Evil Eye tour at The Crocodile with TKK, Kanga & Adult.
Alternative Industrial music legends My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult ( or TKK, Thrill Kill Kult for short) brought the heat and the hits to The Crocodile in Seattle Wednesday night with their Evil Eye Tour featuring ADULT and KANGA. Fans waiting outside the venue braved the hot summer haze wearing their best leather, pleather, chains, and knee-high platform boots.
The Seattle date was one of several shows originally scheduled in the spring, but co-founder and lead singer Groovie Mann (Frankie Nardiello) was hospitalized for a serious illness. Fans (including myself) are so thankful Groovie has made a full recovery! Watching him onstage you would never know! More of TKK in a bit…
The evening kicked off with KANGA, whose ethereal performance was part art, emotional yoga and free-form ballet. Only stopping momentarily once or twice to greet the crowd and hydrate, KANGA’s songs morphed into one another drawing the audience’s close attention to every move. Kanga’s set may have been short, but it left a lasting impression.
Next up was a band who is known for their non-conformist, genre bending style. While they define their music by “not wanting to be defined”, some would categorize, ADULT, as doom, dance, sludge artists. I would categorize them as f*cking brilliant! The duo of Adam Lee Miller (electronic drums and tracks) and Nicola Kuperus (vocals/keys) have been creating together for over 25 years. Their 9th studio album Becoming Undone was released in 2021.
If you missed the first song, you missed probably the only time a role of clear packing tape has been used as a musical instrument. YES, you heard me! TAPE! This set would later be described as the most epic of audience participation moments at the Crocodile. Fans on either side of the stage held an end of tape that stretched along the stage with a tiny microphone a-fixed in the middle. Kuperus ran her fingers along the tape which created an eerie, screeching, electronic sound.
After a short moment to tell the crowd “they missed everyone’s faces” Kuperus picked up a second microphone. Using both hands, she sang into each mic while periodically waving the second mic for the crowd to scream into while she sang. Whenever Kuperus leaned into to the crowd you felt like she was peering deep into your soul. Die hard fans sang every note and danced in a dream like state.
Grabbing as much cord that one could hold in their arms Kuperus made the leap from the stage into the crowd. With red lights glowing over the beaming faces, fans parted making the perfect trail for Kuperus to safely interact with them on the floor and return to the stage. Giving excited folks lots to talk about during intermission.
TKK
Only a brief intermission stood in the way of the eager fans awaiting for the night’s headliner. If you are new to the Industrial scene or never heard of My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult..Here is a brief bio..
Originally formed in the late 80’s in Chicago as a duo by Groovie Mann (lead guitar/vocals) and Buzz McCoy (keys/tracks) TKK created an original sound mix of dance, rock, and industrial beats fused with fuzzy synthesizers, and samples from everything to power tools and sounds from B horror movies.
Over the years the band’s popularity increased and additional members were introduced for live shows. Their industrial sound became heavily influenced by disco and electronic club music in the 90’s which helped produce their biggest hit “After the Flesh” from the 1994’s movie, The Crow.
TKK’s clever and comical use of satirical references to the occult, sex and Jesus drew a larger audience to their live performances and were a hot topic among the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC). (Thanks to Tipper Gore, I had to hide my TKK tape in my room from my Mom..)
Wednesday night the stage set up was beautifully lit with primary colors and classic TKK designs such as the “sad Madonna” and the TKK cross. Hiding in the back in between two large cutout flames was Justin Bennett on drums, standing on risers that bookended stage left and right were Buzz McCoy (keys/tracks) and Mimi Star (bass guitar) and the center stage was the only and only Groovie Mann. Wearing his leather cap and shades, Groovie greeted the crowd and jumped into “Burning Dirt” to the roar of the almost sold-out crowd. While most band members stayed fixed on the stage, Groovie prowled every inch of the showroom stage smirking and smiling at the faces up front. The constant showman was constantly moving, dancing, and really got the crowd moving for “A Daisy Chain 4 Satan”.
TKK took very few breaks in-between songs which were a catalog of their greatest hits and B-side fan favorites. As exciting as it was to be upfront during the first couple of songs, you had to take a step back to really take in and appreciate the artistry that makes up Thrill Kill Kult.
My favorite moment had to be watching the crowd yell “Sex on Wheelz” like giddy kids and of course, singing along.
The Evil Eye tour continues through November, making stops in the midwest and Boston. Do yourself a favor and check it out!
Seattle set List:
Burning Dirt
A Daisy Chain 4 Satan
Do You Fear (For Your Child)?
Rivers of Blood, Years of Darkness
The Days of Swine and Roses
Ride the Mind-way
Leathersex
Sex on Wheelz
‘Cuz It’s Hot
The Velvet Edge
Bad life
Glamour Is a Rocky Road
Apollo 69
Blondes With Lobotomy Eyes
Radio Silicon
And This Is What the Devil Does
Encore:
Final Blindness
Dope Doll Jungle
After the Flesh
Shock of Point 6
Kooler Than Jesus
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