It’s been a bumper week for me with two gigs one after the other. The first was the fantastic Horrors at the Roundhouse (see previous entry for my review), and the second was IAMX at Heaven last night.

It was a pretty early one due a 10pm curfew, and the band came onstage at 8pm with no support act. It’s a good thing I checked the Heaven website as I was planning on moseying up there around half 8! I saw IAMX rather a lot on their last two tours so I got quite used to the stage presence of their touring drummer and bassist. Since the new album came out they have replaced most of their live musicians which feels weird and strange to me, so the only familiar face is Chris Corner, the man behind IAMX himself. (There is always Janine, but I strongly dislike her, so I rather wish she wasn’t a familiar face..) This coupled with the fact I haven’t listening to their newest album a whole lot meant I started off the gig in a rather apathetic mood. Who were these strange people on stage playing songs I didn’t like or know?

I changed my mind pretty swiftly as they kicked off with the two strongest songs on their new album, ‘Into Asylum’ and ‘Music People’, followed by a few more crowd pleasers in the form of the stomping club anthem ‘Nightlife’ and the ethereal single ‘Ghosts of Utopia’. Just as I was getting into the swing of things, they then played a block of slower (and in my opinion, more boring) songs which reverted me to my previous doom and gloom mood. I still think it’s a travesty that they continue to play ‘Tear Garden’ live instead of the far superior ‘Kingdom of Welcome Addiction’. Chris Corner, despite an ankle injury, was ever the emphatic front man and they kicked it up a notch again with a slew of singles and fan favourites. The encore was everything I could have hoped for with ‘Bring Me Back A Dog’ and ‘Spit It Out’ bringing the show to a dizzying conclusion. Overall I think I enjoyed myself, although it possibly came more from the older tracks than some of the newer offerings. Although if you have not seen IAMX live much, you will still be impressed by the vigour and pomp they inject into their live show, so they are well worth the ticket price.

The setlist was:

Into Asylum
Music People
Nightlife
Ghosts of Utopia
My Secret Friend
Fire and Whispers
Tear Garden
Oh Beautiful Town
Volatile Times
Think of England
Nature of Inviting
Cold Red Light
Kiss & Swallow
——————————-
Bernadette
The Alternative
Bring Me Back A Dog
Spit It Out

I only have a few passable photos (A combination of bad lighting and distance), but you will find some excellent shots at Sophie Garrett’s flickr.