By Tim Bolitho-Jones
There had been a few questions raised online about the morality of Static-X reforming for this tour. Founder Wayne Static was such a fundamental part of the band’s image and song-writing that to many fans, he was Static-X and touring without him is unthinkable. It’d be like Machine Head without Robb Flynn or Soulfly without Max Cavalera. So, for bassist Tony Campos, guitarist Koichi Fukuda and drummer Ken Jay to return with a new mystery frontman wearing a costume designed to resemble their deceased leader does risk allegations of cash grabs and exploitation.
However, it must be remembered that Campos et al were in the band during their classic era and contributed heavily towards their success. They’ve earned their stripes and having new singer ‘Xero’ remain anonymous does in some respects keep the focus on his predecessor. There’s plenty of toasts and dedications to Wayne tonight and the band do seem genuine in their love and admiration for him. Plus, all questions of morality aside, they put on a hell of a good show.
Opening things up are the still remarkably-popular Dope. Easily one of the trashiest bands to have emerged from the late nineties, their brand of upbeat industrial metal gets the evening off to a rousing start. They may look like they’ve all got hepatitis but their set is tight and engaging, sleaze anthem ‘Die Motherfucker Die’ going over particularly well. The fact that frontman Edsel Dope is strongly rumoured to be the man behind the mask for tonight’s headliners probably helps, but they’re loads of fun regardless. It’s just a shame their closing cover of ‘You Spin Me Right Round’ gets cut short due to time restraints. Colour us impressed, we thought they’d be awful.
Wednesday 13 on the other hand takes things in a much darker direction. Ambling onstage resembling a giant insect in a trench coat, he leads the Engine Rooms through several pummelling tracks that leave you in no doubt that his days of walking with zombies are over. Anyone waiting to hear ‘Dead In Hollywood’ is left wanting and instead there are malevolent homages to the Zodiac Killer.
It’s disconcerting but it’s also very cool to watch and if nothing else, Wednesday is a showman. His “mask on the back of the head” routine during ‘Prey For Me’ is simple but weirdly disturbing, while ‘What The Night Brings’ sees him dressed as what can best be described as a Satanic Victorian Samurai. He twists, he contorts and seems more alien than human and it’s only the closing ‘I Like To Say Fuck’ that recalls his party-bro days. The glowing microphones and neon face paint are as much a part of the show as the actual songs and while it’s divisive, at least he still obviously gives a damn about shock rock, unlike a certain Mr. Warner hasn’t done for years.
SOiL on the other hand are way more straight-forward. There’s no elaborate costumes or tricks up their sleeves, just four lads playing true to the Riff + Chorus = Pit formula. They’ve played Southampton many times and a huge chunk of the crowd seems to have turned out specifically to see them, erupting into a frenzy as soon as ‘Breaking Me Down’ thunders into life. Their set is largely focused on their classic ‘Scars’ album, but ‘Pride’ makes an early appearance and goes down just as well.
Established favourites like ‘Unreal’ are bellowed back by the approving fans and by the time frontman Ryan McCombs descends into the crowd for ‘Halo,’ it’s hard not to grin from ear to ear. It’s a shame they don’t play anything that isn’t at least a decade old but if you want to see a band who look like they turned up in a big rig ignite a massive mosh pit, they’ll get the job done.
As for the headliners, tonight is pretty much an open goal and they get the shots on target constantly.’ As Xero walks onstage and circles like a marionette, there is a danger we’ll be falling into an uncanny valley for the next 90 minutes, but ‘Bled For Days’ soon sends our worries to bed. Their self-imposed ‘Evil Disco’ tag makes total sense and Xero sounds exactly like Wayne Static, the impression is spot on.
And from there, they hit the baying crowd with one mechanised slammer after another. ‘Love Dump’ and ‘Sweat Of The Bud’ are pure cybernetic hate, while ‘The Trance Is The Motion’ feels like one of those Ministry Of Sound Ibiza Chill Out tracks, only written by somebody who believes in very, very bad things. There’s a brief intermission for the band to do shots and pay homage to their fallen comrade, then ‘Get To The Gone’ and ‘Black And White’ see the pit erupt all over again.
This being the 20th anniversary of their debut, the majority of the set is taken from ‘Wisconsin Death Trip’ and it’s astonishing how heavy it still is two decades after it was released. Even with all the percussive beats and walls of electronic effects though, the night is a remarkably moving one. This is most keenly felt during the Gothic tinged tragedy of ‘Cold’ and a spontaneous chant of “Wayne” from the audience, when Campos gives the saddest smile the Engine Rooms has ever seen.
Predictably, the night ends with the ever recognisable ‘Push It’ but it sees a battered and exhausted Sunday night audience surge to the front one final time. The jury is still out on whether writing new material is a good idea or not, but as everyone spills out onto the dockside estate to head home, it’s obvious what we’ll be playing on the commute to work tomorrow. A bittersweet death trip, rest in peace Wayne, you preposterously coiffured hero.
- The ‘Wisconsin Death Trip 20th Anniversary Tour’ continues at the Northumbria Institute in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne tonight (Tuesday 1 October) and then as follows:
- Wednesday 2 – Glasgow, Garage
- Thursday 3 – Manchester, The Ritz
- Friday 4 – Birmingham, O2 Institute
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