17-03-2011 IAMX

Supports: Noblesse Oblige; Venue: Gigant, Apeldoorn (Netherlands)
By: Sabine van Gameren

IAMX is on the road again. About a year after their concert in Apeldoorn (The Netherlands) they returned and brought a support act as special guest.

Noblesse Oblige French actress Valerie Renay and German producer Sebastian Lee Philipp.
Their debut album Privilege Entails Responsibility includes “Bitch” and “Daddy, Don’t Touch Me There”, now classics of the Independent Electro underground scene.
Their performance was interesting to watch as there are many things going on. That while they only have limited space at the stage. As they are only two of them, some stuff comes from ‘tape’ which is a bit of a pity. The electronics mixed by an acoustic guitar is somehow odd, but this duo is not doing the most straightforward thing anyway. The band seems to have some influences of World music here and there which brings in quite a spectacle. The audience was quite skeptic about it but at the end some were dancing. It was an extraordinary performance that fits perfectly with IAMX.

IAMX is the solo musical project of Chris Corner, formerly vocalist of the Sneaker Pimps. Consisting of 1980s-influenced electro, the debut album, Kiss + Swallow, was released in 2004. Anno 2011 the fourth album is released and a tour through Europe is announced. The band has some dedicated fans, queuing early and talking with each other about how many shows they will attend. Some seem to be at more than half of the shows that are scheduled. The dedication goes also into having face paint just as Chris has in some of his promo photo’s. Chris himself has various ways of showing himself on stage. As he comes on he wears a see-through mask and during the set he changes his outfits quite often which you would more expect to see at a host of an award show. But besides the change of looks he also changes often instruments. Is he playing with drumsticks, a guitar or keys for one song, the next one he changed it again. A versatile man, Chris Corner. He performs intense, emotional songs.When he played his song “President” some people shout: “Chris for President” but he does not go into it. What he did mention during the gig, is that it might take a while before he gets back on the road. “Enjoy it while you still can” is his advice to the audience. That will probably not much of a problem as pretty much everyone is dancing and after such a wonderful show you actually understand why the fans travel all over Europe after Chris and his band mates; They enjoy it while they still can.