It is July 1993 and I am sitting in a field in Long Marston, near Stratford-upon-Avon, enjoying lots of great bands with my (newly acquired) girlfriend at the inaugural Phoenix Festival. Among the great and the good of hot musical talent on offer were Manic Street Preachers, Pop Will Eat Itself, Sonic Youth, and Faith No More. Suddenly, what I thought I knew about music was turned on its head by an obscure electronic industrial post-punk/metal outfit from Switzerland. The latter went by the name of The Young Gods and their eclectic but intense performance inspired me to invest in the whole of their back catalogue up to that point. The Young Gods, L’Eau Rouge, and TV Sky are all classic, well-crafted slabs of art. Some songs are sung in French, others in English, and The Young Gods Play Kurt Weill is even sung in German, over a weird and wonderful backdrop of dark cabaret compositions comprising Berthold Brecht songs and Kurt Weill’s music. Trust me… it’s better than it sounds.
After their Only Heaven album in 1995, I lost track of the band, partly due to the fact I had to throw myself into the daily grind of a ‘proper job’ for a fair few years and my gigging activities dwindled as a result. So I was very excited to see their current tour and new album, Appear Disappear, pop up on my feeds and, well, here we are!
As founding member, vocalist, guitarist and lyricist, Franz Treichler intimated in the interview we conducted earlier in the day (see elsewhere in Moshville Times), tonight’s show was all about promoting the new album. He certainly wasn’t kidding, with the band playing nine of the ten new songs from it. That news was a tad disappointing from my point of view because it meant we would not be treated to some of my favourite early bangers like the thunderous chaos of “Envoye”, “Rue Des Tempetes” or “Longue Route”. However, it did mean that this gig review would effectively double up as an album review as well, what a bargain!
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I needn’t have worried. Appear Disappear is a fine body of work, which is well worthy of the Young Gods’ legacy. Opening tonight’s proceedings with the title track put the (not quite sold out) audience on notice that the band’s new material can more than hold its own with their earlier work, “Appear Disappear” being a very catchy number with a radio-friendly duration. This was immediately followed up by the brooding percussion of “Systemized”, courtesy of drummer Bernard Trontin, and replete with characteristic Young Gods guitar breaks from Franz and interesting sampled note twists, provided by Cesare Pizzi (on electronics). “Hey Amour” has far more subtle picked guitar work and is seductively sung in French, while the initial bleeps and bloops of “Blackwater” lure you in with its catchy backbeat, before the breakdowns kick in.
They brought things down a notch or two for the ambient and enigmatically titled “All My Skin Standing”, taken from 2019’s ambient dance-flavoured Data Mirage Tangram. This segued nicely into the middle part of the show, which comprised classic tracks from TV Sky, interspersed with the chilled track “Intertidal” from the current album. “She Rains” has a haunting refrain, which sends chills down the spine when witnessed live, while “The Night Dance” is an absolute banger of a track, Bernard’s drums slamming things home and getting heads banging in the crowd. “Gasoline Man” has quite a jaunty pop element to it and kept the troops happy before the introduction of three more songs from the new album to round off the night.
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“Mes Yeux de Tous” is loaded with subtle earworms that really hook you in, making the louder guitar flourishes even more satisfying when they crash over the dancey percussion and electronic effects. The same goes for “Blue Me Away”, with its bombastic drums and driving guitar sections. The secret to The Young Gods’ magic is their masterful ability to balance the light with the dark, allowing space for the musical undertones to breathe between the harder driving riffs that really uplift the spirit. “Shine That Drone” provided us with a mid-paced palate cleanser, like a fine grappa but with a little dash of subversion (it is about Franz’ hatred of drones).
Stepping back onto the stage, the epic “Skinflowers” thrilled old and new fans alike with its jarring guitars, rumbling bassline and precise electronic effects. Now this really was an early banger and it was swiftly followed by “L’Amourir”, which is a beat-driven head-nodder and no mistake. Including a track from a brand new album in an encore could be considered a brave move in many circles but “Off The Radar” bounced along quite happily. The new material really does hark back to the band’s earlier days, in terms of style, and that is a very good thing from my point of view. The jaunty, upbeat and wholly appropriate “Did You Miss Me” rounded things off perfectly, reassuring and comforting us in its warm, friendly embrace.
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