Swans, Einstürzende Neubauten, Joy Division

Three bands I loved in different ways and times in the 1980s are coming around again more or less at the same time.

I missed when Einstürzende Neubauten played for the first time in Hungary in 1985, but it was quite legendary that they tried to jackhammer their way out from the stage at the club (Uj Varhegy at Schonherz). They played on a day in the early 1980′s usually set aside for disco, so the crowd was mixed and so was the reaction to their act. Later I’ve seen them twice in Hungary and got half a dozen of their CDs. I loved them live, but the recordings were quite unlistenable for my taste, so I sold them all to a friend when I was short on cash. I still have the sleeveless t-shirt though with their logo, still is my favorite to wear for concerts.

They are celebrating their 30th anniversary with a big tour. In several cities they play two nights described this way:

The band is planning to make a guest performance on an additional day, presenting the audience with a mixed program of the Einstürzende Neubauten, films, solo shows, guests and friends. More specifically, the band will play a great concert on the first night, while the second night will be divided into 3-part program. It’ll begin with films and installations. Afterwards the band will play a further, but much shorter concert in which the Neubauten will present material that has never been played live, hasn’t been played live for a long time, or never in this form. The evening will be rounded off with shows and performances by the individual Einstürzende Neubauten members, recomposed from city to city.

We are thinking of going to Los Angeles right at the beginning of December so I haven’t decided which show(s?) I will go to from these possibilities

December 01 The Music Box, Los Angeles – concert
December 02 The Echoplex, Los Angeles – “an evening with”
December 03 The Filmore, San Francisco – concert
December 04 Slim’s, San Francisco- “an evening with”

The Swans is a favorite in different ways. I think, but I am not sure, I was introduced to them via watching videos of their shows on VHS in the infamous Fekete Yuk club in Budapest in 1988. One of the first CDs I ever got was their Filth album, when I started buying music (1990). I still have all their CDs, and a dozen of their side and post-partum projects. And I still listen to them regularly, at least to some favorites. (Furthermore, I am still trying to decide what to do with the huge 4 feet by 6 feet, posters I have of them, that used to hang on the ceiling in my room. Any ideas?) I only saw them live once: in London, in 1992 while having high fever. It was quite a delirious ecstatic experience. I still feel stupid that didn’t catch their farewell tour’s stop in San Francisco in 1997 due to learning about the event only days after it.

In January this year Michael Gira, the leader of the gang announced that the band is back with an album and a tour, although without Jarboe. The new record, titled “My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky,” was “sort of” released on September 21 in four formats. The album can be purchased on CD, LP and MP3 or as a double CD that includes a “a companion CD (46:07) of reworked material sourced from the original recordings, with additional orchestrations / overdubs.” However these are only “sort of” available because ordering through the website is disabled and has been for at least a week (first time I checked.) On the other hand, there are a few copies available on Amazon. The Swans started touring on the East Coast at the end of September and have shows scheduled in Europe till the end of the year. More shows will be announced for 2011 soon and I hope that includes the west coast, so I could catch them.

Then there is Joy Division, ending its career by the singer’s suicide, 30 years ago, right before I started listening to music of my own choice. That didn’t stop me listening to their songs every day for years upon years. I was kind of obsessed with them, no day could pass without me delving into their music. I never had a chance to see them live. However Peter Hook, one of the original members, is touring soon, playing the entire “Unknown pleasures” album live. I gotta see them. My chances are to do it on December 10 in San Francisco’s Mezzanine or on December 11 in LA’s Music Box.

So a part of my teen years are re-visiting. Should I do nostalgia, even if the Swans and Einstürzende Neubauten  promises to be new experiences and Joy Division will be to as I’ve never seen them? I think I will, I have to.