Alchemia Club
March 7, 2020
support: Them Pulp Criminals
I had no plans to write about this gig, but looks like it may take really long time before concerts return, so I managed to jump on the last train right before the lockdown started. It was wild to think that I was in a small club rubbing shoulder with other people, while watching a band from Italy perform right in front of our eyes.
I am not sure if I would see the band playing just their solo material. Probably still yes. I have known about Spiritual Front for quite a while without hearing a single song. At the same time, I have always known that their frontman Simone was a huge Morrissey fan. I had them pegged as a part of military/dark folk scene and was quite surprised when I actually heard their music. Yeah, it sounds nothing like Death in June and I definitely do not care for this quite obvious kitschy cabaret/restaurant element in their music.
It was my first time at Alchemia club and I was pleasantly surprised. The concert venue is in the basement of a dingy watering hole. But it feels like a proper music club where you can enjoy the concert and see the performers very close.
Support that night came from a local Polish band called Them Pulp Criminals. They were surprisingly good. If the band name creates a Tarantino reference in your head, then you're probably right. The music is very cinematic and American and surprisingly it is done alright by these Poles. Think about Nick Cave or Madrugada playing a soundtrack for a movie about bad guys. I actually quite enjoyed their set. Thankfully the country/roots/Americana element was very very subtle and the band also covered Love in a Void by Siouxsie and the Banshees.
I did not really watch any videos before the concert. I thought the band would create Spiritual Front covers of The Smiths' songs. But in fact, they played them straight like the originals. I have never had a chance to go and see tribute bands of some of my favorite acts and I always wanted to. So now, I can definitely say it was the closest to a tribute band concert. Quite fittingly, there was a Pasolini movie as a backdrop when Spiritual Front played their set. Simone perfected Morrissey's mannerism and vocal gymnastics, I've seen quite a few Moz performances to recognize all of it - the subtle hip movements, the nods, how he swirls the mic cord and the yodel - it was all there.
The band played mostly the hits - Bigmouth, Barbarism, This Charming Man, There is a Light. They also played the lone Moz solo song - The Last of the Famous International Playboys during the first part of the show. After the main set was done, Spiritual Front returned and played their own material. Unfortunately I had to leave a bit earlier and did not see their encore.
I enjoyed the whole thing immensely. Did not even expect that these songs can still impact me in such a way. Yes, there is definitely no Johnny Marr in the band and Simone, with all his charm and charisma is still not Morrissey. But yet, the songs are all that matters and they are still perfect.
It was my first time at Alchemia club and I was pleasantly surprised. The concert venue is in the basement of a dingy watering hole. But it feels like a proper music club where you can enjoy the concert and see the performers very close.
Support that night came from a local Polish band called Them Pulp Criminals. They were surprisingly good. If the band name creates a Tarantino reference in your head, then you're probably right. The music is very cinematic and American and surprisingly it is done alright by these Poles. Think about Nick Cave or Madrugada playing a soundtrack for a movie about bad guys. I actually quite enjoyed their set. Thankfully the country/roots/Americana element was very very subtle and the band also covered Love in a Void by Siouxsie and the Banshees.
I did not really watch any videos before the concert. I thought the band would create Spiritual Front covers of The Smiths' songs. But in fact, they played them straight like the originals. I have never had a chance to go and see tribute bands of some of my favorite acts and I always wanted to. So now, I can definitely say it was the closest to a tribute band concert. Quite fittingly, there was a Pasolini movie as a backdrop when Spiritual Front played their set. Simone perfected Morrissey's mannerism and vocal gymnastics, I've seen quite a few Moz performances to recognize all of it - the subtle hip movements, the nods, how he swirls the mic cord and the yodel - it was all there.
The band played mostly the hits - Bigmouth, Barbarism, This Charming Man, There is a Light. They also played the lone Moz solo song - The Last of the Famous International Playboys during the first part of the show. After the main set was done, Spiritual Front returned and played their own material. Unfortunately I had to leave a bit earlier and did not see their encore.
I enjoyed the whole thing immensely. Did not even expect that these songs can still impact me in such a way. Yes, there is definitely no Johnny Marr in the band and Simone, with all his charm and charisma is still not Morrissey. But yet, the songs are all that matters and they are still perfect.
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