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AFI?s Davey Havoc and Jade Puget?s side project BLAQK AUDIO takes over Popular L.A. Salsa Club!
Was KROQ putting on a synth-pop show destined to end the very new trend of rock sans guitars? It?s been experienced time and time again: a movement becomes big, KROQ embraces it, said movement becomes crap. I entered the Mayan that night, preparing myself for bastardization. However, instead of flashy advertisements and corporate propaganda, I was embraced by dark, smoky surroundings with gemstone-hued lighting, pleanty of PVC and of course,eyeliner. Not exactly what I had expected from a KROQ-sponsored event. Where were the white tube topped high school girls?
DJ Howie opened up the show by spinning the classic indie and electro collection, groups like Le Tigre, Interpol, and Peaches. Sure, he lacked a knack for mixing the songs together but, the tunes kept the crowd pacified while they stood in anticipation for the main act.
I sat up in the bar area, where I actually had an incredible view of not only the stage but, the entire venue. Blaqk Audio was scheduled to play at 10:00 (which usually seems to mean something more along the lines of 10:15). At 9:55 I was shocked to see DJ Howie ushered off stage only to be replaced by two men, impeccably stylized in suits, exclaiming ?This is Blaqk Audio!? This is just what the crowd had been waiting for.
The group?s set started off with an explosion of lights, music, and energy. A collection of synthesizers and Apple laptops manned by Jade Puget were at center stage, and pop virtuoso Davey Havoc purposefully stomped around, pouring his soul into his mic. Davey continued to dance in a flamboyant, maniacal fashion as lights pulsated and lyrics flashed on the backdrop behind him.
With every step Davey took towards the edge of the stage, the roar of the crowd grew, sometimes even overpowering the polished howls of the man himself. Words just fail to express the affect Blaqk Audio?s performance has over their audience.
The entire experience had a consistent positive energy. Highlights in Blaqk Audio?s hour onstage: ?All My Life?, ?Semiotic Love?, ?Again, Again, and Again? and their cover of Blur?s quirky and upbeat 90?s hit ?Boys and Girls?. Videos of their performance for this song can be found online and I definitely recommend watching them. Blaqk Audio?s music combined with their evident love for entertaining and especially their fans created something tangible and the entire crowd ate up every minute of it, right up until the show came to a close with ?Stiff Kittens? and Davey exclaiming, ?It was a joy, you?re all fabulous!?
If you have not yet had the pleasure of seeing Blaqk Audio in concert, I highly recommend it. Davey and Jade put their heart and soul into each and every song and never disappoint. Their debut album ?CexCells? released on Interscope Records is available in stores everywhere.
For more info visit www.blaqkaudio.com
Photos by IMAGE Allegiance
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