Autumn in New England is truly the undead gift that keeps on giving. Last year we were treated to Death In June performing in Salem — a controversial show that was cancelled and eventually moved to Worcester — and this year we’re getting Christian Death coming to Cambridge.
The deathrock pioneers are celebrating 30 years of Catastrophe Ballet by playing at the Massasoit Elks Lodge on October 3. That’s one way to kick-off Halloween season.
The performance, roundtable, and Q&A event titled “Raising The Dead” will feature Christian Death and industrial veterans Abstinence, and is presented by Furnace Records, Voidstar Productions, and the Elks Lodge.
Some more details are below, as you fire up some goth rock on this Tuesday…
As the brainchild of punk/deathrock/industrial veteran Darryl Hell [s6k/FURNACE RECORDS/DJ Darryl Hell], the goal is to bring together the many elements of the Boston goth/deathrock/industrial community as it had never been done before.
The event will feature:
[+] a rare live Boston performance by Christian Death celebrating the 30th anniversary of its album “Catastrophe Ballet” by performing it in its entirety.[+] a roundtable Q&A with Valor Kahn [Christian Death/Pompeii 99] and a number of key people from the Boston goth/deathrock community, moderated by Darryl Hell.
[+] a rare Boston performance by Abstinence, that began as a deathrock/industrial band in 1985.
[+] Much, much more…
UPDATE! This Christian Death performance will be filmed for a DVD release on FURNACE RECORDS in Spring 2015.
The show is all-ages, and ticket prices are TBA. We’ll post more info when it’s available. Christian Death are currently touring Europe, and play in Italy Friday night.
The last Christian Death studio album, American Inquisition, was released in 2007.
Back in 2011, Christian Death’s 1982 classic “Romeo’s Distress” came in at Number 4 in the Boston Phoenix’s Top 100 Goth Songs of All Time. Here’s what I wrote about the track, which features some controversial lyrics:
An unsettling post-punk anthem off 1982’s deathrock trailblazer Only Theatre of Pain, “Romeo’s Distress” cracks out of the gate with an impatient, forward-pounding bassline from James McGearty, Rikk Agnew’s razorwire guitarwork, and then, after 39 seconds of raw power, vocalist Rozz Williams’s racist offerings. One has to wonder where “Romeo’s Distress” would truly stand in the underground’s hierarchy if the Rozzer didn’t drop the n-bomb and suggest to “dance in your white sheet glory.” Whatever the argument in defense of Rozz, I’ve personally met bands who refuse to cover the song despite loving it musically, and it’s a shame an attempt to be edgy or portray Los Angeles race relations or whatever the fuck he was getting at ultimately mars one of the most evil punk songs ever.
For this Christian Death lineup, it should be noted, Agnew left the band ages ago, and Williams committed suicide in 1998. The current lineup features Valor Kand (who played guitar on Catastrophe Ballet before taking over as frontman a year later), Maitri, and Jason Frantz.
