04,05,06,07-09-2013 Fear of Domination/Xe-None tour

Location: Finland
By: Sabine van Gameren

The Russian formation Xe-None got on the road and had a little tour in Finland scheduled. Fear of Domination was along with them and so were we.

The supports
Originally it would be Cold Cold Ground that would join these two as support but due to circumstances they had to cancel the gigs. Some local supports came at each night. At the first evening in Klubi, Turku it was the band Sisin which would open the night. The band has a strong sound, but what is breaking it for them is that it is not very unique. Feels like you have heard it before and it does not leave you with something to remind them off.
Peekaboo Primate, that supported in Tampere was more memorable but the guys are having some bad luck as when they started there was hardly an audience for them. It did not seem to stop them from giving an energetic performance, which leaves you tot hink that when they are confronted with some more audience they will shine even brighter.
In Kuopio it was Omniversum which started and they are perhaps the most remarkable support of the tour. The band has a bunch of their own fans along and with their charming performance they easily seem to gain attention of the other people around. With a boyband cover in your repertoire it seems like you hardly ever can go wrong, but it does not indicate the highlight of their show. However, the diversity of these guys have made them an interesting act to keep your eyes on.
On the last night in Helsinki’s On The Rocks the support came from My Reflection. The band seem to have a good idea of what they want to put down, but in performance it does not really come out. The itching points are the vocals. The lady a bit screaming too much and male voice is not too stable either. Something to work on for them as when they get that flawlessly they probably make a show that will interest people.

Fear of Domination
The Finnish Industrial Metal formation broke free from their studio activities to play this little tour. As you could follow on the band’s website the progress is going strong but while working on their third full length release, they could not resist the stages and the audience. The first two nights of the tour were relatively quiet, but it seems like there are always at least some fans of the bands around to rock out to their music. At September sixth the band released their brand new single called “Legion” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLwYpT1-XBU) which the guys made the star of their show. Harder, stronger and more Fear of Domination than ever.

Besides that the band made their shows as eventful as always, and the highlight must be the shows in Kuopio and Helsinki which were pretty crowded with dancing and rocking people. As grand as their performance can be at a large stage, the intimate it is at a smaller stage, giving the fans their fullest nevertheless. And in Helsinki we got a little bonus in having drummer Hoker Dine playing along with the band making it more massive. The band now return to the work on their new album, leaving us everyone a bit more hungry for what will come up next.

Xe-None
Xe-None is an Industrial Dance Metal Formation from Russia. A combination of Metal with Eurodance from 90’s and a dose of humor creates the sound that the band describes as Dance Metal. Your favorites from back then will return in an even more party modus. The band has a great contrast. On one hand there is lovely EvilAnn which has a sweet voice, but can bring it with enormous power. Then against that there are the vocals of Lexy Dance who puts some more body into the sound. The duo can play around with their sound quite a lot and make their set very lively. The band’s latest release dates back to 2011 when their second full length came out. In the sets that the Russians play they have a couple of covers included. Would you have ever expected to hear a cover of Aqua’s “Roses Are Red”? Well, it was included now.
The band self is energetic enough but when looking at the whole show it is kept small, perhaps the wisest thing as it won’t turn in to a caricature of itself in the end. Modesty pays of and so it does for this band. At their final show the dance floor is filled and their mission succeeded.