Live report: Turbonegro, The (International) Noise Conspiracy @ House of Blues, LA 10/16/05
At first, I wasn't planning on seeing Turbonegro at this show... that was, until I saw that T(I)NC was one of the openers. Then I definitely had to go.
The sold-out crowd was in pretty good spirits for that drizzly Sunday evening. First up was Juliette and the Licks. Now, I really don't care much for Juliette Lewis' musical endeavors but I do have to admit, she has an interesting voice and her stage presence is really good. Some members of the crowd seemed to be into it, including this kinda old dude who was drunk and sang along to every one of her songs. There were also random shouts of "Take off your shirt" thrown at her, which she ignored quite well. The band played a 30-minute set and then left.
After waiting a bit more, T(I)NC finally came on. The set they played was similar to when I saw them at the Avalon a few days before this show with a few changes here and there. Same great energy. They opened with "Black mask" and then went into "Up for sale." A majority of their set was devoted to stuff off of their latest effort "Armed love". Dennis Lyxzén dances on the stage like a man possessed, doing things that would make a chiropractor worry. During breaks between songs, he spoke and commented on all things political. For forty minutes or so, they put on another high energy set and closed it out with "Armed love". If you haven't seen them live, you should try to catch them when they head across North America this winter.
Turbonegro also put on another great show. A great hour-and-a-half of glam-rock decadence with cannons that shot out dollars with the members on them during "Sell your body (to the night)" and confetti and balloons falling from the ceiling. Their set focused mainly on songs from their latest release "Party animals" but also compassed a good number from their previous releases ("Ass cobra", "Apocalypse dudes" and "Scandinavian leather"). Vocalist Hank von Helvete was typical, telling great jokes and egging the crowd on by pouring Heineken into their mouths and spitting it at them. He even showed some great dance steps. There was also a midget dressed in the same manner as Hank that came out at the beginning of the show and again during "Ride with us" carrying a sign which read, "When Everybody Hates You!!!" Guitarist Euroboy climbed the shoulders of one of the techs during "Prince of the rodeo." It was sad to know that it was all over by 11:45 p.m. because it seemed like the crowd wanted the show to go on for the rest of the night.
-Navy Keophan