12 Rounds
RKCNDY, Seattle - Wednesday, September 09, 1998
At the back end of a twenty something date tour of the United States came 12 Rounds, taking the RKCNDY stage and slamming their dark and seductive sounds into an audience that seemed thoroughly captivated from the word go.
Fronted by Claudia Sarne, with that thoroughly charming voice and hypnotic stage demenour, the band flawlessly presented almost all the songs on their Nothing debut My Big Hero, which seems to be slowly but surely finding audiences which are increasingly turning towards music heavy on the electronics.
Yet although now part of the Reznor stable they seem to have been left to their own devices, with maybe a touch here and there in the darkness department. Backing tracks, what little there were, also sounded less than their usual NIN inspired selves, with emphasis placed primarily on the wall of sound coming from the guitars and occasional bass. There was a keyboard player but the only time I actually heard what he was playing was when I got close to the stage and tuned in on what his monitor was sending out.
Pleasant Smell, which is their current single release, marked the midpoint of the set, and paved the way for some of the best of the night, with Me Again and Come On In Out Of The Rain providing the high points for yours truly.
I'm basically looking forward to seeing 12 Rounds again, at which point we'll be sure to get some photo's and maybe even an interview.
