The Ringö district of Gothenburg is full of warehouses, craft breweries, and construction firms. Techno can be heard bleeding through many doors on the weekend. Among the paper recycling firms and micropubs, the youth of today come from the city centre to rave like it is 1989.
Tonight, though, it is their parents’ turn. Monument 031, a cavernous club with a suitably industrial vibe, is hosting an event to mark the twentieth anniversary of Progress Productions. The Swedish label, which has released work by Kite, Saft, Johan Baeckström, and Cryo, is marking its birthday with two stages of back-to-back live performances.
The evening begins with a mystery act. The bill promises a five minute appearance, but the name of the artist is a secret guarded as fiercely as the recipe for Julmust. A giant video screen is erected, against which a dancer appears as a shadow. Spray paint is used to trace a pattern, before a knife cuts the screen. Two masked figures emerge to distribute red roses. Ladies and gentleman, Vintage Voltage – the duo of Chris Leaf and Pete Branch. A rumour goes around the room that their act of creative destruction was, pro rata, the most expensive part of the night.
The party really kicks off with a performance by Me the Tiger. It has been a while since we last saw them live – in Stockholm, on a cold night many years ago, with Britain’s Vile Electrodes. They haven’t lost their quiet-LOUD high-intensity formula. Vocalist Gabriella slays in every lane, while drummer Jonas Martinsson becomes one with his drum kit and guitarist Tobias Andersson bounces around like Zebedee on speed. They banish the chill of the Nordic winter with their new track, “Burn the Witches.”
Cosmic Overdose is the name that Twice a Man were forced to leave behind by a British promoter. It sounded too hippy for the post-punk scene in 1981, so they were told to pick from a list before supporting New Order. The return to the stage of Cosmic Overdose is a chance to air some of the songs that belonged to that era – a rare treat from the iconic Swedish musicians.
They get a feeling going that raises the hypnodelic quotient. The lead singer emerges with a bag on his head. Karl Gasleben appears wearing a brash paisley suit. The on-stage mixer acts like it is possessed. What we get is a trippy and expansive set, which ends with the suitable named, “Dada Koko.”
The spirit of Dada fills the stage. Dan Söderqvist’s guitar creates psychedelic atmospheres, while the combined unit dispenses with melody. What matters is the shamanic effect that otherwise comes from specific mushrooms.
Abu Nein appear without Andreas Catjar-Danielsson, who sadly left us this year. They create a mystical, dark vibe embossed with Eastern tones. Charles Manson seems to make an appearance at the end, at the climax of a set that dissolves into a churning groove.
Portion Control don’t always get the credit they deserve. One of the first synth-based industrial acts in the UK, they brought rhythm and melody to the genre with songs like “Raise the Pulse,” “Go Talk” and “Rough Justice.” They also mined the experimental use of electronics on tracks like “He Is a Barbarian.” cEvin Key points to them as the inspiration for Skinny Puppy. Nitzer Ebb can’t deny their role as progenitors, alongside DAF, of the hard electronic sound they developed.
The nice young men from a south London cooking school have refined their sound over the years. Reduced to the duo of John Whybrew and Dean Piavani, they have crafted their uncompromising electronic style into dancefloor-friendly beats.
Piavani prowls the stage confidently, like a drill sergeant, barking poetic commands. Behind him, Whybrew mans the console that controls the sound and vision. The onion jack symbol hovers above the proceedings, as a brand identity and statement of intent.
The set list is a career-spanning selection. “Refugee” and “Chew You to Bits” get the front rows excited, but it is the intensity of “Deadstar” that really gets the black-clad masses jumping. A novel addition is “Golden Halo,” which is being released on the Progress anniversary compilation CD.
Spark! take the stage as the closing act. Local EBM favourites, they fly the flag for their label internationally, too. Vocalist Stefan Bronsson is in good form. Christer Hermodsson had taken the mic ably during his extended absence, growing the band’s profile, but the restructured act meets the crowd’s needs tonight.
That’s Progress.
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