Muse + LTNO Concert Chronicle (2000-01-21 ConcertAndCo article)
Translated review of the 2000-01-13 gig at L'Espace Julien, Marseille.
Muse + LTNO Concert Chronicle
Espace Julien - Marseille
13 Jan 00
Written critique on January 21, 2000 by Hum!
LTNO:
French group in the first part of which I had just seen the CD at the Fnac (quite pretty). When I got home a friend who was already there said to me, "Do you have a camera?" "See you soon" LTNO had already started. So I made my way through the crowd (indeed, L'Espace was already full). The show was worth the detour. It was monstrous but not in the "cool" sense of the term, in the first sense ... A guy was disguised as the singer from Placebo but his version looked a little withered. Dress canvas, lipstick, ... and especially contortions, good in all directions; and when the "dress" was a little narrow to disturb him to circulate he did not hesitate to raise up a little. Below the green tights I think ... yuck! He did not hesitate to spit (water) onto the crowd, turn over the amps, wallow into the audience, have fun with the strobe, in short a lot of cinoche for a music a little noisy like Marilyn Manson? accompanied by a DJ, a drummer of course, and a bass player who is not too clean (shaved + made-up) in a green work-shirt and especially... at the microphone-stand, a completely naked man who did not move during the concert. Like the Object Man, with a mask that only passed the mouth and closed eyes. To his kind of helmet-hood was fixed the foot of the microphone on which the singer sung (no, no joke). He even threw her on the ground, before picking on another microphone stand that he carefully tapped on the floor where there was nothing fortunately; the bass player has also dropped his bass and took care to win the human microphone foot...
In short a lot of cinoche and the really monstrous visual side made me completely forget what I thought of the music. I just know that in the end it started to be a bit strong and long.
In the meantime I learned that LTNO was none other than The Black Teats, and that they used to do these kind of "happenings" and have the singer disguise himself so, let's give back to Caesar what is to him (a reflection on the Placebo singer).
MUSE:
Presented as the new pop rock sensation of the moment (or as a group with minettes), the trio Muse, after a book signing at the Virgin, was in concert at Espace Julien. Room full, a lot of advertising, a promising album but still a little light...
As soon as they came on stage, delirium, screaming etc... At first I found that it was a little cinema. Grimaces, poses with the collar of his tight black shirt raised. And then gradually I started to find it not bad at all. He (Matthew Bellamy) really ensures on stage. Very rock n 'roll. Alternating ballads type Radiohead or Jeff Buckley and more nervous pieces during which he jumps in all directions, plays guitar one foot in the air, leans with the guitar to the ground by leaping, in short very nice to see.