Although the weather was dismal, the venue of the camp and furnace was the setting for Saturday’s doubleheader, Ladytron and The DSM IV. For those unfamiliar, the Camp and Furnace is a quirky venue located in the heart of the Baltic quarter in central Liverpool, which hosts creative start-ups as well as having unique events and performance spaces.
The camp and furnace is so named as it has a real fireplace, and a main hall big enough to park campers in (there used to be caravans in there at one point). Evol, the promoter/ organisers, are well known for putting on superb live events in Liverpool, so it’s clear this event is in safe hands.
The DSM IV were the first to grace the stage and immediately made their presence felt. The soaring guitars of Jade Ormisher combined with 80s-style synth drums make for a menacing, atmospheric sound which perfectly matches the mood of the audience. Guy Mcknight’s online stage presence encapsulates this perfectly, seeming to veer into alternate personas as the set progresses, and getting very up close and personal with some of the crowd at the front, as he often does at live shows. The band members leaving one by one leaving Guy on stage alone was a nice touch of performance art which left the audience wanting more from the band. Stand-out songs for me personally were ‘Scumbag’ and ‘Funland’. Both of these show just how versatile the band can be, and stand in contrast to one another in many ways.
After a fairly short interlude, Ladytron graced the stage unveiling their signature Korg MS-20, to a backdrop of visuals which could only be described as surreal and intricate. Clearly, they command a loyal following and begin their set with the new release ‘City of Angels’ opening to a round of cheers, with dual vocals from Helen Marnie and Mira Aroya. The band command the stage with ease and progresses through their set effortlessly weaving in new releases with old. This became a soulful tour de force for Ladytron, who clearly enjoyed being on their home turf, and the event seemed to become an intimate affair.
Ladytron makes you feel from the outset they are something different and special- and as the show goes on, it becomes more apparent as they capture your eyes, ears and mind. The visuals and lighting created by Sam Wiehl are the perfect atmosphere for their music, which in many ways defies classification – I don’t think the synth-pop categorisation really applies, the music feels too emotive and creative for that label. The sound engineers did a superb job, filling the large space, and it was clear that the encore was not just for show, the audience really did want more. Standout tracks “Soft Power” and “City of Angels” really made the night special, and the encore set was perfectly constructed to round off the night.
Truth be told, I am a new convert to the church of Ladytron, which in itself is somewhat shocking considering my own musical tastes. it is strange how in the main this band have passed me by somehow. This is not to say that I am not familiar with some of their songs (International Dateline, and Seventeen, for example), however, it seems somehow I never gave them my full attention until now. This will certainly change from this point forwards- this was one of the best gigs I’ve been to in Liverpool.
Ladytron Set List
City of Angels
Faces
Ghosts
Deadzone
True Mathematics
The Animals
Flight From Angkor
Soft Power
USA v White Noise
Misery Remember Me
International Dateline
Fighting In Built Up Areas
The Island
Paper Highways
Discotraxx
Ace Of Hz
Encore
California
Playgirl
Seventeen
Destroy Everything You Touch
Ladytron’s new album, Time’s Arrow, can be purchased in multiple formats here:
The DSM IV’s debut album, New Age Paranoia, is available to pre-order here.
LIVE REVIEW: Ladytron & DSM IV at The Camp And Furnace, Liverpool
Live review of Ladytron and The DSM IV at the Camp and Furnace, Liverpool.
Event Type: Event
Event Attendance Mode: OfflineEventAttendanceMode
Event Status: EventScheduled
Performer: Person
Performer Name: Ladytron
Performer URL: https://www.ladytron.com/
Start Date: 2023-03-11 20:30
End Date: 2023-03-11 23:30
Ticket URL: https://skiddle.com
Entry Price: 30
Currency: GBP
Availability: SoldOut
Availability Starts: 2023-03-11T20:30:00
4.5
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