KMFDM at Irving Plaza / October 22, 2024 – Aquarian Weekly

In 1984 in Hamburg, Germany, an aspiring musician in his early twenties embraced the dark, raw sounds of completely underground bands like Throbbing Gristle and Skinny Puppy. Distancing himself from mainstream rock and pop music, Sascha Konietzko created an art-rock project that would become KMFDM, one of the pioneers of the industrial-metal movement. Forty years later, Konietzko, the only remaining member of the original lineup, celebrates KMFDM’s 23rd studio album, Let him goreleased on February 2 with another concert tour that brought the band back to Irving Plaza.

KMFDM currently consists of Konietzko and his wife, Lucia Cifarelli, on vocals and sequencers, Andy Selway on drums and Andee Blacksugar on guitars. At Irving Plaza, the four musicians worked well together, charging the crowd with eerie vocals and pulsing, rough dance beats. Konietzko and Cifarelli, who joined the group in 2000, spearheaded the group’s dynamic. Selway and Blacksugar were equally animated; Selway, who joined in 2003, helped drive the driving rhythm. Blacksugar, who joined in 2017, worked the crowd with flashy poses as he soloed on his guitar.

Konietzko and Cifarelli sculpted the overall sound of the performance. Behind a pair of pulpit-shaped metal-framed carts, they turned knobs to create the pulsations and screeches that were at the heart of KMFDM’s industrial sound. They often moved away from their stations with their microphones to the edge of the stage to enthuse the audience. Konietzko’s commando-like deep and gruff vocals contrasted with Cifarelli’s lighter delivery.

Opening with the tongue-in-cheek “Sucks,” with the crowd loudly chanting the closing line, “No doubt, KMFDM sucks,” the band packed 22 songs into just over 90 minutes. The retrospective set harkened back to earlier days with three songs from the 90s Nihil album and covers three songs from the 2024 album. The concert featured 13 KMFDM albums.

While KMFDM’s musical prowess proved that industrial and EBM (electronic body music) remain valid and exciting in today’s music world, the show’s extensive use of bright stage lights proved excessive. Fans, especially those enjoying the concert from the balcony, often had to close their eyes repeatedly throughout the concert because the lights blinded them. Well-conceived lighting enhances the concert experience, but annoying overdubbing defeats its purpose.

Setlist

1. It sucks
2. light
3. Hyena
4. Freak Flag
5. Beast
6. Airhead
7. Antidote to war
8. Rebels in Control
9. Godlike
10. Liebeslied
11. Blind face
12. A megalomaniac
13. Last things
14. terror
15. A touch
16. Adios

Encore

1. Professional Killer (guest vocals by Annabella Koniecko)
2. The Creeps (cover by Lucia Cifarelli)
3. pushing!
4. Rock’n’Roll Monster (guest vocals by Andrew “Ocelot” Lindsley)
5. Juke Joint Jezebel
6. paradise