First of all, I’d like us all to bow our collective heads and observe a moment of silence for Pennsylvania and the Trocadero who not only postponed their scheduled Skinny Puppy show due to some nasty weather but eventually cancelled the thing all together (There will not be a rescheduled date). Boston and the Royale, however, persevered through a second snow storm last week and bore witness to the spectacle of the “Shapes for Arms” tour (Sorry Philly!). It was a sight to behold indeed and nothing seemed to keep both old school and new school goth and industrial fans away (Although I wish the weather would’ve kept the two overly obnoxious, drunk, and aggressive large gentlemen who terrorized stage right home for the evening)
But enough about the weather. Onto the theatrics!
Cevin Key and Ogre never fail to amaze and the latest stage show Skinny Puppy put on was no exception. With a set mixing a fair amount of oldies with new favorites, SP also delivered sonically as well as visually. With the backdrop of a radiological disaster at its core and Ogre donning almost as many outfits as Lady Gaga (Albeit way more gruesome), Skinny Puppy put on a show that was not only one of their best but one that will not easily be forgotten (Thoughts of this being the top show of 2014 is already swirling around my head…).
After instrumental opener “Choralone”, SP ripped into “illisiT” off of last year’s brilliant Weapon and didn’t relent on any of the 14 songs that followed. New tracks like “wornin” and “paragUn” meshed easily with classics like “The Choke” and “Worlock”. The highlight of the evening, however, was probably the encore of “Assimilate” which saw Ogre donning a costume of…himself. Probably the most “loose” song of the evening, it was also the best seeing Ogre uninhibited along with Cevin Key, cigarette between lips, just wailing away behind his boards.
Metropolis Records labelmates Army Of The Universe opened up the show with some visuals of their own (Laser guitars!) and an electro thump rock sound that guarantees showing up early to this show is a good thing.
If “Shapes for Arms” hasn’t hit your neighborhood yet make sure you check it out when it does. You won’t be disappointed. For tour dates and more head on over to Skinny Puppy on Facebook and please be sure to “like” us on our page.