If there's still a distinction between electronic dance music and rock ‘n’ roll, it’s fading fast. As synths mingle with, or replace, guitars and the traditional four-piece gets pared down to the two-piece or one-piece, an unfortunate side-effect has emerged: an epidemic of poor showmanship. Luckily, Crystal Castles seemed determined to buck this trend.
Opening act David Wolf, however, epitomized these boring performances. The Tacoma, WA-based solo act slowly rocked back and forth behind his computer, staring at the monitor. Every couple of minutes he took a sip of water, then gently placed the bottle back down on the table next to his computer. Afterward, Tempe, Arizona’s Lymbyc System crafted a mesmerizing mix of drums and echo-laden clavinet that was by turns tranquil and hugely magnificent. The clavinet’s keyboard/electric guitar hybrid tone sounded incredible as Jared Bell allowed the volume to ebb and swell alongside his brother Mike Bell’s superb drumming.
Crystal Castles soon took the stage with a burst of verve that didn’t let up for an instant of their 45-minute set. The moment their waves of 8-bit melody flowed through the speakers, the audience convulsed in a mass of movement closer to a riot than a rave. There were no guitarists in sight, no punk rock beats, yet the area in front of the stage transformed into a mass of hip teenagers jumping and pushing each other. Unrelenting strobe lights provided the only illumination of the stage and transformed Alice Glass into a blur of motion with jet-black hair, a black t-shirt, and raccoon-like eye shadow.
Ethan Kath didn’t add much to the performance; he stood stationary behind his electronics in his signature black hoodie. He kept the instrumental tracks faithful to the recordings and didn’t interact with the crowd. No problem though, Glass was the star of the show, as she writhed and shrieked demonically in front of a large banner of their infamous mangled Madonna image, her frenetic antics feeding the enthusiasm of the crowd-surfing audience in front of her. The stage didn’t seem to have enough space to contain her, as she kept hurling herself into the arms of the crowd. At one point, she wrapped the microphone around her neck and stared forlornly at the audience. (I think it was supposed to be edgy.)
Still, the performance was a refreshing injection of energy and engagement. While I would have preferred a crowd of dancers rather than the quasi-mosh pit, maybe I’m just getting old. In any case, it was a captivating, frenzied spectacle -- can't argue with that.