The Swiss industrial rock pioneers now celebrating their 40th year toured their new album which was released earlier this year, ‘Appear Disappear’, which is the band’s ninth studio release and comes six years after their last, carrying with it a more explosive sound that befits the current times. Most of the set list was taken from the new album, from Bernard Trontin’s tribal beats in ‘Systemised’ to frontman Franz Treichler’s French-sung ‘Hey Amour’, amongst Cesare Pizzi’s industrial crashes along a thread of electronic bleeps.
They also played from their older material although this mostly consisted of their more critically acclaimed 1992 studio album, ‘T.V. Sky’, however, they selected other songs from the release rather than just its well-known singles, such as ‘She Rains’ – its slithering droplets of electronic noise creating the soundscape of an ethereal, alien world – and ‘The Night Dance’. New song, ‘Mes Yeux de Tous’, although instrumentally less interesting aside from undulating guitar and guitar solo samples, is lyrically so relevant to the dystopian, police state of the age – signalled by Treichler picking up a torchlight and shining it onto the audience – and ‘Blue Me Away’; a love song about his late wife with vocals (including a fantastic wolf howl) and explosive intervals that reek of David Bowie and U2, whom this band influenced.
After playing an extended instrumental ending to their main set in new track ‘Shine that Drone’, the band performed two encores including their singles ‘Skinflowers’, ‘L’amourir’ and a rarity, their debut 1987 single, ‘Do You Miss Me’; the Gary Glitter cover and Laibach sounding cabaret song to which Treichler also performed some elegant moves. The band’s set was perfectly assimilated to the recorded tracks with extra zazz and electrocuting light choreography that it places itself amongst one of the best shows of the year.
30/10/25: Young Gods @ Scala, London.
Photos © Peter Tainsh.
© Ayisha Khan.