Crystal Castles - LIVE (My Experience)

Please ignore the words "Insane Clown Posse".

Canadian electronic duo Crystal Castles continuously push the envelope with their music: Crystal Castles was an energized marriage of videogame electro-punk, Crystal Castles (II) took a step in the experimental pop direction with successful results, and (III) found the band finally settling in their place. They're also known for their energetic live shows. Alice Glass and Ethan Kath really know how to put on a show, from the volume right down to the lighting. I'll try to recount my experience below:


The instant I walked into the venue, I was greeted by the large, haunting image of (III)'s album cover, displayed behind the instruments. When we first arrived only a third of the room was filled, but it would become just about full in a while. The site's schedule said the concert would start at 9 pm, and I assumed that was when CC was coming on, so we left about an hour early to catch the opening band. The opening band actually came on at 9, so I ended up having to wait 30 or so minutes.

Finally, the opening "band" Pictureplane came on and to my surprise, it was just one person. He was an admittedly pretty silly-looking white guy in his 20s, fiddling with his equipment and occasionally singing. He played an eclectic mix of drum and bass and witch house. After his first song, he was joined on stage by two female dancers dressed as mummies, who danced like zombies during the rest of the set. It was pretty stupid, but I suppose if it was just a guy standing there, there wouldn't be much to look at.

After Pictureplane left, the waiting game began. I'm not sure if they were late or the sound guys took way too long to set up, but we ended up waiting 50 minutes before Crystal Castles came on. The entire time, a selection of repetitive hip-hop tracks played in the background. I remember every time one of the tracks faded out, the audience would cheer because they thought the band was about to come on, but then another song would start, and the audience would let out a collective awwwww.

Suddenly, the lights dimmed, Ethan Kath walked out onto the stage and the crowd went insane. Alice Glass and the band's live drummer Christopher Chartrand came on after, and they opened their set with "Plague". It's a pretty good track, and it's even better live, but the second song, "Baptism" is what really showcased Crystal Castles' live spirit. Sometimes all you really need to energize an audience is a pounding beat and flashing lights, which is exactly what the band provided. Other tracks that were great to hear live were "Telepath", "Suffocation", "Celestica", and "Alice Practice".

Crystal Castles were consistently great through their entire set, though I did feel worn out by the time it was over, though that may be the waiting's fault. There was never a weak spot in their setlist, though "Insulin" and "Doe Deer" were the strangest inclusions to their set. Another key to the Crystal Castles live experience is that none of the songs sound the same live as the studio versions do. The band played two medleys, "Vanished / Untrust Us / Cryptocracy / Transgender", and "Vietnam / Kerosene / $$ Troopers" ("Cryptocracy" and "$$ Troopers" are tracks by Huoratron).

The visual element was just as strong. Rather than in the top front and back, the lights were set up on the left and right sides of the stage. I liked how each song had its own color scheme in the lighting, it set the mood perfectly. Of course, Alice Glass was insane as well. She didn't smash any equipment like in the bands' controversial past concerts, but she was still entertaining to watch, whether she was stomping to the beat or lighting a cigarette on stage. The drummer was energetic as well, and Ethan was as mysterious-looking as always.

Overall the concert was pretty fun. The waiting and the temperature just about killed me, but it was worth it. There was a bit of a slip-up (they played "Not In Love" too early and had to stop, play "Sad Eyes", then play "Not In Love" again), but it didn't get in the way of my experience. I would gladly see them again, now that I know what to expect. It's a shame they weren't selling CDs, I would've picked up all three, so I just settled for a T-shirt:

P.S - Sorry for not posting anything in a while, what with end-of-year exams and such. Hopefully I'll post more stuff this summer. Thank you for reading this little blurb!