When I discovered KMFDM in 1996, they were already well more than a decade into their career and even then I felt like an interloper, so it was encouraging to see that, nearly 20 years later, they’re still pulling in fans who weren’t even born when the Mortal Kombat soundtrack came out. Of course, it also made me feel old.
The pioneering German-American-British industrial-dance-metal collective lit up Downtown LA’s Regent Theater with a blistering 75-minute set. Although KMFDM’s founder, lead vocalist and programming guru Sascha Konietzko, is the only original member, the current lineup of dueling lead guitarists Jules Hodgson and Steve White, drummer Andy Selway, and magnetic vocalist and keyboardist Lucia Cifarelli (who’s been married to Konietzko since 2005) have been the most stable incarnation of the band, touring and recording together for well over a decade.
That chemistry and consistency showed brightly as they tore through song-after-song drawn largely from Angst, Nihil, Xtort, and Symbols—the quartet of albums from their peak 90s crossover success—peppered with a handful of new songs and older favorites, including a guitar-heavy version of 1992’s dance hit “Money.” The electricity was palpable and the crowd erupted as Hodgson and White dug into the crunchy opening Slayer-borrowed riff from 1990’s “Godlike,” still a crowd favorite. Although the parade of 80s/90s industrial rock royalty who filled the stage on past tours are missed, the current hard-rocking five-piece KMFDM is keeping the ultra heavy beat alive.
Opening up for KMFDM were Chant. We also got a few photos of them. Check out the photos below of KMFDM and Chant!
Words: David Duman
Photography: M-Castro Photography
KMFDM
Chant
Want more photos? Check out the photo gallery below!
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