The one thing on the lips of those in attendance was this would clearly be the last chance they were going to see the band in a small club. Vinyl is said to have a capacity of 300 so attendance would have to have been some where in the two hundreds. It was good to see when a band understands the difference between a live presentation of the work and just trying to replicate what is on the album.
They opened with the very fitting "I am Here" , with Jehnny stalking the stage while the rest of the band pounded out the song from the shadows. After the first song Beth announced that it was going to be a phone free show as she knew if she was in the crowd she would not want a little blue screen in between and the performer.
While Siouxise comparisons have abounded in regards to the band, there was a much more of a Joy Division like energy to the show. The bass player who attacked her bass with a pick and compensated by having a more fluid left hand drove many of the heavier section, though their drummer was stellar and had a graceful command of her kit.
They played almost all of "Silence Yourself " with only the more laid back "Marshal Dear" and 'Waiting For a Sign" excluded from the generally frenetic set, which only dropped down to catch it's breath a quarter into the set when they preformed a cover of Suicide's "Dream Baby Dream".
The band's energy wound up as the set progressed. The last song Jehnny Beth proclaimed to be titled "Fuckers" it started off with her accapella chant and when the song kicked into to it's groove eventually crescendoed into a Swans like pound, that the band ran some where between jamming on a droning on.
Beth had total command of both the stage and crowd, she shadow boxed and glided the stage in such a way you didn't notice she was doing so on red pumps until she threw a kick here and there. This put the icing on the cake to her empowered androgyny , if you like you post-punk packed with a punch then this is not a band to miss when they swing through your city .
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