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Review by Gerrit Carstensen

North Campus venue Ace of Cups played host last Thursday to an interesting group of Danish punk musicians calling themselves Iceage. The group of four held the attention of the large crowd packed into Ace of Cups as they conjured up their chaotic soundscapes, and charged through rowdy speed riffs. The music was loud, brooding, post-apocalyptic punk. The lead vocalist, abandoning his guitar early in the set, stomped around asphyxiating himself with the microphone cable while shouting angrily into the microphone. The band powered through technical difficulties with the microphone and the bassist knocking down part of the drum set, and pulled through, giving a powerful show. The highlight of the set was undoubtedly their performance of the tune “Morals.” The somber song with its sinister, repetitive rhythm, and its mantra “where’s your morals?” enlivened an already rowdy crowd and brought the performance to its peak.

The first opening act of the evening and first of the local groups for the night was a threesome called Messrs. They were a fast, hardcore punk band. The Messrs’ music hit hard, and before long everyone (including I) was bobbing their heads or moving with the beat in some fashion. The band impressed me with their ability to change tempo in complete synchronization; not always an easy ability to pick up as a musician. These men knew their way about their instruments as well as their style and sound. Messrs are a solid act well worth checking out if punk is your kind of music.

The last act to play before Iceage would dominate the stage was a four member act called Unholy Two. The music was excruciatingly loud, very fast hardcore punk. The group liked to bask in the often painful feedback from the three guitars during the transition between songs. Then when it came to the actual music they were loud, fast and had the ability to hit you right in the chest with excessive volume.  Armed with a battery of homemade guitar signal processers (effects pedals), the three guitarists of Unholy Two would blend three different guitar tones for a striking effect. The antics of the lead vocalist however, were beyond me. Playing a guitar by rubbing the strings on the microphone stand was perhaps a bit too corny and a little less practical; still the desired effect (noise) was achieved. Putting the microphone inside his mouth was a perhaps a bit too much as well, the action looked more amusing than aggressive. The apprehensive looks of his band-mates did not help the situation. Still they were a solid act worth your time if loud and heavy is your style.