May 2 - London Astoria

[GlosGoth]

Can I just say admidst all the moaning on an open forum that me and mrs glosgoth actually enjoyed last night! and my wife isn't a mad fan like me.
There was a awful lot of smoke but I expected that because I've read all the posts here, and Leeds Blank Canvas was 'worse' on the Satruday 2003. And just as full. I saw Von for less than five minutes last night out of an eighty minute set. But does that concern me or mrs glosgoth? Hell No. We had fun and we were ten rows back in front of Ben Christo.

Dominion got the crowd going, then Alice and Anaconda, Lucretia did the same in the encores. Shame though they have to rely on the oldies to get the toes tapping. I enjoyed Summer but I always will. Fantastic light show and no one can argue that. Looked awesome against the smoke.

Yes it was packed to the gills, never seen the Asotria SO full! The audience was the usual Sisters London crowd with a mix of Europeans and Goths. Speaking of which there was a lass with such a giant birds nest on her head no one for miles around could see. A couple of lads I was standing with decided there was so much peroxide in her barnet that it was fire risk.

Crowd were up for a bit of aggro, folk were getting arsey about pushing past to get to the pit. I wondered just how many you could get IN that pit last night?

The new guitarist Ben did a fine job but it was really weird seeing him do Adam's Top Nite Out at the end, didn't seem right. Robochrist fits in just fine.

As for Von, his voice sounded a bit off, whether that was due to the previously mentioned sound mix I don't know. Loved his long fur trimmed white coat, girl next to me thought he was Pete Burns!! Others mistook the over zealous security lurking in the ice for band members

Not bad, but not brilliant either 5/10. High points the oldies, low points - an over filled venue bursting at the seems at not being able to see the smoke

I got my t shirt before the band came on and it has to be said that was THE quietest merch stall ever. Did the prices put folk off?

Afterwards we scanned the bootleg merch too, the badly printed italic font and strippey shirts didn't really look that groovy, how many will appear on the next tour?

After all that is said and done I'm still looking forward to Notts and Bristol.
Enjoy.

[Bill Farmyard]

I went to Amsterdam and came away feeling disapointed and a bit cheated. To sum it up - the set was way too short (75 mins), there was a shortage of 'old faves', there was no banter with the audience, no support band and the best bit is tickets were £30!! Don't get me wrong, I had a good time but that was more to do with being in Amsterdam than anything the sissys did.

I said to my missus afterwards that they'll have to be a lot better at Leeds otherwise the home crowd won't be happy but the set list for London was exactly the same and judging by peoples comments they didn't go down too well either.

Well, here's hoping for a major change in Leeds tonite but if its the same as before I won't be bothering with Manchester. You get the feeling its all for the money and that this is the last bullet (if this is the end AE hasn't made it memorable).

[Ocean Moves]

two thoughts spring to mind, i didnt go, but ive read the reviews.

(1) the astoria is s**t. they should have secured gigs at the forum;
that´s a nice venue.

(2) the gig suffered the same problems as elsewhere in europe
( i saw them in madrid and barcelona )..two damn short, and not
very special.

[Gottdammerung]

two thoughts spring to mind, i didnt go, but ive read the reviews.

(1) the astoria is s**t. they should have secured gigs at the forum;
that´s a nice venue.

(2) the gig suffered the same problems as elsewhere in europe
( i saw them in madrid and barcelona )..two damn short, and not
very special.

Shame there was no offer of a free gig this time around...

[Harsh Stone White]

It really pains me to say this, but that gig was the worst Sisters gig I have ever been to. The sound was terrible; you couldn't hear Eldritch's vocals at all through half the gig, which was made worse when the backing vocals came in and were louder than the guitars. Crash and Burn in particular was abyssmal - plenty of the crowd around us were actually laughing. My mate next to me said he could hear me singing along clearer than he could hear Eldritch. The only tracks that seemed to work were Dominion, Summer and Lucretia.

I don't understand how the sound could be that bad - surely they had a soundcheck? Some people are blaming the Astoria as a venue, however I have seen plenty of gigs there which have been fine (including the last Sisters gig there which was great). Is it just sloppiness/carelessness? Or a poor sound engineer?

There were lots of complaints on the way out, which was a shame, particularly for those who had travelled and haven't seen them before (or for ages). I found myself telling people not to be put off because tehy are a much better band than that gig.

On the plus side, nice white fur coat. One to forget really.

[Andy_R]

So, apologies, but this is the first time I have EVER posted anything online. Honest. Just got back from the SOM gig at the Astoria in London. First time they've played here since about 2001 I think. Now I may be an oldie having seen them play in the 80's and 90's (my first vinyl purchase was Holiday in Cambodia by the DK's followed by the 7" of Temple of Love....) but tonight was dire. Is it only me? The Astoria was packed (the atmosphere was promising) but too much metal guitar. A great version of Alice made me hopeful, but alas! I have never walked out of a gig early ever in 20 something years (and I've seen some pooey bands believe me) but tonight I left. My mate GT stayed to the end (he has more resilience than me) but sent me a text to say that the ending was not sweet. What a shame. Sorry to put a downer on a band that I have followed since I was 14 but.....

Thanks to Ozpat for re-directing me to the right thread. Guess I was tired and just posted anywhere. That, or technofear has caught up...

[miss spookiness]

I've been reading this for a while, so I thought I'd register and give my opinion on this, hehe.

I went to the London show last night. I'd never seen them before, so all i had to go on was from what i've read on places like here. I expected the smoke, i expected him not to really talk to the audience, so that was all cool. Overall I really enjoyed myself, but the few things which disappointed me were to do with the venue, and not the band. firstly, i got my camera taken off me when i got there. i was really angry about this, because i've been to loads of other gigs there and its never been taken from me before, and if there was a rule of no photography, why didnt they take peoples camera phones away from them, as they could still take pictures, and they did. so that wasnt off to a good start. i hate the astoria as a venue anyway, the sound is never right, but this time it was probably the worst it has ever been. though for the big songs (this corrosion, dominion/mother russia, temple of love) i thought it was better, though that might have been because of the crowd joining in! haha.

overall i'd say it was a good gig, in a rubbish venue. i'm glad im going to the gig in norwich on saturday as well though!

[itnAklipse]

Everytime i think the Sisters really did do a poor performance judging from a lot of reports, there's always in the end indicators that people are just really vicious when it comes to the Sisters and love throwing cheap shots at them. Besides, their format is always the same, which should say something about their psychology... that is: "i love the Sisters, ever since forever, BUT THIS TIME..." Oh well, as someone pointed out in another thread, this has been going on ever since early 90s (even regards to Andrew losing his voice!), and perhaps even when the transition 83->84 took place.

My sympathies of course for those who did experience actual problems with the sound, but you should've moved since many people have said the sound was good or acceptable.

The performer can only do so much, you're still with yourself at the gig...and if you're unpleasant, your unpleasantness won't be carried off by the artists... :F

[Badass]

The sound was REALLY low. I was 5 meters from the stage and could talk to my friend in a normal voice - and he could hear me... But u almost couldnt hear Von's Voice. The Ivories were good. I enjoyed the gig, but the sound story is really dissapointing... What the f*** is wrong? What for there is a thing called sound check? I (still) really love the Sisters, but they should give us MORE.

[markreed]

Everytime i think the Sisters really did do a poor performance judging from a lot of reports, there's always in the end indicators that people are just really vicious when it comes to the Sisters and love throwing cheap shots at them. Besides, their format is always the same, which should say something about their psychology... that is: "i love the Sisters, ever since forever, BUT THIS TIME..." Oh well, as someone pointed out in another thread, this has been going on ever since early 90s (even regards to Andrew losing his voice!), and perhaps even when the transition 83->84 took place.

My sympathies of course for those who did experience actual problems with the sound, but you should've moved since many people have said the sound was good or acceptable.

The performer can only do so much, you're still with yourself at the gig...and if you're unpleasant, your unpleasantness won't be carried off by the artists... :F

I moved around to at least six different points in the venue and the sound was still bafflingly quiet : the mix was good. But not loud enough. I thought The Sisters themselves performed well, but not enough songs, not enough volume, and too much smoke.

[TheBoyNextDoor]

Crash & Burn <sounded great, fantastic opening>
Ribbons <again, awesome>
Dr Jeep / Detonation Boulevard
When You Don't See Me <okey dokey, 3 VT tracks, but nothing off of FALAA all evening ~ a shame IMHO>
Flood 1 <this is where the sound took a nosedive, no-one can hear Von, crowd chants "Up, Up, Up!" and Von replies tersely "Well, I can't hear you either" ~ did the sound guy fall asleep here or what?>
We are the Same, Susanne <Wow, sound guy wakes up for the next 3 songs, but then falls asleep again!>
Giving Ground
Summer
Dominion
Slept
Alice
Anaconda
Romeo Down
Never Land
This Corrosion

Something Fast
Lucretia My Reflection <sound guy wakes up around about... Here!>

Top Nite Out <one of the best performances all night>
Temple <storming finish, but too little, too late>

This was more to my point.. every gig of the four I saw it was the same with this sound guy as you describe. I mean.. after 40 nights(?) I think he should know what to do when Flood 1 is on and then stay awake for the whole gig. No one can be that unproffesional.. so, it must mean that there's something else that's wrong - like the pre-program doktor.

Where's the Nurse? Is he still in the band? Or are they running the Doktor from DAT, if so, I guess that's the problem then. The bass is programmed too high in some songs, and with too deep frequencies, which wipe poor Vons voice away..

[Badlander]

Where's the Nurse? Is he still in the band? Or are they running the Doktor from DAT, if so, I guess that's the problem then. The bass is programmed too high in some songs, and with too deep frequencies, which wipe poor Vons voice away..

Nurse is still in and it's still Simon Denbigh.
Oh and BTW sound quality in Luxembourg was near perfect with no significant variation throughout the show. So I don't think Nurse is to blame.

[Obviousman]

Where's the Nurse? Is he still in the band? Or are they running the Doktor from DAT, if so, I guess that's the problem then. The bass is programmed too high in some songs, and with too deep frequencies, which wipe poor Vons voice away..

Nurse is still in and it's still Simon Denbigh.
Oh and BTW sound quality in Luxembourg was near perfect with no significant variation throughout the show. So I don't think Nurse is to blame.

Of course not! The nurse's a top guy as well after all

[Bartek]

danke mr. Gottdammerung

[Gottdammerung]

danke mr. Gottdammerung

I have more but they're eiter blurred or filled with dry ice..

will put some stuff later..

[streamline]

Me and Mrs Streamline had a fab and groovy time in the Ben Crouch beforehand - it was great to meet everyone (and have a few beers before being ripped off at the Astoria).

And then we went to the gig.....

...and we really enjoyed it! Just like I've enjoyed every Sisters gig I've ever been too. No, it wasn't perfect, yes the venue sucks but me and the missus were still bouncing around like teenagers singing our hearts out.

The setlist wasn't long enough (but my dream of a 6 hour set may well never happen) but I expected that.

The choice of songs was limited but this too was expected.

The sound was better than I thought (but it was too quiet).

Top Nite Out was superb - I am really impressed with the 2 guitarists - just think what they will be like when they have had more time to learn more songs!

The missus made a good point - she said she thinks that Von has had singing lessons as he is singing within limits that I have not noticed before (either to improve his delivery or to keep his voice going for a long tour).

Overall a great night out (as always), a great gig and if it is the same as this on Sunday I will enjoy it just the same.

Yes I am biased and probably not very objective, but I always think - f**k it I've had a good time and I'll go see them again for another one.

Big thanks to Zippy (hope you slept well!) and to CellThree for being a drinking buddy!

Enjoy the remaining gigs (we know what to expect - and you'll love it or you won't) and I'll see some of you on Sunday.

Here endeth the lesson.....

[Obviousman]

Singing lessons?

Thanks for the review though - as all the other reviews deserves a or rather a couple of 'em

[robertzombie]

MY REVIEW

Well this was my first Sisters gig.

I knew there would be tonnes of smoke, and I expected the poor sound.
When the Ivories came on, they were nice and loud and I thought that the Sisters would have the same sound setup... unfortunately I was wrong

The smoke and lights were bloody fantastic! I was front row centre (just a tad to the right) for the whole thing and I could see all 3 of them perfectly. The lights for Ribbons almost gave me a seizure! Wonderful stuff

Highlights for me were: WYDSM, Dominion, Alice, Anaconda, This Corrosion, Something Fast, Lucretia and Top Nite Out. Everyone went crazy for em and we were singing are heads off!

Whoever it was saying that the people down the front were like statues was very wrong! Maybe this is true for Ben's side but where I was there was no shortage of movement... although it was very claustrophobic so movement was slightly limited to shaky knees and head bobbing!

We met Ben before the show (I love his accent! ), just after he asked some woman where Andy was! who is this lady? she had dyed red hair, I thought maybe she was the tour manager? Ben's a great chap, I asked him if he would put Burn on the setlist... obviously that didn't happen.

Chris is f**king brilliant! He was rocking so hard at the beginning that he shades fell off! He's wonderful to watch, especially during Top Nite Out. I didn't get a good look at Ben's playing, but judging on what others have been saying I'm sure it was something special

My mate made some videos on his phone. They looked pretty good quality. Hopefully I'll have them within the next week so I'll upload em.

Overall I'd give the entire show 8/10.

Despite the sound problems I still wore my Silver Bullet (longsleeve ) top with pride today, and will do so for many years to come

[Badlander]

We met Ben before the show (I love his accent! ), just after he asked some woman where Andy was! who is this lady? she had dyed red hair, I thought maybe she was the tour manager? Ben's a great chap, I asked him if he would put Burn on the setlist... obviously that didn't happen.

Ben probably asked Eva from HL where Andrew S, from HL as well, not , was.
They do care about the serious fans.

[robertzombie]

We met Ben before the show (I love his accent! ), just after he asked some woman where Andy was! who is this lady? she had dyed red hair, I thought maybe she was the tour manager? Ben's a great chap, I asked him if he would put Burn on the setlist... obviously that didn't happen.

Ben probably asked Eva from HL where Andrew S, from HL as well, not , was.
They do care about the serious fans.

what's that sposed to mean?

[Badlander]

Ben probably asked Eva from HL where Andrew S, from HL as well, not , was.
They do care about the serious fans.

what's that sposed to mean?

That contrary to what some may have heard, read or smoked, they do care, that's all. No one's questioning your fandom.
Don't worry, I know you are a serious, devoted, hardcore fan.

[DGP00666]

I don't get it yet. (Almost) Everybody is complaining about setlists, volume, smoke, length, etc. Don't you realise sometimes the bands that rip us off are the best, historically speaking? Does anyone remember the Sex Pistols, for example? Stop complaining and enjoy the Sisters while they're alive, lloricas.

[Count J Vacher]

Unusual for one to echo the opinions of the majority, too much smoke? -yes, inconsistant sound?- yes. On reflection though Myself and the wench thouroughly enjoyed ourselves and thats what matters. p.s ....Alice, was to die for.

[Badlander]

I don't get it yet. (Almost) Everybody is complaining about setlists, volume, smoke, length, etc. Don't you realise sometimes the bands that rip us off are the best, historically speaking? Does anyone remember the Sex Pistols, for example? Stop complaining and enjoy the Sisters while they're alive, lloricas.

So true. And what about the Stooges ? I mean they really sounded like s**t, they didn't even know what a soundcheck was. Have you ever heard Stooges live records, not to mention bootlegs ?
Oh and in the early days their gigs usually lasted 20 minutes, maybe 30.

[DGP00666]

I don't get it yet. (Almost) Everybody is complaining about setlists, volume, smoke, length, etc. Don't you realise sometimes the bands that rip us off are the best, historically speaking? Does anyone remember the Sex Pistols, for example? Stop complaining and enjoy the Sisters while they're alive, lloricas.

So true. And what about the Stooges ? I mean they really sounded like s**t, they didn't even know what a soundcheck was. Have you ever heard Stooges live records, not to mention bootlegs ?
Oh and in the early days their gigs usually lasted 20 minutes, maybe 30.

Certainly, you exactly got my point. That's exactly the reason why the Pistols, The New York Dolls or The Stooges are among my unbeatable bands. Does anyone need another Pistols album apart from "Never Mind The Bollocks"?