AESTHETIC PERFECTION : SUCKERS FOR PUNISHMENT TOUR with PRIEST and JULIAN-K at DIVE BAR LAS VEGAS
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
When it was announced that AESTHETIC PERFECTION was finally coming to Vegas I had no idea what to expect, and to make it even more appealing they were bringing one of my personal favorite bands, JULIAN-K along with PRIEST. The show sold out a few days before their arrival, and I was looking forward to the show.
I was a little confused when I saw the PRIEST backdrop get hung up behind the stage, but saw the guys in Julian-K take the stage. But thrilled none the less as this was a band I have not missed in Vegas since I first discovered them a few years ago. Julian-K is vocalist Ryan Shuck and Emir Derakh on lead guitar and synths (both ex-Orgy), and one of the better drummers I have seen in recent years in Galen Wailing, who also drums for Lords of Acid.
Julian-K opened the show with "Futura" followed by the song that hooked me on Julian-K, "All That Glitters". But the song that is my personal fav and I consider their best is "Shadow Life" - everything I LOVE about Julian-K. As usual the band closed their set with a cover of New Orders' "Blue Monday". This had the sold out crowd dancing and jumping along with the infectious beat of that classic song. Julian-K is everything I love in synth type bands, catching songs, strong beats and great showmanship. One of the bands I highly recommend when they come to your town. You can stay up with everything Julian-K right HERE.
PRIEST formed in 2017 by ex members of the band Ghost. This band is more of an electronic dance band, and on this night seemed to start off a bit slow after the high energy set by Julian-K. It took me a few shows to get into this band, but I have been a fan ever since. But for some reason they seemed out of place on a show featuring two higher energy bands, with their darker cyber based sound.
I had no idea what to expect from AESTHETIC PERFECTION, a synth pop band formed back in 2000, as I had never seen them before, but I can honestly say I am now a big fan of this band. One of the reasons I was excited about them was their drummer Joe Letz who I have covered for 15 years since his days in Combichrist, and after with Till Lindemann (Rammstein), and now Aesthetic Perfection.
Aesthetic Perfection was formed by Daniel Graves, and joining him on this US tour is Joe Letz on drums and Constance Antoinette Day on guitar and keys, who has also toured as a band member for Till Lindemann.
AP opened the show with "Gods & Gold" followed by "Sex". Daniel Graves is a fantastic frontman and works the crowd and gets them involved with their show. Constance was a beast on guitar and matched perfectly with Joe’s fast paced drum style. During the song “We Bring the Beat” Daniel grabbed a megaphone and sang through it as the crowd really let loose.
The only down side to this show, and even Joe mentioned it to me was the lack of lighting - Joe was dressed in his creepy doll-like outfit and the crowd could not see him at all. They closed the show with the song “Love Like Lies”, thanked all the bands and the crowd and said they were not looking forward to the drive to the next show all the way to Denver. I love the quirkiness of this band and the characters each member brings to the performance. Check out more on Aesthetic Perfection and tour dates HERE
-Harold Mountain
Aesthetic Perfection photos Harold Mountain
Julien-K photos Harold Mountain
Priest photos Harold Mountain
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