If you’re a synthesizer, wailing guitar, thundering drums, 80s horror movie music obsessed type human then you’ve gotta go listen to Carpenter Brut right now!
Carpenter Brut is French synthwave artist Franck Hueso who’s currently on tour with latest release Leather Teeth accompanied by guitarist Adrian Glitter and drummer Flo Sparkles.
Imagine a huge LED screen, dramatic lighting, high contrast beams and so much red.
It feels like we’re getting to be a part of something BIG here at Koko tonight. Bring on the live synthwave!!
This is a gig where dreams and fantasies from the dark side of the 1980s come to life.
Their combination of red drenched sexy disco is weaved into high energy metal. So gorgeously dark and addictive. Brilliant visuals all edited to perfection flash at us while a manic harmony of strobes and white light beams stretch out like giant fingers into the crowd.
Bouncing beauties from aerobics film scenes are edited in time perfectly with the thundering bass. While blood splattered B-movie actors mime manic screams and scary newspaper headlines flash up then disappear in a re-imagining their new “soundtrack” album.
Like some magical, dark, greatness that you only dreamed you would find at the back of your older sibling’s vinyl collection circa 1983. This gig is freaking amazing.
The desperate reaching arms of the crowd, silhouetting through the purple, pink, red and white smoke filled atmosphere makes you feel like you’re in a crazy episode of Stranger Things mashed up with a slasher movie.
Satanist subtitles display as Carpenter Brut descend into a mental guitar solo, synthesizer leading live thundering drums gathering of epic force! I almost feel like I am at a synth metal aerobics class!
High note melodies coming out of the keys over the bludgeoning bass lines teamed with unstoppable drums and frenzied guitar – it’s cataclysmic!
The crowd seems to have come from all walks and ages of life here tonight too. Though mostly black clad, the majority are friendly, excited and down to earth. Something I really love about the synthwave scene.
Carpenter Brut’s blistering performance of each track melting seamlessly into each other feeds the pumping crowd into an endless frenzy of devil horns and cheering.
As each track merged into the next Beware The Beast is the only track I could recognise from the new LP, mainly because they put the lyrics on the giant LED screen. But individual songs don’t matter here, what does is the assaulting madness of thundering layers of heavy music and graphics that totally overwhelm us.
The Carpenter Brut logo echoes like a tunnel in the midst of the black and red, hypnotising us fans into submission.
Tired from a long week in a job you hate? Or just sliding under the pull of the daily grind…….
…..Come to the temple of Carpenter Brut, they will transport you in their supercharged intense time machine… ending with their killer cover of Maniac by Michael Sembello sealed the deal!
Photographs and Words by Belle Piec of Carpenter Brut at Koko on 21st March 2018.
Photographers were asked to conceal the identity of the band.
https://rockshotmagazine.com/29092/sigur-ros-mesmerise-at-hammersmith-apollo/