the sound engineer and less the band’s. Either way, the crowd was
entranced as they swayed and swooned within Churchill’s vibrating
walls, and their last song was definitely their most powerful.
Ian Michael then took to the stage, Wayfarers and turquoise guitar
in tow, with two other guitarists and a drummer. The ad-hoc group named itself “Fuck Yeah!” for the night, and the crowd seemed to eat it up as the foursome slightly changed “Warsaw” lyrics from “3,5,0,1,2,5, Go!” to
“3,0,5,1,2,5, Go.” The biggest crowd response, though, came when one of Michael’s guitarists — looking a bit like
Harvey Milk with silver brogue shoes on — sat down to sing his take on
“She’s Lost Control.” Hints of
Jane’s Addiction and R.E.M. influences entangled with that of the late Curtis, and I
couldn’t help but feel a little moved. The formerly mostly seated crowd
got up instantly and started dancing.
Critic’s Notebook
Personal Bias: I grew up listening to Unknown Pleasures and r, and am particularly inclined towards baritone voices.
Random Detail: The swaying, spellbound goth Perez Hilton look-alike really knows how to dance — and he doesn’t care who knows it.
By the Way: If you really like Ian Curtis, To Hell
With Poverty (518 Clematis St., West Palm Beach) is hosting its own tribute to the man this Saturday, May 22.
