At the Union Pool in Williamsburg, NYC I mainly went to see and hear Child Abuse again. I had seen Child Abuse playing at the Asterisk Art Project with Parts & Labor on February 10th.
Given that the latter show had been absolutely phenomenal, the gig at the UP could on forehand already hardly meet my expectations. Although the skill and the songs of Child Abuse stand solid, the acoustics, the PA tuning, and the stage presence fell short to their potentials. The keys sounded not clear enough and much of the atonal compositions did not come through. The drums were solid as they should, a present force, the bass play was again genial, the keys pleasantly disturbing. The stage was lost to Child Abuse this time however. Opening for mediocre bands is never inspiring or incitefull, but the performance seemed too obligatory. Good news however: Child Abuse is recording in the summer.
ToddP summarizes Child Abuse:
“Luke Calzonetti plus Oran (x X27, x Cop on Fire) – keyboards, metaloid effects, screaming, and plodding, hypnotic drum bursts. “Total blissful fast/stacatto jello-sounds for the new punks. CHILD ABUSE place audience members into complete aural convulsion and, at the same time, drench them in their own metaphorical I vomit. How? CHILD ABUSE combine the best of heavy machine gun spurts of atonal tech-metal to confusing off time blurps, growls and howls to 70s mud groove rock improvisations with the spirits of Drumbo and Carl Nielson hovering ominously overhead.” Members have had stints in San Francisco mainstays Caroliner Rainbow, Mesh, Murder Murder and NYC’s X27.” – Luke Calzonetti. Recordings out on Folding Cassettes. Now with bass player.”
Play list Union Pool, 2006-04-14:
10.00 Child Abuse
11.00 Knife Skills
12.00 No Things
every CHILD ABUSE performance is worth wait. those guys slay everytime they go, and it aint their fault that the soundguy is a piece of garbage, right ?