Achtung Baby!, 02/1998

INSANITY IS FREEDOM COMFORMITY IS DEATH - a march for the angels

Kirlian Camera, live in Trieste 22 february 1998

This report really can't recreate the strong/dramatic atmosphere i felt "that night", the night when one of the most determinant Italian band in the european scene came in my city and gave us the pleasure to lose ourselves within their suffered and beautiful melodies, but, I hope to give you just an idea of what terrible impact could come from an experience like this.

Where: Theatre "Miela", the same place, where already played Tony Wakeford about four months before (17 october 1997). Both performances took place within a festival named "Fluidi Magici" ("Magic Fluids") even there's a great chronological distance between them, really they were part of the same path (in fact Tony Wakeford opened this event while KC closed it - between them there were projects like Teatrum Chemicum and Malleus... nearly nothing for my tastes -) On stage I saw many keyboards and one only acoustic guitar, black/martial banners with kc's logo on two of the three keyboards (extreme left/extreme right) and a great white screen behind the stage.

When: 22 february 1998, 21:00/21:30 o'clock and Angelo was quite pleased to start at that hour instead of more later - this often happens at great festivals where he told me about some KC's performances that took place at 3:00 a.m. or so!

Who: Angelo Bergamini (voice, keyboards); Emilia Lo Jacono (voice, keyboards, acoustic guitar) and Ivano Bizzi (keyboards).

Why: As Angelo said, Trieste is a city/place well-known in the rest of our nation, a sort of "nuclear plant" (we have a lot of struggles/political tensions/dramatics events, really a tormented/tortured place) and since many years he was awaiting to visit us.

What: The first ever Kirlian Camera concert in Trieste!

An incredible performance, over my best previsions, over my best hopes, over, simply over!

Tension is the key-word. All began with an empty stage where the face of christ was towered and the hall filled with the strong/dramatic tones of "Pictures From Eternity" (I think that Jesus is a very important figure for KC's feelings/aptitudes) then came on stage Angelo alone, in black suit with covered face and the intro faded with the first assault sounds from a very heavy/cutting "Solaris" where the front man of KC read the lyrics from a book while a great and impressive video session shown images of brutal beauty.

In live action Kirlian Camera were more assault/techno than ever! Heavy martial/electronic in which I was total involved. Behind them was this continuous video session where I saw a great amount of third reich/second world war scenes ("Triumph of the Will"), again the face of holy sindone (shroud), Leon Degrelle (catholicism in national socialism/waffen ss), scenes of torture and executions from lands like Iraq and south america, the faces of bolshevism, flames, disorder, images of death from ex-Yugoslavia, the angelic voice of Emilia, the voice of Angelo, sometimes soft/resigned, sometimes strong/violent...

Without words, simply wonderful.

Three splendid acoustic tracks ("Raindome", "Fields of Sunset" and a heartquake song "Sea of Memory" by Emilia and her guitar solo) between pieces remixed in more heavy electronics - one for all, the ever beloved "Heldenplatz" presented in a never imaginated "techno" version - i loved it!

All came to end too fast. A good amount of songs for an incredible concert, but its end found me totally unprepared.

Luckily they gave us a bis (ever too much short!) where Angelo put off coat and balaclava helmet and sung an "Erinnerung" that i shall always remember.

And so, sadly, the concert was really over.

Except for some gothic clowns (however innocuous) and a truly idiot guy (that laughted during the silence video session of Christ and soviet's nomenclature - prega che non ti trovi, porco ritardato...) all was nearly perfect. if you have the chance to catch them in tour definitely do it!

Awaiting for another march of the angels...

  • MAX ribaric (Occidental Congress, Italy)

  • Taken from http://drugie.here.ru/achtung/kclive.htm